Drinking Alcohol Sensibly

Introduction

Most people in the UK drink alcohol. According to an NHS Information Centre report (2008), 72 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women reported drinking an alcoholic drink on at least one day in the week. Twelve per cent of men and seven per cent of women reported drinking on every day in the previous week. But when does drinking become more than just a pleasurable way to socialise or wind down after a busy day, and what harm can it do to you in terms of your health?

If you drink alcohol sensibly, it is considered perfectly safe and, for most people, it is enjoyable too. Whether or not you misuse alcohol depends on how much and how often you drink it.

The problem is that many people are confused about how much alcohol is considered a sensible, or moderate, amount.

Every year, 150,000 people in England are admitted to hospital and 22,000 people die prematurely due to alcohol related causes. The cost to society has been estimated at over £20 billion.

How much should I drink?

You don't have to be an excessive drinker to develop problems with alcohol - experts believe that drinking just over guideline limits on a regular basis will harm your health.

According to guidelines set up by the government in 1995, the daily recommendation for alcohol intake in the UK is that men drink no more than three to four units of alcohol a day regularly and women drink no more than two to three units.

In England, nine per cent of men and six per cent of women reported chronic drinking behaviour - that is, they are dependent physically, psychologically and/or socially on alcohol.

Binge drinking

Binge drinking is defined as drinking more than twice the recommended daily amount in a single session (for men, that's eight or more units of alcohol at a time and for women it's six units or more).

According to the latest statistics, around a third of men and a fifth of women in reported drinking over the weekly recommendations, while 23 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women reported binge drinking in 2006.

Binge drinking behaviour was greatest among younger age groups in 2006. Around 30 per cent of men aged 16 to 44 reported drinking over eight units, compared with six per cent of those aged 65 and over. For women, 26 per cent of those aged 16 to 24 reported drinking over six units, compared with only two per cent of women aged 65 and over.

What makes a unit of alcohol?

A unit of alcohol is defined as 10 millilitres (eight grams) of pure alcohol. So the number of units in any alcoholic drink depends on how much pure alcohol it contains (how strong it is) and the size of the measure.

The strength of an alcoholic drink is measured as the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) - so, the greater the percentage, the stronger the drink.

As a general guideline, a unit is the equivalent of half a pint of beer, lager or cider of normal strength (3.5 per cent ABV), a small glass (125ml) of wine (nine per cent ABV) or a standard single measure (25ml) of spirits (40 per cent ABV).

What are the serious consequences of alcohol misuse?

Apart from the short-term effects, such as loss of inhibitions, poor physical co-ordination, slurred speech and blurred vision, possible weight gain, dry skin, bloodshot eyes and broken veins, drinking too much alcohol can cause far more serious, long-term health problems.

In 2006/07, there were 57,142 admissions to NHS hospitals with a primary diagnosis of an illness or disease that was specifically related to over-consumption of alcohol. Of this figure, 69 per cent were males, while nine per cent involved young people under the age of 18.

What are the most common health problems caused by drinking too much?

• Liver damage: abusing alcohol causes liver disease, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Alcohol-related cirrhosis usually develops after 10 or more years of heavy drinking, and affects about 10 per cent of heavy drinkers. In 2006/07, there were 14,668 admissions where alcoholic liver disease was diagnosed. Toxic effect of alcohol accounted for a further 1,602 admissions in the same time period
• Heartproblems: consuming more than the recommended units a day increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disorders, such as high blood pressure, while binge drinking may cause abnormal heart rhythms and regular heavy drinking may cause dilated cardiomyopathy, which is enlargement of the heart.
• Stroke: drinking more than the recommended units of alcohol increases the risk of both haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke. However one or two units of alcohol per day may actually reduce the risk haemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by bleeding when blood vessels burst in or around the brain.
• Cancer: alcohol is linked to liver cancer as well as cancers of the mouth, throat and oesophagus, with many experts believing it also increases your risk of developing other cancers including breast cancer. The more you drink, the greater your risk becomes. Each year, three to five per cent of people with cirrhosis develop liver cancer
• Pregnancy problems: women who are pregnant are advised not to drink any alcohol, as this can cause serious birth defects and may also increase the risk of miscarriage. If you do choose to drink while pregnant, you should not drink more than one or two units once or twice a week. Research is ongoing about the effect of alcohol on women's fertility, but women who are trying for a baby are also advised not to drink
• Pancreatitis: alcohol misuse can lead to a potentially fatal condition involving inflammation of the pancreas called pancreatitis. The number of deaths from alcoholic-induced chronic pancreatitis seem to be increasing.
• Mental illness: the commonest admission to NHS hospitals where alcohol was specifically related to the primary diagnosis involved mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol consumption. In 2006/07, there were 40,872 admissions in England of this type of diagnosis.
• Neurological conditions: alcohol is also linked to problems such as epileptic fits.

How do I know I have a problem?

Think about how much alcohol you are drinking, if other people have commented on how much you drink, if you feel guilty about how much you drink or you've had a drink first thing in the morning to relieve the effects of drinking the night before.

If you are a man who drinks more than 50 units of alcohol a week, or a woman who drinks more than 35, if you find it difficult to resist having a drink - or controlling how much alcohol you drink - plus you become irritated if you can't get a drink, then you may need professional help to cut down or give up.

What help is available?

Your GP may be your first port of call if you have problems with alcohol. As well as being able to examine you for any alcohol-related health problems, your doctor can put you in touch with other organisations that can help near where you live or refer you for counselling.

If you don't want to see your GP, you can get help from a local alcohol service - there are many different types of services available, from drop-in centres to residential rehabilitation clinics. To find what's available where you live, visit Alcohol Concern's Alcohol Services Directory.

You could also join Alcoholics Anonymous or, for advice over the phone, call Drinkline on 0800 917 8282 (lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week).

What treatments are there?

If you are a heavy drinker, you may need to go through a detox programme. This involves stopping drinking alcohol altogether, while taking special drugs called benzodiazepines to help reduce withdrawal symptoms. The medication is usually prescribed for five to seven days.

Once the period of detoxification is over, experts believe that people are less likely to start drinking again, if they receive counselling or support from friends, family and self-help or alcohol support groups.

Clickthrough information and support links:

Addaction
Adfam
Alcohol Concern
British Liver Trust
Drink Aware
Know Your Limits