Hands up if you had a few too many over the festive period! Thought so! Time to give your mind and body a new year boost by cutting back on the booze, then…
According to DrinkAware, more than 60 per cent of UK drinkers admit to overindulging during the Christmas period. It may seem like fun at the time, but alcohol can seriously damage you’re health. And we’re not just talking headaches and hangovers! Excessive alcohol use is associated with a risk of increased blood pressure, high cholesterol and even types of cancer.
Research suggests that alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions and according to Cancer Research UK, drinking alcohol causes seven different types of cancer including liver, mouth, bowel and some types of throat cancer like oesophagus (food pipe), larynx (voice box) and pharynx (upper throat).
All a pretty sobering thought. So maybe it’s a good time to really look at your own relationship with alcohol and consider a bright new future with less booze.
WHAT’S THE LIMIT
Firstly, what is considered excessive? The current UK government guidelines recommend drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread over three or more days and it’s a good idea to have several alcohol-free days each week. As a guide, 14 units is roughly 6 pints of average strength (4% ABV) beer or 6 medium (175ml) glasses of standard strength (13% ABV) wine. So, if you’re consuming more, you are risking your health.
REDUCTION NOT ABSTINENCE
If you want to continue to enjoy the occasional tipple safely, then why not just reduce your intake while also bearing in mind that the guidelines aren’t a target! Some helpful tips include:
• Go small. Opt for a small (125ml) glass rather than a large (250ml) one for wine. If you’re drinking at home, buy smaller glasses for the house.
• Stop the top-ups. Avoid filling up your glass before its empty. This can help you to keep track of how much you’ve had!
• Avoid drinking alone. As well as just being a bad habit, research suggests that when we drink alone the measures are just that bit more generous, meaning more units.
• Keep track of how much your drinking and try to be honest with yourself. Keeping a drink diary might sound OTT but the results might surprise you.
• Avoid the unnecessary drinks. Do you really need that last one at the end of the evening? Maybe try to cut out midweek drinking and just have an alcoholic drink at the weekend.
DRY JANUARY
Better still, why not take the whole month of January off and see how you get on and how it affects your well-being. It might be easier as lots of other people are doing it at the same time and your friends might not challenge you on your motivation. If you participate in Dry January, here are some tips to help keep you on track:
• Let friends and family know about your plans and consider asking them to join you and support each other throughout the month.
• Make sure alternative alcohol-free beverages are available at social gatherings.
• Have a polite, assertive ‘no, thanks’ ready for when you are offered a drink.
• Identify why you choose to drink alcohol and plan distractions around the times when you are more likely to be tempted.
• Have a plan in place for when the month ends. As is the case with changing our eating habits, it’s easy to resume old patterns without a long-term plan.
Remember, if you feel better when you are not drinking, or when you decrease your drinking, then your body is telling you something. Listen to your body.