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Use and abuse
Alcohol is the nation's favourite drug but many don't realise its addictive potential. Find out how alcohol users become abusers.
'Beer is the cause and solution to all of life's problems,' muses Homer Simpson and his words sum up the fine line between being a user or an abuser of alcohol. On the one hand it's an easy fix to soothe woes or enhance the joys of living. But rely on it to do any of these things and it can become a
downward spiral as life just becomes a search for the next drink.
Alcohol is our society's legal drug and we use it in a variety of situations from a relatively early age. It's hard to imagine a big celebration without it and everyday situations are soaked with it too: wine and food; a night out with the girls/boys/gang; a quiet drink with a friend, or the one you love, or the one you fancy; a quick one after work. Drinking is acceptable.
Fancy a drink?
Few people who drink think of themselves as a drug user. After all, 'fancy a drink?' is a million miles away from craving a 'fix' – or is it? The trouble with alcohol is that it's so in our faces and bodies that it's hard to notice when recreational use becomes a dangerous dependency. But any alcohol expert will tell you that dependency happens to all kinds of people at every level of society.
On view
There's a popular misconception that alcoholics are the ones on the park benches, nursing a can of strong brew or dribbling in the gutter. Young binge drinkers tumbling out of bars on a Friday night, clutching their alcopops and sparring in the city centres, is another group we hear a lot about.
Or out of sight
'These are the abusers you can see out on the street and they are just the tip of the iceberg,' says George Blunt, planning coordinator for Addiction Support and Care Agency. 'In fact the pattern of alcohol abuse is widespread and is no respecter of age, class or profession.'
It's everywhere
Reality is that an alcohol dependent can as easily be a prime minister, a surgeon, or a teacher as a 'down and out' or a teenage binge drinker. Winston Churchill, who led the country and Allies to victory in the Second World War, was one of the nation's favourite drinkers, as was George Best who died recently and tragically.
The fate of these two – political statesman and football superstar – also shows just how difficult it is to predict the outcome for an alcohol dependent. One lived to the ripe old age of 90, which goes to show that some functioning alcoholics can go on and on, while the other died prematurely because of alcohol abuse.
Early warning
If you can recognise the early warning signals it's possible seek out help. 'People who come to us often realise that their drinking patterns have changed,' says Sue Howard, alcohol services manager for the Alcohol Recovery Project. So the mum who only drinks when the kids are in bed, might find herself wanting a drink at lunchtime, for example.
Likewise, a binge drinker who finds binges getting longer and intervals in-between getting shorter has a problem. And so, for that matter does anyone who can't go for a period of abstinence they've set themselves without a drink.
Keep it safe
In the UK, a standard drink is defined as a measure containing 8g of alcohol. One unit gets you:
- a glass of wine
- half pint of beer or cider
- one single whisky, gin or vodka
- quarter pint of super strength beer.
How high is your consumption?
Action on Addiction Questionnaire
WHO Early Detection Tool
Channel 4 Health Drugs and Alcohol Test
www.channel4.com/health/microsites/D/
drugs_test/drugsquiz.swf
More 4 News investigation shows doctor's concerns over the level of drug and alcohol use among the young.
Watch the report
Alcohol abuse
www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/
drugs/dus_alcohol.html
Anatomy for Beginners – liver disease. Watch a clip of the dissection.
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/A/anatomy/dig5.html
