According to the BBC, and the government, there are 9 types of drinker. They're as follows:
Depressed drinker - Life in a state of crisis eg recently bereaved, divorced or in financial crisis. Alcohol is a comforter and a form of self-medication used to help them cope.
De-stress drinker - Pressurised job or stressful home life leads to feelings of being out of control and burdened with responsibility. Alcohol is used to relax, unwind and calm down and to gain a sense of control when switching between work and personal life. Partners often support or reinforce behaviour by preparing drinks for them.
Re-bonding drinker - Relevant to those with a very busy social calendar. Alcohol is the ‘shared connector' that unifies and gets them on the same level. They often forget the time and the amount they are consuming.
Conformist drinker - Traditional guys who believe that going to the pub every night is ‘what men do'. Justify it as ‘me time'. The pub is their second home and they feel a strong sense of belonging and acceptance within this environment.
Community drinker - Drink in fairly large social friendship groups. The sense of community forged through the pub-group. Drinking provides a sense of safety and security and gives their lives meaning. It also acts a social network.
Boredom drinker - Typically single mums or recent divorcees with restricted social life. Drinking is company, making up for an absence of people. Drinking marks the end of the day, perhaps following the completion of chores.
Macho drinker - Often feeling under-valued, disempowered and frustrated in important areas of their life. Have actively cultivated a strong ‘alpha male' that revolves around their drinking ‘prowess'. Drinking is driven by a constant need to assert their masculinity and status to themselves and others.
Hedonistic drinker - Single, divorced and/or with grown up children. Drinking excessively is a way of visibly expressing their independence, freedom and ‘youthfulness' to themselves. Alcohol used to release inhibitions.
Border dependents - Men who effectively live in the pub which, for them, is very much a home from home. A combination of motives, including boredom, the need to conform, and a general sense of malaise in their lives.
Conformist drinker - Traditional guys who believe that going to the pub every night is ‘what men do'. Justify it as ‘me time'. The pub is their second home and they feel a strong sense of belonging and acceptance within this environment.
Community drinker - Drink in fairly large social friendship groups. The sense of community forged through the pub-group. Drinking provides a sense of safety and security and gives their lives meaning. It also acts a social network.
These are the two categories I fall under but with some alterations.
Conformist - going to the pub every week not every night. Don't necessarily feel accepted by the place, it's pub, it sells beer. Job done.
Community - I do drink with a large group of friends. Drinking doesn't make me feel safe or secure.
The best one has to be boredom drinker:
"I'm at a loose end, there's nothing on TV, so I guess I'll just sit here and work my way through this bottle of gin."
Binge drinking is classed as anything more than 3 pints in one sitting, so I'm a binger. I'm the same, I don't drink for weeks then have a big session. I do usually have one pint on a Saturday afty even on non-drinking weekends.
Back in my obese youth I used to be a beer monster, nowadays I'm a total light weight & can feel thee effects after two pints :/
I think the list refers to people who drink more than the recommended weekly limit each week, I certainly don't
