Are You Worried About Your Drinking?
Ask Yourself the Following Questions....
- Have you ever felt you ought to cut down on the amount you drink?
- Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
- Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
- Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (an eye opener)?
If you have answered “yes” to two or more of the above questions then you may be harming yourself as a result of your drinking. Think you might be overdoing it? Why not contact one of our offices to talk to someone.
The government has suggested “Sensible Drinking” as three to four units a day for men and two to three units a day for women. Below are some examples of what units of alcohol actually are:
Beer, lager and cider
A pint of beer/ordinary strength ale = 2.3 units
A pint of ordinary strength lager = 2.3 units
A pint of 5% lager (e.g. Stella Artois , Kronenbourg 2664) = 2.8 units
A pint of ordinary strength cider = 3 units
Wine
A 175 ml glass of red or white wine = 2 units approx
A large 250 ml glass of red or white wine = 3 units approx
A typical bottle of wine = 9 to 10 units
Spirits and alcopops
A 25 ml measure of spirits = 1 unit
A 35 ml measure of spirits = 1.4 units
A double measure of 25 ml spirits = 2 units
A 275 ml bottled alcopop = 1.5 units
The most recent studies of England , Wales and Scotland found that 25% of the population aged 16-24 reported a hazardous pattern of drinking. Hazardous drinking is much more prevalent in men and in the younger age groups.
- Regularly drinking 5 or more units/day for men, 3 or more units/day for women.
- Overall 38% of men reported a hazardous drinking pattern, compared with 15% of women.
- In women, hazardous drinking was more prevalent in the age group 16-29, whereas for men the peak was found in those aged 20-24.
- Risk of damage to physical or mental health – doubles a mans risk of liver disease, hypertension, some cancers and violent death.
- 1 in 5 attendees at a GP surgery are drinking in a hazardous way.
- Harmful drinking – drinking that can cause physical, psychological or social harm to an individual.
- 8 or more units for men consumed during one drinking occasion.
- 6 or more units for women during one drinking occasion
- In the UK binge drinking accounts for 40% of all drinking occasions among men and 22% by women.
- 21% men & 9% women are binge drinkers
- Physical effects of alcohol can include acute alcohol poisoning which can prove fatal.
- Studies show an association between binge drinking and Cardio-Vascular disease.
- The behaviourable affects of binge drinking can include: aggressive behaviour, domestic violence, unsafe sex and other criminal activity.
- For a significant proportion of young people binge drinking is not simply a youthful phase but a possible precursor of later, harmful drinking behaviour.
(Information collated from various sources including; Alcohol Concern, Institute of Alcohol Studies )
To find out more about how and whether alcohol is affecting your health and lifestyle please go to the following links …..
http://www.drinkingandyou.com/index.htm
http://www.howsyourdrink.org.uk/home.php
http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/servlets/doc/251
- There is increasing evidence to suggest that excess alcohol has negative effects upon psychological health
- Alcohol can temporarily alleviate feelings of low mood, but this may be counter productive
- Drinking too much is not a good strategy for managing mental health. It can make problems worse by inducing further anxiety and depression
- The World Health Organisation states that sufficient evidence now exists to assume that alcohol plays a contributi8ng role in the development of depression
- Occasionally people suffering from severe mental health problems may use alcohol to relieve their symptoms. This is often referred to among people in the mental health field as “self-medicating”
- Alcohol depresses the Central Nervous System, having the effect of disinhibiting behaviour. This can magnify or reveal our underlying feelings. This is one of the reasons that many people become aggressive or angry when drinking.
There has been inconsistent advice given to women who are either planning to conceive or those who are already pregnant about safe alcohol consumption levels. The developing baby is placed at risk, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. The more a pregnant woman drinks, the greater the risk of developing ‘foetal alcohol syndrome', this includes giving birth to babies who suffer from withdrawal symptoms, facial abnormalities, and impaired mental development. Drinking one or two units, once or twice a week carries a very low risk of damaging your baby. Avoid binge drinking, especially in the earliest stage of pregnancy
- Women who drink heavily risk disrupting their menstrual cycle and lowering fertility
- Some research has shown that pregnant women drinking between one and two units a day may increase the risk miscarriage
- Most research seems to agree that women who drink about ten units or more a week may have underweight babies
- Regular drinking of large amounts of alcohol has been shown to cause serious damage to the development of your baby
- Drinking alcohol at this time could increase nausea