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Alcohol

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Drinking alcohol is accepted in many cultures. In some circumstances, it may even be expected that you have a drink to be social. This acceptance seems to have created a fine line between excessive drinking being acceptable and problematic.

Let's face it, a couple of drinks in a social setting can be fun. You can relax and put your worries aside for a couple of hours. But binge drinking (drinking with the purpose of getting drunk) has also become an accepted part of being social.

A 'big' night out is a regular occurrence for many people and a hangover is a normal part of the weekend. So how do you make the distinction between acceptable and problematic, or harmful, alcohol consumption? After all, if drinking is so acceptable it can’t cause that much harm, right?

Physically, alcohol can cause nausea, loss of consciousness and a lowered immune system. It can also contribute to long term problems such as liver disease.

Mentally or emotionally, alcohol can lower your ability to understand or cope with challenging situations. It can cause you to be irrational, violent and/or upset without any reason. Moreover, hangovers impact on your ability get uni work done, and it can lead to unwanted sex or embarrassing behaviour.

A key to understanding if your alcohol usage is problematic, is to ask yourself why you drink. Do you regularly use alcohol to cope with the stress and anxiety of work or study? Do you drink to feel accepted or more ‘outgoing’ and confident in social situations?

If alcohol is becoming problematic you may:

  • Feel you need to drink to have a good time
  • Have lost friends through your behaviour whilst drunk
  • Regularly feel embarrassed or ashamed by your behaviour whilst drunk
  • Drink to avoid a problem or emotion
  • Regularly miss work or uni because you drank too much
  • Regularly drink alone
  • Be unable to stop at one or two drinks
  • Have tried to cut down or stop but were unable to

Understanding how much is too much can be confusing and it will vary for different people. It can also be difficult to admit that you have a drinking problem. You don’t have to deal with it alone. If you would like more information or to have a confidential appointment, please contact us (LINK).

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