Which is better: sticking to a moderate, low-risk drink limit of 10-14 drinks per week on just two days, or having the same number of drinks per week spread out over three or four days?

New research out of UT Austin confirms what you might have intuitively guessed: those who binge drink a couple of days a week are at significantly (in fact, 2x higher) risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems almost a decade later. (Alcohol-related problems include everything from injuries and mental health challenges to difficulties at work and school). Researchers studied over 1200 people over nine years to develop these findings.

Low-risk drinking guidelines from several governments have included both daily and weekly drinking limit recommendations for some time. It’s one of the reasons we require Drinker’s Helper members to set BOTH a daily and a weekly drinking limit.

But we thought we’d highlight the research because there are many reasons to stick to a healthy, moderate daily limit as well as a weekly one. Binge drinking on a couple of “drinking days” not only leads to worse hangovers, but also may lead to increased tolerance for alcohol, increased potential for injuries and harm to your relationships and career, and increased desire to get out of control.

If you’re looking to cut back or quit drinking, we’d love to help. Drinker’s Helper is an app that provides motivational exercises, drink tracking and insights into why you drink, and a personalized support group of your peers to help you make needed changes. You can try it out for free for a week before joining.

All the best of luck with your goals,

The Drinker’s Helper Team