If you drink a lot on some occasions, maybe every weekend or less often, and you usually get drunk, then you could be described as a binge-drinker. Alcohol changes the way we feel and behave. While small amounts of alcohol may help us to socialise and feel relaxed, it can be difficult to stop drinking. People can then get into a pattern of getting drunk every time they drink.
If you drink on most days of the week and you regularly drink more than the bench-mark then you could be a heavy drinker. You might not get drunk very often but there's still a real risk that you're damaging your health. Heavy drinking is expensive and it can lead to disagreements with family and friends. Overtime it can change you as a person - how you think, feel, behave and react.
If you find that drinking is a major part of your life and that you really miss not having a drink to hand, you may be a dependent drinker. Being dependent means you may need to carry on drinking to avoid the unpleasant emotional or physical effects if you stopped drinking - Feeling sick, retching, shaking and sweating are all common withdrawal symptoms.
If you have become dependent on alcohol you'll probably need some professional support and advice to help you get through withdrawal - such as the Action-For-Change Clinical Team