After the holidays, did you start to wonder about your alcohol consumption? Good news: a specialist has developed a foolproof method for recognizing alcohol addiction.
What exactly is the 5 C method?
If the volume of alcohol put on sale is in sharp decline in France according to the 2024 edition of the annual report of the French Observatory on Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT), many French people are still too inclined to raise their elbows.
In a country where it is customary to “clink glasses” with friends (as the journalist Claire Touzard so well recalls in her book “When we drink, we are festive, irreverent, funny. French“), it can be difficult to self-detect “addict”.
On TikTok, Laurent Karila, addiction psychiatrist and president of the scientific committee of the SOS Addictions association, shared a simple tip for identifying alcohol dependence: the “5 C” theory.
His method is based on a simple principle: identifying an addiction based on five criteria: control, compulsive behavior, craving, continuity and consequences.
“The first C is “I lose control of my behavior”. The second, compulsive use, comes down to not being able to stop yourself from doing it. The third C, “Craving”, is the irresistible desire to consume. The fourth is regular and chronic use, and the last is the consequences that this consumption has on my life“, he explains.
According to the specialist, if a person presents all of these criteria over a period of twelve months, alcohol addiction is confirmed.
To remember: according to the WHO, alcohol dependence is proven when the consumption of alcoholic beverages becomes a priority over other previously predominant behaviors in a person. “The desire to drinkalcohol
becomes impossible to control and must be satisfied to the detriment of all other considerations”, relates the organization.
Moderate daily consumption is recommended
During an interview given last year to Le Figaro, Laurent Karila called on all French people to moderate their alcohol consumption. In France, health authorities recommend not exceeding two glasses per day and ten glasses maximum per weekwhile specifying that for special occasions four glasses constituted the limit not to be crossed.
© FRENCH ALCOOLOGY SOCIETY
The standard glass in France, 10 grams of pure ethanol
These benchmarks obviously concern all types of alcoholic beverages. “A small glass of whiskey is equivalent to a glass of champagne or a balloon of red wine“, he recalls.
Advice validated by Dr Gérald Kierzek, interviewed on this subject: “For an occasional evening (…), do not exceed four standard glasses maximum, ideally less to minimize toxic risks”, underlines the medical director of True Medical.
Also take advantage of Dry January to take stock of your consumption and your relationship with alcohol.
Alcohol: how to limit the number of drinks consumed?
While it’s not always easy to say no to a drink, a few tips can help on a daily basis to reduce the amount of alcohol ingested:
- Set a drink limit in advance (example: 2-3) and alternate with water or non-alcoholic drinks to stay hydrated;
- Drink slowly, with food (protein and healthy fats to slow the absorption of alcohol) and alternating with water;
- Avoid places and activities that encourage excessive alcohol consumption;
- Make sure you are surrounded by people you trust and have good influence;
“Finally, space out the glasses, opt for light drinks (low ABV like spritz) and avoid drinking on an empty stomach or drinking excess bubbles which accelerate intoxication,” concludes Dr Gérald Kierzek.