Alcohol

1 in 25 adults have a problem with drinking too much alcohol.

Alcohol consumption is closely related to a range of physical problems as well as psychiatric problems including clinical depression and people with alcohol problems need to consult their doctors twice as often as other people on average.

Excessive drinking is a factor in:

up to 65 per cent of suicide attempts
20-30 per cent of accidents and accidental deaths
one in seven hospital admissions
the occupancy of one in five hospital beds

But drinking alcohol is not all bad…

Healthy drinking limits

It is a fact that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is healthier than drinking none at all.

For women the acknowledged healthy limit is 14 Units per week and for men it is 21 Units.

Units of alcohol in drinks are starting to be written on labels, but you can calculate how much you are drinking by multiplying the percentage alcohol with the volume (in litres) that you drink.

For example, in a bottle of wine (75cl = 0.75 litres) which has 12 per cent alcohol, 0.75 x 12 = 9 units in the bottle.

Risks of drinking too much

Short term

Whilst initially feeling warm and more relaxed, too much alcohol in the short term can cause disinhibition, doing something embarrassing, getting upset, doing or saying things you may regret, hangover, impotence, accidents, fights, vomiting, ending up unconscious or in the Emergency Department. People still die from falling unconscious and inhaling their own vomit.

Medium term

Sleep disturbance, difficulty concentrating, difficulties in exams, at work and in relationships

Long term

Liver damage, withdrawal syndrome (shakes, anxiety, sweats, craving) brain shrinkage, testicle shrinkage, growing breasts (men), diarrhoea, gastritis, pancreatitis and encephalopathy.

Abstinence or controlled drinking?

Most people who drink will say they would prefer to be able to get their drinking under control rather than be totally abstinent for the rest of their lives. Sometimes someone’s entire lifestyle is fixed around alcohol and his or her alcohol ‘career’ may have lasted many years. If you realise that you are drinking too much for whatever reason, the sensible thing to do is to look at what you are drinking, when and why you are drinking it, and try to cut down bit by bit. This may seem obvious but it is easy to say to yourself ‘I must stop today’. The reasons it is better to plan a reduction in alcohol intake are:

it is not always easy
most people need support
it is safer done under the supervision of a health professional
if you stop all of a sudden you may get a withdrawal syndrome
it can be very uncomfortable and can be dangerous

Someone who has liver failure or someone who finds that they struggle when working to control the amount they drink may need complete abstinence. It is the preferred lifestyle recommended by Alcoholics Anonymous.

Reducing the amount you drink

Keep a drinking diary for a few weeks to total up your daily and weekly intake. Look at where and when you consume most and use some of the tips below to reduce drinking at these times. Try to work towards a few alcohol-free days as consumption drops.

Drink something weaker and don’t drink in ‘rounds’
Start drinking later and go out with less cash
Avoid frequenting the places you drink most
Start with a soft drink, and alternate alcoholic and soft drinks
Keep yourself busy, don’t fall into drinking routines
Start some different activities
Eat before you go out to drink
Keep a drink diary

Good nutrition

Alcohol has lots of energy in it, so if you drink to excess chances are you may get overweight and eat less of a good diet because you are getting all your fuel from the drink. As a result alcoholics are frequently malnourished, particularly with regard to B vitamins. It is important to have a balanced and varied diet including all the major food groups and plenty of fruit, vegetables and foods rich in starch and fibre.

Detox - the facts

The liver is often underestimated – your liver efficiently and quietly gets on with metabolising all the elements processed through your gastrointestinal tract and it will continue to do so all your life unless critically damaged by disease or poisoning (ie by chronic overuse of alcohol). It has remarkable regenerative qualities, and we can get by with a ninth of the liver tissue we possess. That said, when it finally shows signs of disease, it has usually been struggling for a long time.

There is no medical evidence to suggest that a ‘detox diet’ makes any long-term difference to the health of our bodies, and when it comes to alcohol most people think of it as a quick way to purge the body and get better quickly. Not so.

Alcohol problem drinking evolves from habits and prioritised behaviour patterns over many years. It is these habits that are hard to break, and why controlling your drinking takes time and effort. The perfect drug to tackle the effects of alcohol withdrawal is alcohol itself, so the best way to withdraw is by gradually reducing what you drink. Substitute medication prescribed by a doctor may come with its own side effects and problems, so whilst it can help certain people it is generally reserved for use in hospital or in exceptional circumstances.

Specialist help

Seeing your GP is a good way to start the ball rolling if you are concerned that you are drinking too much, but there is nothing to stop you starting to help yourself in the ways described above.

Your doctor or nurse may discuss starting a drink diary, they can run tests to check the health of your body and can point you in the direction of support services and the local Alcohol Team who specialise in helping people to control their drinking problems.

In Nottingham you can contact:

APAS – the Alcohol Problems Advisory service 0115 9414747
NADT – Nottingham Drug and Alcohol Team 0115 9418964
Alcoholics Anonymous 0115 9417100
Support for Parents 0115 9128011 / 9128035

Drink diary

Date: ……………

Drink diary
Day	What? How much?	Reason for drinking	When, where, who with?	How did you feel?	Units	Total
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday