Many of you may think that having several drinks at the weekend is nothing to be worried about. Take a look at this news story!
What is Alcohol Abuse?
Drinking alcohol in small quantities can be beneficial in that it is a social activity. There are also possible long-term medical benefits. Furthermore, western culture often encourages drinking as a means of social integration. As a result of this ‘acceptance’, it is sometimes difficult to recognise when drinking has become a problem. A person who drinks nothing at all in the week and then binges once at the weekend is more at risk than one who drinks small amounts more regularly.
In the short term, alcohol abuse can lead to accidents and personal injury as well as to liver damage, which can occur in relatively young individuals if they have been consistently abusing alcohol.
In the longer term, excessive drinking can result in a whole range of physical and psychological complications and, ultimately, in death.
The Department of Health advise that the sensible drinking limits for men and women are as follows:
3 or 4 units a day or 28 units a week for men
2 or 3 units a day or 21 units a week for women
1 unit is equivalent to half a pint of standard lager or beer or one standard glass of wine. 1 bottle of Alco pop is roughly equivalent to 2 units of alcohol.
Helping Yourself
The symptoms of alcohol abuse vary from individual to individual. Ask yourself whether your drinking regularly (or even sometimes) results in the following:
getting into fights or arguments
finding it difficult to get up in the morning
feeling depressed
suffering from financial worries
concern from friends and family members about your drinking habits
ensuring that you keep alcohol readily available
accidental injury
finding it hard to cope with stressful situations
being arrested
blackouts
drinking and driving
If you recognise any of the symptoms listed above and think you may have a drinking problem, then you have already taken the first step towards helping yourself.
There are immediate steps you can take to help yourself. Try:
setting yourself an upper limit and asking your friends to help you to stick to it
alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water (use the same glass for water and wine in a restaurant so that you can monitor your intake)
eating before you drink alcohol
avoiding situations where you know you will be obliged to drink
having ‘days off’ from drinking alcohol
avoiding spirits
drinking low alcohol drinks
avoiding alcohol when you feel particularly stressed
However, you may also need to seek professional help and there are many resources available to help you.
Your GP is a useful first point of contact. In some cases, a GP will refer you for more specialised help and support.
Alcoholics AnonymousWebsite: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
Alcoholics Al-anon ( support for relatives)61 Great Dover StreetLondon SE1Tel: 020 7 403 0888
This is a really useful website that might help you cope with the alcohol culture if you are off to uni next year.