As lockdown eases you might be worried about how to approach getting back to normal while keeping your drinking under control. This might be the first taste of normality many of us have had for a long time – and for some of us, normality and drinking might go together. Or maybe you’re worried that when you see friends or family for the first time in a long while you might be tempted to go overboard and drink more than you really want to. In this article we have a few tips for ‘cutting down’ and also talk about the mental health implications that are often connected to alcohol consumption.
How Alcohol Affects Mental Health:
Alcohol is sometimes used by people to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression, but excessive drinking is likely to make those symptoms worse. Alcohol can be considered as a coping mechanism for some individuals who drink to help manage stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.
Unfortunately, although alcohol can help us relax and give us a brief feeling of euphoria, the effects are short-lived and the long-term negative consequences of using alcohol in this way can be quite harmful:
- Overuse of alcohol can worsen the symptoms of many mental health problems. In particular, it can lead to low mood and anxiety
- As the immediate feeling of calm after drinking fades over time, we may feel worse than before
- Post-drinking hangovers can be particularly difficult, with the usual headache and nausea being accompanied by feelings of depression and/or anxiety
- Using alcohol in this way can mean that the underlying mental health issues aren’t addressed
If individuals come to rely on alcohol to manage their mental health issues, that reliance can itself become a problem. Individuals may find that their drinking starts to get in the way of other activities and puts a strain on relationships, home life and work – both things that can undermine our mental wellbeing.
Sensible Drinking and Knowing your Limits:
Whilst infrequent drinking shouldn’t do you too much harm, regularly overdoing it is associated with various health risks, so it’s important to know how to enjoy alcohol in moderation.
You may not wish to do a whole month alcohol free but you may wish to cut down.
Sensible drinking means knowing what your limits are and being aware of how much you’re drinking. Simply put, sensible drinking means not drinking alcohol to excess.
Excessive alcohol use means the liver becomes overloaded and cannot deal with the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream quickly enough to stop it affecting the rest of the body. Alcohol can make us feel happy, light-headed and talkative, but at the same time it is also damaging to our bodies. If you drink heavily, you have an increased risk of developing a range of health conditions including inflammation and cirrhosis of the liver, some cancers, high blood pressure, stomach disorders, obesity, and as we’ve mentioned – mental health problems.
How much is too much?
Knowing your units will help you stay in control of your drinking. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks:
- Men and Women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis
- Spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
- If you want to cut down, try to have several alcohol-free days each week
- Pregnant women are advised not to drink alcohol at all.
- Fourteen units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine.
Tips for cutting down:
If you are not ready to completely cut out all alcohol here are some tips for cutting down as a starting point, some of which you may already be following due to the Coronavirus restrictions.
- Consider drinking low-alcohol beers, or at least do not drink strong beers or lagers.
- Try pacing the rate of drinking. Perhaps alternate soft drinks with alcoholic drinks.
- If you eat when you drink, you may drink less.
- Don’t stock up on alcohol – having alcohol at home may make it more likely that you’ll have a drink. Try only buying alcohol when you plan to drink it.
- It may be worth reviewing your entire social routine now that lockdown restrictions are starting to ease. For example, consider:
– Cutting back on types of social activity which would usually involve you drinking.
– Trying different social activities where drinking is not involved.
– Reducing the number of days in the week where you go out to drink.
– Going out to pubs or clubs later in the evening. - Try to resist any pressure from people who may encourage you to drink more than you really want to.
Have more Drink Free Days:
‘Drink Free Days’ is a campaign launched by the UK alcohol charity, Drinkaware. Cutting down the number of days a week we drink is an easy way to have less and feel better.
Having more Drink Free Days each week has many health benefits, such as:
- lower blood pressure
- reduced risk of cancer and heart and liver disease
- weight loss
- better sleep
- improved mental health
- healthier appearance
- increased energy
- save money
Useful Links for more Information:
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-and-mental-health
www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk
www.drinkaware.co.uk
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand-your-drinking/unit-calculator
www.alcoholconcern.org.uk
www.nhs.uk
How can Care first help?
If you feel you may need some emotional or practical support, you can contact Care first on the Freephone number. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. Whilst our BACP accredited Counsellors are available 24/7 to provide support with emotional issues, our expertly trained Information Specialists are available 8am-8pm Monday-Friday to provide advice on any practical issues that may be causing you a stress or worry and help you feel more in control of a situation.
All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.
If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Alcohol Awareness – Drinking Safely as lockdown eases’ This is being delivered live on Friday 28th May at 12pm, please use the below link to register for this session –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6419413291818135568
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.