VOICES FROM CARE (CYMRU)

 

Why do People drink alcohol?

Drinking alcohol may alter your mood and alcohol often makes people feel more relaxed, happy and may even increase confidence. As you are probably aware, alcohol also affects physical co-ordination. The more drinks you have the greater the effect, speech may become slurred, vision blurred, balance is lost and movements are clumsy.

 

There is a limit to how much alcohol your body can take. Different drinks contain different amounts of alcohol and also alcohol effects people differently. Alcohol gets into the bloodstream within a few minutes of drinking and is carried to all parts of the body. Some people may experience the effects of alcohol more quickly than others. Some of the reasons for this are:

Body size- a smaller person is more likely to get drunk more quickly than a larger person. This is because there is more blood in a larger person so the alcohol in the blood will rise more slowly.
Women’s bodies have more fat and less fluid than men’s. So even if you have a man and a woman the same size the woman is more likely to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly.
Young people and older people usually take longer to process alcohol and it stays in their system longer.
Drinking on an empty stomach will affect you more quickly.
Some drinks are stronger than others.

 

If you are going to drink keep track of how much you are drinking. You can do this by counting how many units of alcohol are in your drinks. The following normal pub measures each contain ONE UNIT of alcohol.
One single measure of pub spirits (vodka, whisky & Gin)
Half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider.
One small glass of wine.

 

It is difficult to measure exactly how many units are in Alco pops as; they vary in strength and are usually stronger than beer or lager. The sweet taste of these drinks makes them easy to drink and also difficult to taste the alcohol. It’s easy to drink a lot without realising that you are becoming drunk until it suddenly hits you. Don’t drink Alco pops as fast as you would a soft drink-have a break in between each bottle or can that you drink.

 

If you are going to drink remember to keep Safe

· Have something to eat before you go out drinking.
· Don’t drink a lot of alcohol in a short space of time. Pace yourself, or have soft drinks instead. And remember-Alco pops are not soft drinks.
· Keep an eye on your own drink so that it can’t be spiked.
· Mixing alcohol with other drugs and even prescription drugs is very dangerous and can even kill you.
· Don’t go in a car with someone else who is driving and has been drinking.
· Don’t walk home alone make sure you have the taxi fare to get home.
· Make sure you are drinking with people who you can trust.
· Try to keep out of situations you think might be dangerous.
· Keep an eye on your mates when you are out drinking.
· If one of your mates passes out, lie then on their stomach with their head to one side and this will stop them choking on their vomit.
· Call an ambulance if you’re worried.

Only drink because you want to not because someone else wants you to

 

How long do the effects last?

Apart from cases where a person has drunk an extreme amount of alcohol the effects are usually short term. The liver breaks down and gets rid of alcohol from the body. It usually takes about an hour for the liver to deal with half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine. It is important for drivers to remember this because if they have a couple of drinks at dinner time they will probably still be over the legal limit to drive in the evening.

Any decisions we make that affect our health have both short term and long-term effects. Deciding to drink alcohol can in the short term make us feel good, but in the long term it could mean loss of self-control. Constant use of alcohol could lead to health problems and also drinking could become a habit.

 

Affects of alcohol on the body: -

w Long term and constant use of alcohol could cause cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition where the liver gets bigger so that it can cope with the excess amounts of alcohol. The liver becomes inflamed and hardens. The liver has difficulty working and the body is poisoned.
Alcohol can slow down sections of the brain. Abuse of alcohol can actually make your brain shrink!
Vitamins are not absorbed properly, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies with the long-term use of alcohol.
Drinking too much alcohol can make you put on weight. This is because alcohol has lots of calories in it.
Drinking too much alcohol can also weaken the immune system. This means that you are more likely to catch colds, the flu and other illnesses.
Heavy drinking can affect sexual performance.
Causes high blood pressure.
Drinking large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can cause severe birth defects.
Alcohol can give an initial ‘high’ followed by depression.
It can become habit forming and people can become dependent on it. This means the person will need to drink to prevent unpleasant and occasionally dangerous symptoms.
After a few drinks you are more clumsy and careless and this is when accidents happen.

Why do people abuse alcohol?

People abuse alcohol for all sorts of reasons, for example it maybe to boost confidence, to forget about problems, to relax, to avoid loneliness or to feel better or good. Everyone’s reasons for drinking too much alcohol are different, but they all have in common the fact they are about changing the way that person feels. People usually abuse alcohol to replace good feelings that are missing in their lives, or at least to begin with.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time causes physical and emotional problems. Other effects could include difficulties in relationships with family and friends, increased accidents, poor work performance and attendance, and aggressive and violent behaviour.

 

How to get help

If you suffer from or think you may suffer from an alcohol problem, then the most important thing is to get help. If you have become dependent on alcohol and have been drinking large amounts, then it is important to get medical advice before you stop drinking because the physical withdrawal symptoms can sometimes be dangerous so you might need medical supervision. Then the rest is up to you! It takes a lot of hard work and determination, but with the right support and advice you will get through it and it will be worth it in the end.

If you have a friend or relative who has an alcohol problem try to understand, be supportive if you can and listen to them. It is also important that you also have someone to talk to whether this be a friend or someone from a help line. Advice and counselling agencies exist throughout the country and the staffs are more than happy to talk to friends and family members either on the phone or by appointment. They can support you, help you make decisions about what you want to do, and importantly, if you feel you can continue to help the drinker, they can offer guidance on ways that are more likely to have an effect. Talking to others in the same situation helps a lot of people and self-help groups do exist for families, friends and partners of problem drinkers. Drinking problems are a lot more common than you may think.

If you have a friend or relative who’s alcohol problem is directly affecting you in a negative way, then maybe you can think about seeking help for yourself. There are support groups for people in similar situations and it is important that you keep yourself safe, even if they can’t themselves.

 

Advice and Support

National Help lines

Drink Line: 0800 917 82 82
Alcohol Concern: 020 79 28 73 77
NHS Direct: 0845 46 47
Child Line: 0800 88 44 44
The National Association for children of alcoholics: 0800 358 34 56
Alcoholics Anonymous: 0845 769 7555

www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/
www.doh.gov.uk/alcohol/youngpeople.htm
www.adultchildren.org/
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Local Alcohol Services

The local alcohol services offer support to people experiencing problems with alcohol. These services maybe run by the National Health Service in partnership with Social Services.

Gwynedd Drug and Alcohol Service,
North West Wales Health Team,
Meirionydd Community Mental Health Team,
Ysbyty Bron-y-Garth.
Penrhyndeudraeth.
Gwynedd. Telephone: 01341 422 122

Gwynedd Community Alcohol Service,
C/o 3, Llys Gwynedd,
Ffordd Gwynedd,
Bangor,
Gwynedd.

Dwyfor Mental Health Team,
Gwynedd Community Alcohol Service,
Cilan,
Stryd Penlan,
Pwllheli,
Gwynedd.

Montgomery Alcohol Advisory Group Services,
Triangle House,
Union Street,
Welshpool,
Powys. Telephone: 01938 559 101

Powys Drug & Alcohol Council,
1st Floor,
Crescent Chambers,
South Crescent,
Llandrindod Wells,
Powys. Telephone: 01597 825131
Help line 01597 825 102

Powys Drug & Alcohol Council,
Ystradgynlais,
47, Commercial Street,
Ystadgynlais,
Powys.
SA9 1HJ Telephone: 01639 845 440

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