Alcohol Awareness

Spending time with friends and family, particularly over the festive season, is fantastic for our emotional and mental wellbeing. But this year, things may be a little different – for a multitude of reasons some people may find themselves alone this year. Alcohol consumption is a negative coping mechanism, and as such can exacerbate feelings of mental ill health and could lead to alcohol addiction. Therefore, managing your emotional and mental wellbeing with positive coping mechanisms is more important than ever.

Whilst this year’s parties and work events are probably going to be a little different, it is still worthwhile looking at some simple ways to help encourage you to drink less. Here are a few worth trying:

• Eat before you start drinking - drinking on an empty stomach encourages us to drink more and in turn makes us less likely to stop for food. So, enjoy a nice meal first, if you are reasonably full you physically won’t be able to drink as much.
• Limit your measures - the psychological effect of using a smaller glass, as it feels fuller, can help you to feel like you are consuming more that you actually are.
• Drink more water – try to ensure you have some non-alcoholic drinks in between your favourite tipple, this will help to slow your intake and keep you hydrated.
• Drink in moderation - be mindful of how much you are drinking. If you want to have a drink mid-week that’s ok, and one drink per night is unlikely to cause too much damage. But be careful this doesn’t creep up to 2-3 drinks per day as you will soon surpass the 14-unit weekly limit (recommended by the NHS) which is more likely to adversely impact your health.

And don’t forget, always seek advice if you are on any prescriptive medication - some medicines may state ‘not to be taken with alcohol’ as this could affect the medicine from working properly and/or increase the overall effects of alcohol.