When it comes to alcohol problems, it’s not all black and white – there is definitely a grey area. Most people that have alcoholism, i.e. an alcohol addiction, can be easier to spot than binge drinkers, but the grey area is becoming so unclear that organizations are changing the way they define “alcohol use” altogether.

Rather than thinking of alcohol abuse (i.e. binge drinking) and alcohol addiction as starkly separate categories, it may be more helpful to look at the signs and symptoms that alcohol use produces in any given individual.

For example, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders now lumps all forms of problem drinking together and calls it “Alcohol Use Disorder.” Depending on the severity of the disorder, it can be categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. When thinking of how alcohol use affects one certain individual, it can help draw better conclusions and gauge where exactly on the alcohol use spectrum a person falls.

Binge drinking fast facts According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:

• You can be considered a binge drinker if you are a man who consumes more than 4 alcoholic drinks in one day or a total of 15 or more in one week OR a woman who consumes more than 3 alcoholic drinks in one day or a total of 8 or more in one week.
• The average binge drinker consumes 8 servings of alcohol per drinking session, regardless of gender. (Remember you must consider the different types of alcohol and how much qualifies as a serving. Instead of eight servings of beer, it could alternatively be two long island iced teas.)
• Binge drinking has many faces. Some people can binge drink just once or twice a year. Others will go through periods of binge drinking and then abruptly cut back, or some people may go through long periods of binge drinking. The bottom line is this, however; anyone who consumes more than three or four alcoholic drinks in a sitting is on the spectrum of alcohol abuse.

So - how much alcohol means you’re overdoing it? 5 sneaky signs that you may be drinking too much:

• Weekend warrior status. If you abstain from alcohol all week, but then every Friday and/or Saturday night, drinking is your main objective, that could be a problem. Refraining from alcohol all week only to guzzle five or six glasses in one sitting negates any of alcohol’s potential health benefits and becomes harmful.
• Getting drunk keeps unintentionally creeping up on you. Ever tell yourself you’re going to meet a friend for a drink or two at happy hour, and before you knew it you’ve downed four and you ordered another? One of the clues that you may be a binge drinker is not knowing your limits—or feeling surprised when you’ve “suddenly” surpassed them. It’s healthy to reevaluate your drinking habits regularly.
• Your memory is blurry at some parts of the evening. If your memory has become very blurry regarding parts of the night or you have woken up foggy as to how you got home and into bed, you’ve certainly had a few too many.
• You let responsibilities slide. Drinking is a problem when you notice that you’ve started to neglect things that are important to you for the sake of alcohol. Example: you are very dedicated to your fitness goals, but you start frequently skipping your exercises because you overdid it over the weekend. When drinking is prioritized over your goals, you’re probably in the danger zone.
• People close to you seem concerned. If your family, friends, or co-workers have hinted or stated that they’re worried about you, it is in your best interest to cut back. And if you’re afraid to ask people if you drink too much, that’s probably a sign that you’re overdoing it.