Alcohol can have an impact on your; mood, health, level of energy and motivation. We often drink because we want to change the way we feel, but growing evidence suggests that alcohol can have a negative effect on our mental health and physical health.
Alcohol is a drug which can be addictive and if taken in excess, toxic. While it may seem to make you feel relaxed and happy it is actually a depressant, meaning it can slow down the messages getting to your brain and affect the way you think, react and feel.
How much alcohol is in my drink?
The term ‘standard drink’ is a means of measuring the amount of alcohol you are consuming with each drink. The amount of alcohol in each drink will vary depending on the type of alcohol.
The recommendation is that you do not consume more than 10 standard drinks in any one week – and limit your daily intake to no more than 4 drinks. It is also strongly recommended to have at least one or two ‘off days’ per week.
What are to possible health implications of drinking too much alcohol?
The effects of consuming too much alcohol will differ between individuals and can have both short term and long term effects. These effects will depend on how much you’ve had – with short term effects ranging from feeling talkative, relaxed and confident through to coma and death.
Long term effects can impact on your overall mental health, increase the risk of diabetes, weight gain, impotency, cancers through to cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure.
What if I think I have a drinking problem?
One of the most important steps you can take is to recognise that you have a problem. From there, you can seek assistance and support:
- How to reduce or quit alcohol
- The EAP
- The National Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Pregnant Pause
- Australian Government Department of Health – Alcohol
- Dry July website
- See the Aspen Medical Dry July Dashboard: Aspen Medical Dry July Dashboard
- I want to be a Team Member: Sign Up – Dry July 2024
Potential health risks of drinking alcohol
Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of alcohol-related illness and injury including:
- bowel, breast, throat and mouth cancers
- liver disease
- cardiovascular disease (CVD) (such as heart disease and stroke)
- accidents and falls (such as motor vehicle crashes and alcohol poisoning).
The less you drink, the lower your risk of alcohol-related harm. For some people, not drinking at all is the safest option.
The recommendations are:
- for healthy adults (over 18 years)
- no more than 10 standard drinks per week
- no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day
- for children and young people (under 18 years)
- should avoid drinking alcohol (there is no ‘safe’ or ‘no-risk’ level)
- if pregnant or planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding
- avoid drinking alcohol (to reduce the risk of harm to your baby).
Are there alternatives to drinking alcohol?
The Dry July Foundation has provided a list of amazing non-alcoholic options in their Health Hub – check out their list here.
Most bars and restaurants also offer non-alcoholic options for when you are out and about, as do many of the larger bottle shops.
