In order to see how bad you drug and alcohol use look at the 11 factors below and then score yourself or someone you are concerned about.
Because drugs and alcohol are often used as a means to self-medicate and deal with a whole host of things such as depression, low self-esteem, anxiety & anger it becomes especially important for someone who has decided to quit the booze and the drugs to develop some other healthy coping mechanisms. Exercise can help in this.
Abstaining from alcohol around conception or during pregnancy has long been advised for many reasons, including preventing foetal alcohol syndrome. Nonetheless, modest levels of consumption are often seen as likely to be safe, this should not be the case.
If you find it difficult to enjoy yourself, relax or deal with everyday problems without having a drink, it’s possible you’ve become dependent on alcohol.
Behavioural change is key to getting on top of problematic alcohol and drug use but the things we do and the ways we behave often keep us from changing our behaviours
The number of people drinking at ‘high risk’ levels has doubled to almost 8.5 million since February, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Professor Julia Sinclair, chair of the addictions faculty at RCPsych, said: ‘Drinking at high levels not only makes people more likely to become alcohol dependent, but many will develop other health problems including liver disease, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis and depression’. She went onto say that ‘Drug-related deaths and alcohol-related hospital admissions were already at all-time highs before Covid-19’.
If someone could just stop their problematic alcohol and drug use they I would – if the underlying reasons for use are not addressed then relapse will happen
Problematic alcohol and drug use are not a one-way street. When a person compulsively uses drugs or alcohol, their behaviours do not exist in a vacuum. The negative behaviours—of which there are many—carry outward in a capacity that heavily, and often dramatically, affects the people that care about them.
If nothing changes, nothing changes. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’re getting. You want change, make some!
Families in which a partner abuses drugs or alcohol are unhappy. As drinking or drug use gets worse, it starts to take more and more time away from the family, eventually it will take its toll by creating an emotional distance.
Quitting alcohol is commendable, but as a substance, it can have dangerous side effects if not managed properly. Before you have your last drink, there are some things to consider.
Alcohol abuse sees many adults get behind the wheel of a car. Behind that decision lays abuse of alcohol that may be hard for you or a loved one to stop. Today we talk facts on drink driving – and how to stop the cycle.