Alcohol Advice

ALCOHOL (booze, bevvy, drink, plonk, jar etc…) THE FACTS:

What it is…?

The majority of beers, lagers & ciders are one part alcohol to 20 parts water (5%), although some brands differ in strength and are up to twice as strong. Wine is about two to four times as strong (10 to 20%) & spirits (vodka, Gin, rum, whisky is even stronger and is about half water and half pure alcohol (50%). Alcohol is made from fruits, grains and vegetables. Most types are a mixture of pure alcohol (ethanol) & flavoured water. Alcohol is commonly measured in units.

Units are a standardised measure for comparing the volume and pattern of alcohol consumption between different types of alcoholic drinks & this was devised by the World Health Organisation and adopted by the Department of Health.

How alcohol affects you…

Alcohol slows down our responses in the brain that control our moods, our thoughts, our actions, and our behaviour and body functions. Alcohol is a relaxant so, in moderation, it can reduce feelings of anxiety & inhibitions, making you feel more sociable & confident.

It affects our judgment, self-control & coordination which may cause us to take unnecessary risks, act in unusual ways and increase the chance of accidents.

The effects of alcohol can be affected by the kind of mood you are in; if you feel happy it can make you livelier, if you are feeling angry it can make you feel frustrated & you may become aggressive, if you are feeling low it can make you feel more depressed & anxious. Alcohol will often exaggerate whatever mood we are in.

It can affect your relationships with family & friends as too much alcohol can lead to behaviour changes over a period of time. This can make you feel more depressed leading to drinking more & more to suppress these feelings. Your health maybe damaged and this can even lead to serious alcohol misuse and dependency problems later in life.

70% of the population drink within sensible drinking limits which is ok, but for some drinking can gradually over time get out of control & can lead to regular binge drinking, heavy weekly drinking or even alcohol dependency (unable to control your alcohol consumption causing various problems relating to health, relationships, studying etc)

Drink or two…

A drink or two can be fun. It can help the party along, get you dancing and laughing and make it easier to chat to people and start a conversation with a boy or girl you like. Alcohol can be part of a good night out with friends & family. Parties & socialising often include alcohol. However drinking can also damage your physical and mental development, it can have a bad side. It can affect you’re:

Health – & not just a hangover, but other stuff like memory & brain damage, increasing liver disease, cancer & make you feel depressed & anxious.
Education – drinking alcohol can make it difficult to concentrate on your work the following day, and even affect days afterwards.
Sport – alcohol can affect your performance and your ability to train.
Looks – drinking alcohol can ruin your complexion and dry’s out the skin through dehydration, the amount of calories in alcohol can also affect your weight.
Sex life – alcohol can affect your sexual performance and lead to temporary impotence in men, whilst also affecting your judgment.
Relationships – drinking can mean you act out of character, letting your mates down or getting into arguments or fights.
It could also make you:
Careless – you might forget where you left your mobile phone, money, keys, bag or other possessions.
Make bad decisions – you might take more of a risk & get into a car with a stranger or a driver who is drunk & accepting drinks from stranger could result in being ‘spiked’ and leading to increased risks and dangers.
An embarrassment – you might think that you are having and being fun, but your mates might not agree with you!

Out of control…

If you binge drink, you’re far more likely to be involved in fights, and even commit violent offences, just because you are really not aware of what you are doing.
You could also could end up going further with that boy or girl than you wanted to and regret it the next day. This might mean you have unprotected sex, or get into a dangerous situation with a stranger & even find your self pregnant.

Everyone doesn’t do it…

It’s a fact that fewer young people are choosing not to drink these days. Many are finding better things to do with their time and their money!
Being alcohol free until you are 18 is the healthiest and best option, but if you do decide to drink, try not to drink any more than:

2–3 units for girls or
3–4 units for boys every week.

What you can do:

Choose to be the non-drinker. Put your time, energies, effort & money into something better. If you chose to do something other than drinking, you could save money, feel better & have a fully functioning brain & body.

Drown your sorrows…

If you know you’re drinking too much ask yourself why you do it. If it’s because of problems, it is better to try to sort them out; alcohol won’t make them go away. Ask for help instead!
When is drinking a problem? It is difficult to say and will depend on the individual but a guideline to when drinking is getting out of hand includes:

If you drink every day or week.
If you drink to get drunk every time.
If you drink to forget or deal with problems or you are sad or depressed.
If you drink to cope with situations or cannot cope without a drink.

Understanding more about your drinking habits…

Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) is a screening questionnaire that is designed to help you think about how much alcohol you are drinking and at what the risk level is to yourself. It may help you to consider whether you may benefit from changing the way you drink.
It is recognised that within the UK, 1 in 10 adults are drinking at a harmful level, and many of those do not realise the effects that alcohol can have on the body:

High blood pressure (hypertension)
Heart disease
Strokes
Stomach Ulcers
Impotence
Less energy
Insomnia
Family stress & relationship breakdowns
Accidental injuries
Cancer
Depression & stress