Are you a gray area drinker? Expert reveals 6 questions to ask yourself to find out if you have a drinking problem (without being an alcoholic)

Grabbing a pint or glass of sauvignon blanc after work or enjoying a drink with friends on the weekend is a world away from most people's idea of ​​an alcoholic.

But many women are unaware that their drinking has become problematic without becoming dependent on alcohol. In other words, these adults become 'victims of gray area alcohol use'.

Alcohol use disorders in women have increased by 80 percent over the past thirty years.

Women's Health Coach and Accredited Gray Area Drinking Coach Sarah Rusbatch from Perth has discussed the issue in her latest book Beyond Booze and has created a simple checklist to determine if you are a gray area drinker.

After developing a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol in 2019, Sarah decided to give up alcohol. Despite the monumental leap, the author has never looked back.

Now she is on a mission to help others who struggle with gray area alcohol use, helping them create an alcohol-free lifestyle.

Sarah has channeled her journey to help other women who were stuck in her previous predicament to achieve a healthier and happier way of life.

She said: 'Drinking in the gray area describes people who consume more than a moderate amount of alcohol but do not meet the criteria for actual dependence.

'Most don't see themselves as needing help, but they do recognize that their alcohol use is negatively impacting their lives in some way: physically, mentally or both.

She concluded: 'Grey area drinkers have passed the 'take it or leave it' point and are using alcohol for something else: reward, relaxation, self-confidence, to cool down or to numb themselves from their emotions.'

It comes after a new report found British women are the biggest binge drinkers in the developed world, with one in four bingeing every month.

About 26 percent admit to consuming six or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion, with experts blaming a 'ladette' and 'wine o'clock' culture.

This is more than double the average rate of 12 percent among the 33 countries analyzed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

British women were matched only by those from Denmark (26 percent), followed by Luxembourg (24 percent) and Germany (22 percent).

The OECD's Health at a Glance 2023 report warns that alcohol increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, cirrhosis and certain cancers.

British men are the third biggest binge drinkers, with 46 percent drinking the equivalent of 60 grams of pure ethanol on one occasion in the past 30 days.

This places them behind Romania (55 percent) and Denmark (49 percent) and compared to an international average of 27 percent.

Addiction expert John Britton, emeritus professor at the University of Nottingham, said: 'These figures are extremely worrying. Harm is happening right under our noses because alcohol remains an integral part of British society and everyday life, just as tobacco was.

'In other countries, alcohol is used as a social lubricant – a way to make social occasions more fun – and not as a way to become legless, as is often the case here.

'Too many people also use alcohol to relax at the end of a stressful working day, when they should be looking for healthier alternatives.'

Britons each drank the equivalent of 10 liters of pure ethanol in 2021 – around 111 bottles of wine – the latest figures show. This is an increase compared to 9.9 liters in 2011.

Beyond Booze by Sarah Rusbatch (Murdoch Books, £16.99).