What happens if you only drink alcohol on weekends?

What Is a Weekend Alcoholic?

 A weekend alcoholic is a person who is not taking alcohol during weekdays but drinks a lot during weekends (can be subject to a binge-drinking pattern). Such an individual might seem to be in good control of their usage since he or she does not consume alcohol on a daily basis; however, the severity and frequency of the consumption during weekends pose a similar risk profile to a person who drinks on a regular basis. 

This is to say that a weekend alcoholic might not take alcohol during the days of Monday and Thursday, but on a Friday day, he or she can take alcohol in large quantities within a short period of time.

It is typical of individuals who believe that they have earned their drinks at the end of a hard week of work or that who tend to socially equate fun on weekends with alcohol. They can also defend their drinking by arguing that they do not depend on the drinks, as they do not drink every day. But alcohol use disorder (AUD) is not a definition depending on the frequency of drinking; it is a definition that is based on loss of control, craving and consequences. 

As long as a person drinks on weekends, particularly binge drinking, he or she may have AUD. This is what will be adopted over the time and the brain will start relating weekends with alcohol and the brain will be psychologically dependent on alcohol although it is not being used daily.

Signs of a Weekend Alcoholic

• Friday, Saturday, or both binge drinking, drinking much more than he planned on one night, despite promising himself to go easy this time.
• Taking weekends off to relax and unwind instead of engaging in more productive relaxation like learning to breathe, do yoga or have a peaceful walk.
• Having a strong urge or craving towards drinking on the weekend, where the thrill about alcohol is the best part of the week and sober days disappoint or are dull.
• Failures to quit after starting to drink, which results in later nights, more significant drinking, or combining alcohol despite observing some of the initial symptoms of alcohol use, such as dizziness and inappropriate actions.
• Repeat blackouts, forgetting the next morning or being confused the next morning, implying that the brain is being overwhelmed by the large amounts of alcohol within a brief time.
• It is important to make alcohol the main element of its social strategy and consistently make bars, parties, or beverage-related outings the alternative to sober events.
• Being physically in need of Sunday or even Monday to recuperate, having headaches, nausea, anxiety, or abject fatigue upon having a drink every weekend.
• Friends or family who are worried and who notice personality changes, irritability or disrupted routine in regard to your weekend drinking habit.
• Minimizing or excusing the behavior, commonly with the refrain, “I only drink on weekends, in an attempt to protect oneself against the damage.

Risks of Weekend Alcohol Misuse

• More liver overload and inflammation, binge drinking causes the liver to take huge quantities of alcohol in a short period of time, which leads to fatty liver disease and permanent damage, although you may be sober throughout the week.
• Increased rate of accidents and injuries such as falls, car accidents, and risky behaviors caused by a lack of coordination and judgment, which peak on weekends in emergency departments.
• Critical effects on mental health like increased anxiety, depression, irritability, and emotional imbalance, due to the chemical imbalances following extreme weekend drinking.
• The broken sleep patterns since alcohol disrupts the REM sleep, causing one to be restless, fatigued, and less focused even into the week.
• Higher risk of being dependent on alcohol since the brain starts identifying relaxation by the weekend with being drunk, hence leading to the formation of psychological dependence, which turns to physical dependence.
• Heart diseases, such as hypertension, arrhythmia, and additional overload on the heart because of acute alcohol intake.
• Problems with digestion and inflammation, e.g., gastritis, acid reflux, and damage of the stomach lining due to repeated binge drinking.
• Gaining of weight and metabolic issues, as weekend drinking usually involves high-calorie consumption of alcohol, late-night food, and unhealthy food choices.
• Decreased immune system, which predisposes the body to infection and diseases, particularly following high bouts of drinking.

What Happens If You Only Drink Alcohol on Weekends?

Most individuals believe that they are safe when they only drink over the weekend without any addiction and health issues. The fact is that the body is subjected to immediate stress when it is being binge-drunk over the weekend. By not drinking for five days and then taking in huge quantities in a small period, your body is forced to overload to get rid of the excess in a short period. 

Alcohol has to be metabolized at a rapid rate by your liver, which generates peaks in inflammation. Even though you might believe that you are in the recovery process during the week, your liver is in cumulative stress.

The way your brain chemistry relates to weekend drinking is also influenced. Alcohol activates dopamine, serotonin and GABA, producing the effects of relaxation and pleasure. As this occurs on a regular basis each weekend, your brain starts to anticipate this unnatural stimulus. 

This forms a trap of getting incomplete weekends without alcohol that leads to psychological dependence. The brain can also lose its sensibility to natural rewards, leading to a decrease in motivation, mood and enjoyment of non-alcohol-related activities.

The other significant impact is the manner in which weekend alcohol consumption affects sleep. Sleeplessness after consuming alcohol is caused by the fact that many people sleep faster but the alcohol disrupts the REM sleep, thus resulting to disturbances during sleep. 

The result is fatigue, irritability, and cognitive fog, which can be experienced long into the week. Monday is a day off rather than a productive beginning and some individuals are out of balance in the middle of the week.

Medical experts frequently caution that drinking alcohol on a weekend-only basis may cause long-term effects of cardiovascular stress, elevated blood pressure and digestive complications. Alcohol may remain in the body up to hours or even a whole day, even when one does not consume it on a day-to-day basis, depending on the amount he drink. 

It implies that your Monday morning decisions might be influenced by your decisions on Saturday night.

The greatest misunderstanding is that it is safe to use alcohol on the weekend, provided one does not do it on weekdays. However, the fact remains obvious: even though binge drinking may not be so severe as to cause addiction, it affects your body and mind, exposing them to severe dangers.