Do you drink alcohol every day?

Have you ever thought about what drinking alcohol every day, might be doing to you both physically and mentally ?

I don't want to be a party pooper, but knowledge is power. Alcohol has covertly become a daily crutch for millions of people all around the World and because it is often glamourized, it is not viewed as the most addictive, dangerous and harmful drug available on the market, than it is. During the global pandemic, more people became reliant on alcohol, than at any other time known to Man. The number of Patients I am now seeing with Alcohol Use Disorder, has increased massively since the lockdown was lifted.

There is always a reason to drink; "Cheeky Tuesday", "Wine '0' Clock", "Gin Time".........., but alcohol can have a real impact, both physically and mentally.

We know that there is a limit on the amount of units we should safely drink per week. The limit is 14 units "per week", and not "per session". Binge drinking has become the norm in our society and 14 units per week is the maximum "safe" limit, not a target. However, a binge could end up in someone consuming anything from 6 units to 26 units. The effects of alcohol can cause altered consciousness, blackouts (awake but not remembering what you did), poor choices, eating rubbish food, blood alcohol poisoning, severe dehydration, risk of developing blood clots and Stroke, nausea, vomiting, inability to make decisions and passing out.

Alcohol will also prevent you from getting a good nights sleep as it affects the quality of your sleep and leads to erratic and irritable sleep patterns. This can lead to low mood, depression and feelings of regret, doom and remorse. The hangover is also terrible to deal with and you can still have alcohol in your system, which takes hours to get rid of.

As for personal appearance, alcohol causes the body to become dehydrated, which leads to a grey, unhealthy appearance, lots of wrinkles, facial redness and bags under the eyes. It also causes an appearance of swelling and bloating, particularly around the face, abdomen and thighs, due to fluid retention. The kidneys struggle to break down the alcohol and poison your system. Alcohol is also full of "empty" calories, which causes fat to form around the middle; "Beer belly". If you think that an average bottle of wine has 1,500 calories in it and 1 pound of fat is made up of 3,500 calories - just over 2 bottles of wine will pile on an extra pound of fat that turns into abdominal/belly fat.

10 pints of beer will have the same effect !! The toxins in alcohol must be broken down by the liver, but with excess alcohol being consumed, the liver will begin to struggle and eventually, may even give up. The liver already has an immense workload on a daily basis, without alcohol being thrown into the mix. With regular alcohol abuse, the liver will develop a fatty deposit around it and this is called AFLD of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Within continued and increased alcohol abuse, this will eventually turn into irreversible liver damage/failure. The toxins will destroy a healthy liver within months.

Committing to 4 alcohol free days every week and then only drinking a maximum of 14 units on the remaining days, will go some way to supporting long term health and preventing long term health conditions.

Alternatively, just lose the booze for good. It is life changing, healthy and will save you a fortune, not only in money but also in brain cells.