How do you feel about your drinking?
Are you confident that all is well?
Reporting: BRIAN YULE
ALCOHOL is part of everyday life for many people — it can be a drink with a meal, while watching TV or as part of celebrations such as birthdays and weddings.
Many people who drink regularly think it isn't really doing them any harm. They aren't fully aware of the risks involved and the health problems they may be storing up for later in life. So what are the facts?
Short-term effectsAlcohol is a powerful drug and it affects the body and brain straight away. About five minutes after you start drinking, alcohol has reached every part of the body.
Alcohol dries out (dehydrates) the body and lowers blood sugar levels.
Alcohol dulls the brain. Although this may feel stimulating at first, it feels worse later on because alcohol is essentially a "downer", a depressant drug.
Alcohol affects judgement. Research shows that the more convinced drinkers are that they can perform tasks well when drunk, the worse they actually do.
In large doses, alcohol causes loss of co-ordination and slowing of movement, and can even lead to coma and death.
Mixing alcohol with other drugs is extremely dangerous. This includes prescription and over the counter drugs such as sleeping pills, cough medicines or antihistamines, as well as illegal ones such as cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.
LONG-term effectsToo much drinking can cause stomach disorders like ulcers and gastritis, cancer of the mouth, throat and gullet, liver cirrhosis, brain damage, sexual difficulties, high blood pressure and problems with the nervous system, including pain in the legs and arms. The recommended alcohol limits are three to four units per day for men and two to three units per day for women.
WHAT IS ONE UNIT OF ALCOHOL?A UNIT is roughly the equivalent to half a pint of normal strength beer, a small glass of wine or one pub measure of spirits. If you regularly go over this amount then you should think about cutting down your alcohol intake.
Why should i cut down?Your body will suffer in the long term if you put too much alcohol in it. Your liver, stomach, throat, kidneys and heart can all suffer from long term alcohol intake.
What is binge drinking?Binge drinking is carrying on well past the outer limits of sobriety i.e. when you are drunk but you carry on drinking anyway.
Recent research shows that people who binge drink could be causing rapid damage to their brain cells (neurodegeneration). This occurs not when a person is drunk, but when the brain has to cope with alcohol withdrawal later.
Research shows that children of alcoholics tend to show signs of attention deficit disorder, hyperactive tendencies and unruly behaviour. It is also common for these children to develop alcohol problems in later life.
The Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drugs Action Team (ADAT) clinical lead is Dr Gary Tanner.
He said: "There is a common misconception that alcohol misuse only causes liver damage. Heavy drinking can also cause damage to brain cells and you don't have to be an alcoholic for this to happen. Binge drinking in adolescence increases your risk of brain damage in adulthood."
Worried about your drinking, or someone else's? Contact the Council on Alcohol for North Lanarkshire on 01236 423900, Alcoholics Anonymous on 0845 769 7555 or Al–Anon on 0141 339 8884.
The Motherwell Times is backing the latest push by the North Community Health Partnership to improve the health of local residents.
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Weather for Motherwell, Scotland
Thursday 24 May 2012
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