Approximately one in ten of the population of the UK suffers from alcoholism:
You may have noticed that you are:
You may feel:
Current UK guidelines recommend that men don't drink more than three or four units of alcohol a day, and that women limit their intake to two or three units a day. You shouldn't save up units through the week and use them to binge at the weekend, and at least one day a week should be alcohol-free.
If you do have an episode of heavy drinking, as a short term measure, you shouldn't drink alcohol for 48 hours.
One unit is 8 grams, or about 10ml, of pure alcohol - regardless of how diluted it is. Below is a list of some common drinks and how many units they have in them.
The recommended limits are lower for women than for men because the body composition of women has less water than men. So, even if a man and woman weigh the same and are of a similar size, the woman will tend to get drunk faster.
Some experts also think that women develop liver disease at lower levels of drinking than men, although this appears to only be the case in higher levels of alcohol consumption.
Some people who drink frequently or in large quantities can become addicted to alcohol. Doctors use a number of techniques to diagnose patients with drink problems. They may ask you how much and how often you drink and whether you have "blackouts". You may be asked if you have tried to cut down, whether you feel guilty about your drinking, or whether you have a drink in the morning.
According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, a person is considered to be dependent on alcohol when they have experienced three or more of the following symptoms during a year.
Alcohol abuse, or problem drinking, happens when a person is not dependent on alcohol, but is drinking enough to cause themselves actual physical or psychological harm.
A small amount of alcohol will relax you and make you feel less anxious. But alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system. In increasing amounts it suppresses the part of your brain that controls judgement, resulting in a loss of inhibitions. It also affects your physical co-ordination, causing blurred vision, slurred speech and loss of balance. Drinking a very large amount at one time (binge drinking) can lead to unconsciousness, coma, and even death. Vomiting while unconscious can lead to death by asphyxiation (suffocation).
Alcohol is involved in a large proportion of fatal road accidents, assaults and incidents of domestic violence.
Alcohol can be a dangerous drug. Drinking too much too often will cause physical damage, increase the risk of getting some diseases, and make other diseases worse. Excessive drinking over time is associated with:
Excessive drinking has also been linked to:
Women who drink heavily during pregnancy are at risk of having babies with a condition called fetal alcohol syndrome. This can result in growth deficiencies, nervous system problems, lowered intelligence, and facial abnormalities in the child. It is also called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder - all the symptoms are not always present and can vary in how serious they are.
There is some evidence that pregnant women who drink 10 to 15 units a week are more likely to have underweight babies. It is not known if there is an absolutely safe limit for drinking during pregnancy, but research indicates that it may be wise to avoid alcohol altogether.
Although alcohol initially makes people feel relaxed, long term excessive use can ultimately increase anxiety and cause depression. It is also related to problems with sleeping, mood-swings, violence and suicide (about two-thirds of suicide attempts are thought to involve alcohol).
If you think you're drinking too much, keep a "drinking diary", noting how much alcohol you drink each week. It will reveal whether you are drinking within safe guidelines and help you identify the situations that you need to avoid to cut down your drinking.
Below are some tips to help you cut down.
Cutting down may not be enough if you are alcohol dependent. Confidential advice and support is available through your GP, and may involve a community alcohol team or specialist consultant care. There are also organisations such as Alcohol Concern and Alcoholics Anonymous that help many people (see below).
When someone heavily dependent on alcohol stops drinking (detoxification), they sometimes get withdrawal symptoms. These include headaches, nausea, sweating, and tremors. Sometimes more serious symptoms like confusion, paranoia, and having fits or hallucinations can occur.
To prevent withdrawal symptoms, a chronic heavy drinker may be prescribed medication such as diazepam (eg Valium) or chlordiazepoxide for a few days after stopping drinking.
Below are some examples of other drug treatments that are sometimes used to help people dependent on alcohol.
Call Bryan right now on 01559 370865 or by email bryan@starchildholisticcentre.com to book your appointment.