7 things you didn’t know about booze & the body

An alcohol habit could be harming your health. Here’s how to cut down

Recent research* has shown that Brits have upped their booze intake in a bid to ease the worry, boredom and loneliness of the pandemic – but do you know the potential damage of drinking too much?

National statistics on UK drinking show that an estimated 1.2 million hospital admissions are related to alcohol consumption, and booze-specific deaths among 55-59-year-old women are the highest they’ve been for 10 years.

Are you drinking too much?

Official guidelines advise drinking fewer than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread over three or more days. Use these NHS measures.

2.1 units = a standard glass (175ml) of wine (12%)

3 units = a large glass (250ml) of wine (12%)

2 units = a pint of low-strength lager, beer or cider (3.6%)

3 units = a pint of higher-strength lager, beer or cider (5.2%)

1 unit = a single measure (25ml) of spirits

‘Most of us love alcohol’s short-term effects – the fun, sociability, the relaxation – and hope the long-term health damage won’t happen to us,’ says professor David Nutt, doctor and author of Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health (£16.99, Yellow Kite). ‘But you need to know the risk to your health.’

Here’s the lowdown.

Tolerance factor

How alcohol affects you depends on genetics – a woman’s blood alcohol level will be higher than a man’s due to body composition, even when drinking the same amount. Past drinking experience plays a part, too, explains professor Nutt. ‘Tolerance builds up fast because your brain quickly learns to expect alcohol. At the start of a holiday you might feel drunk on a glass or two of wine. By the end of the week, it might take a bottle to feel the same way,’ he says. This is how we end up consuming more than we should.

Effects on the brain

The brain’s chemistry changes when you drink – reducing judgement and control, altering these powerful neurotransmitters in the body and acting as a depressant on the central nervous system.

✱ SEROTONIN ‘A rising blood alcohol level increases this mood

4 Drinking damage

Alcohol is responsible for short-term concerns such as disturbed sleep and dehydration, as well as more serious health conditions. Regularly drinking above the guidelines increases the risk of: heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, seven types of cancer, stroke, brain damage. enhancer and makes you more empathetic,’ says professor Nutt. This is to blame for the so-called ‘beer goggles’.

✱ DOPAMINE A factor in alcohol’s stimulant effect, giving feelings of enthusiasm, and making you louder or argumentative when drunk, explains professor Nutt. It’s also linked to addiction.

A weighty issue

Heavy drinking into older age is a fast-track way to increase your waistline. A study** looking at the long-term effects of alcohol revealed that people who dangerously binged on alcohol through every decade of their life reported bigger waists by up to 4cm.

Never again!

Ever said this after a hangover from hell? A survey*** revealed a whopping 47 ways we can suffer the morning after – from common symptoms of a headache, tiredness and nausea, to anxiety, tremors and memory loss. ‘Hangovers last from a few hours to more than 24 hours. And as alcohol affects so many systems in your body and brain, a hangover is equally complex,’ says professor Nutt. You can’t ‘cure’ one – they’re a combination of alcohol poisoning and withdrawal, so avoid it by pacing yourself, drinking less and drinking water with alcoholic drinks.

REDUCE YOUR 7 BOOZE INTAKE

Use these tips from Lauren Booker, alcohol consultant at Alcohol Change UK

✱ CHANGE YOUR MINDSET When quitting booze, focus on the gains. ‘Think about how well you’re going to feel, and concentrate on your wellbeing. Look at the positives rather than the negatives,’ says Lauren.

✱ MAKE A PLAN

You might ditch drinking completely, or make a conscious effort to drink less. ‘There are many options to cut down, and, even if you don’t give up completely, you’ll notice that you feel better the morning after,’ says Lauren. ‘You could drink on fewer days, have drinks with a lower alcohol content or not binge drink.’

✱ SHARE YOUR GOALS

Do you drink more with certain people? ‘Tell them what you’re doing and why, and that it’s important that you have their support,’ says Lauren.

✱ HIDE YOUR ALCOHOL

Make it difficult to grab a drink. ‘You don’t have to throw everything away, but you could stash it in the shed or the attic,’ suggests Lauren.

✱ GET RID OF OBSTACLES

Do you pour a glass of wine after a stressful day? Is booze your way to celebrate? Or perhaps it’s a crutch to deal with loneliness? ‘Establish the reasons you drink, and find another way to manage these triggers,’ advises Lauren.

✱ TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Use an app to help your alcohol-free mission. Track your units, monitor the money and calories you’ll save by not drinking, and stay motivated by having dry streaks. Try Drink Free Days from the App Store and Google Play.

✱ LOOK AHEAD

Changing how you drink now may encourage you to have booze breaks going forward. Research shows that the act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less long term.