Worried about your drinking – 8 ways you can help yourself.

Published 10/11/2009

According to the Office of National Statistics , over a third of adults exceed the daily limits for regular drinking on at least one day a week, despite growing awareness of safe drinking levels. Combine this with longer winter evenings and the up and coming festive season and many people will be greeting the New Year with more than just a hangover.

With social drinking now an accepted part of our country's way of life, more and more men and women are beginning to face the fact that their alcohol consumption is out of hand and that they are placing their long-term mental and physical health at risk. The Department of Health recommends that men and women should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units and 2-3 units respectively of alcohol daily; exceeding these recommended limits increases the risk of long term health problems and impacts on every facet of a person's life, including their family and friends.

So, if you begin to be worried about drinking patterns that are getting out of control, what can you do about it? Sue Allchurch, Linwood Group's director recommends the following: "As a first step, why not keep an alcohol diary for a week or two to see just how much alcohol you are actually consuming. It will very soon become apparent by doing a diary - and being as honest as you can be in it - if that ‘odd' drink is a regular occurrence or not. Other signs of a growing alcohol problem are if you are able to answer ‘yes' to any of the following: do you find yourself using alcohol to get through a difficult situation or overcome painful feelings? Do you find yourself getting annoyed if others tell you that you should be drinking less? Have you noticed yourself beginning to defend of hide your drinking from others? Do you find that your tolerance to alcohol has increased? If you are able to answer ‘yes' to any of these questions, then it is time to accept that alcohol is becoming an unhealthy part of your life and that measures need to be taken to reduce your alcohol consumption."

If you don't know where to begin in getting help with a drinking problem, then why not seek professional help? This could be booking an appointment with your GP to get help and advice, or it could be making a call to an approved treatment centre to talk through your issues and any possible treatment options. However, if you are worried about alcohol but don't feel you are at a stage that requires medical help, then why not try some of these steps, to begin your journey to health:

1. First of all identify some people you trust and can tell them about your alcohol habits - cutting yourself off will only make it more difficult to overcome negative drinking patterns.

2. Write a list of the situations which lead you to drink and then take a long, hard look at the list and write out how you can avoid getting into these ‘risky' situations in the future.

3. On a practical note, eat regularly and keep your body topped up with non-alcoholic fluids - you will feel less likely to want to drink on a full stomach and when you hydrated.

4. Vitamin vitality - if you have been drinking over a period of time then your body's stores of Vitamin B will be depleted, so take a supplement and also increase your intake of Vitamin C to give your body the boost it needs to recover.

5. Alcohol is a depressant, and those struggling with alcohol related problems will also, in the majority of cases, be battling some form of depression as well. Alongside any medically prescribed drugs you might be taking for depression, remember to get plenty of exercise to encourage the release of endorphins - your body's natural ‘feel good' chemicals.

6. Think how you might go about keeping a positive mental attitude - this might include positive statements about yourself on the fridge door, or keeping the phone number of an encouraging person you know nearby, ready for you to call at low moments.

7. Most importantly, be gentle with yourself. Don't fall into the trap of trying to ‘be fixed' overnight, as there is no ‘quick fix' to the negative behaviour and thought processes that led to your excessive drinking in the first place.

8. Remember, tackling an alcohol problem on your own is very difficult and you might need to seen expert advice and support.

So if you are worried about drinking for you or a loved one and feel you need help taking the next step, why not call Linwood Group on Freephone 0800 066 4173 (or if you are calling from a mobile phone or from overseas, call +441226 698 054) to find out how to get help sooner rather than later?

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