ALCOHOL: OUR FAVOURITE DRUG
Alcohol is our favourite drug. Most of us use it for enjoyment, but for some of us, drinking can become a serious problem.
In fact, alcohol causes much more harm than illegal drugs like heroin and cannabis. It is a tranquilliser, it is addictive, and is the cause of many hospital admissions for physical illnesses and accidents.
PROBLEMS WITH ALCOHOL
Many of these problems are caused by having too much to drink at the wrong place or time. Alcohol affects your judgment, so you do things you wouldn't normally think of. It makes you less aware of risks and so more vulnerable. You are more likely to have fights, arguments, money troubles, family upsets, or spur-of-the-moment casual sex. Alcohol helps to cause accidents at home, on the roads, in the water and on playing fields.
PROBLEMS WITH ALCOHOL - PHYSICAL HEALTH
Being very drunk can lead to severe hangovers, stomach pains (gastritis), vomiting blood, unconsciousness and even death. Drinking too much over a long period of time can cause liver disease and increases the risk of some kinds of cancer. It can reduce the risk of heart disease for men over 40 and women of menopausal age - but only if their drinking is very moderate.
PROBLEMS WITH ALCOHOL - MENTAL HEALTH
Although we tend to think of alcohol as something we use to make us feel good, heavy drinking can bring on depression. Many people who commit suicide have had drinking problems. Alcohol can stop your memory from working properly and can cause brain damage. It can even make you hear noises and voices - a very unpleasant experience which can be hard to get rid of.
WARNING SIGNS
Alcohol is addictive. Some warning signs are:
you do not feel right without a drink, or need a drink to start the day
you get very shaky, sweaty, and anxious/tense a few hours after your last drink
you can drink a lot without becoming drunk
you need to drink more and more to get the same effect
you try to stop, but find you can't
you carry on drinking even though you can see it is interfering with your work, family and relationships
you get "memory blanks" where you can't remember what happened for a period of hours or days.
DEALING WITH ALCOHOL PROBLEMS
If you are worried about your drinking or a friend's drinking, tell them - they need to make changes as soon as possible. It is much easier to cut back before drinking problems damage your health than it is once they are out of hand.
FIRST STEPS
Keep a diary of your drinking - you may be surprised by how much you really do drink, and this can give you the motivation to cut down. It helps if you can talk your plans over with a friend or relative. Do not be ashamed to tell someone. Most real friends will be pleased to help - you may find they have been worried about you for some time.
GETTING HELP
If you find it hard to change your drinking habits then try talking to your GP or go for advice to a local alcohol organisation.
If you feel you cannot stop because you get too shaky or restless and jumpy when you try to cut down; your doctor can often help with some medication for a short time. If you still find it very difficult to change then you may need specialist help.
CHANGING HABITS
We all find it hard to change a habit, particularly one that plays such a large part in our lives. There are three steps to dealing with the problem:
Realising and accepting that there is a problem.
Getting help to break the habit.
Keeping going once you have begun to make changes.
You may find that you have been using alcohol as a way of handling stress and worries. A psychiatrist or a psychologist may be able to help you find ways of overcoming these worries that do not involve relying on drink.
Groups where you meet other people with similar problems can often be very helpful. There are self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, or those run by professionals at an alcohol treatment unit.
Most people dealing with their drink problems do not need to go into hospital. Some people will need to get away from the places where they drink and the people they drink with. For them, a short time in an alcohol treatment unit may be necessary. Medications are mainly used for "drying out" if you get withdrawal symptoms. It is important to avoid relying on tranquillisers as an alternative.
Anyone who drinks can develop an alcohol problem - and some people lose everything - alcohol is a major cause of homelessness. Although some people may just need support and to talk, others may need longer-term help so that they can get somewhere to live, start to make relationships again and get back to work.
Tackling your alcohol problem can be hard work, but it pays off in the end by making a difference across all aspects of your life.
HOW MUCH ALCOHOL IS TOO MUCH?
Some drinks are stronger than others. The easiest way to work out how much we are drinking is to count "units" of alcohol. 1 unit is 1mls of alcohol - the amount in a standard pub measure of spirits, a half pint of normal strength beer or lager, or a small glass of wine.
If a man and woman of the same weight drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman will have a much higher amount in her bodily organs than the man. So, unfair as it may seem, the safe limit is lower for women (14 units per week) than for men (21 units per week).
BINGE" DRINKING
How much you drink at one time is also important. These "safe limits" assume that our drinking is spread out through the week.
In any one day, it is best for a man to drink no more than 4 units and for a woman to drink no more than 3 units. Drinking over 8 units in a day for men, or 6 units for women is known as 'binge drinking'.
You can drink above the safe limit on one night, but still remain within your "safe" limit for the week. There is some evidence that, even a couple of days of binge drinking, may start to kill off brain cells. This was previously thought only to happen with people who drank continuously for long periods of time. Binge drinking also seems to be connected with an increased risk of early death in middle aged men.
RECOMMENDED SAFE LIMITS OF ALCOHOL
See your doctor or practice nurse if you are drinking above the recommended limits and are finding it difficult to cut down.
WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDED LIMITS OF ALCOHOL DRINKING?
Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than four units in any one day).
Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (and no more than three units in any one day).
Pregnant women. It is known that a lot of alcohol can damage a developing baby. A small amount probably does no harm. However, the exact amount that is safe is not known. Therefore, to play safe, advice from the Department of Health is that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant should not drink at all. If you do chose to drink when you are pregnant then limit it to one or two units, once or twice a week. And never get drunk.
The more you drink above these limits, the greater the risk of developing serious problems such as: liver disease (cirrhosis or hepatitis); stomach and pancreas disorders; depression; anxiety; sexual difficulties; muscle and heart muscle disease; high blood pressure; damage to nervous tissue; serious accidents; some cancers; obesity (alcohol has many calories).
WHAT IS A UNIT OF ALCOHOL?
One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume, or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol.
For Example:
One unit of alcohol is about equal to:
Half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider (3-4% alcohol by volume)
A small pub measure (25ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume)
A standard pub measure (50ml) of fortified wine such as sherry or port (20% alcohol by volume)
There are one and a half units of alcohol in:
A small glass (125ml) of ordinary strength wine (12% alcohol by volume)
A standard pub measure (35ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume)
But remember, many wines and beers are stronger than the more traditional 'ordinary' strengths. A more accurate way of calculating units is as follows. The percentage alcohol by volume (%abv) of a drink equals the number of units in one litre of that drink.
For example:
Strong beer at 6% abv has six units in one litre. If you drink half a litre (500ml) - just under a pint - then you have had three units.
Wine at 14% abv has 14 units in one litre. If you drink a quarter of a litre (250ml) - two small glasses - then you have had three and a half units.
Some other examples
Three pints of beer, three times per week, is at least 18-20 units per week. That is nearly the upper weekly safe limit for a man. However, each drinking session of three pints is at least six units, which is more than the safe limit advised for any one day.
A 750ml bottle of 12% wine contains nine units. If you drink two bottles of 12% wine over a week that is 18 units. This is above the upper safe limit for a woman.
