In the lead up to the New Year, the NHS’s four categories of drinkers have been explained, which could indicate if you or someone you know is an alcoholic.
Drinking alcohol can come with some risks if you aren’t careful, and generally, the consumption of alcohol has been found to be a contributor to many health issues in general.
Health experts have often studied the impact of booze, and the general consensus is that it can be alright occasionally, but only under some circumstances.
Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with over 25 years of clinical experience, is a social media regular who talks about heart health, and he explained that alcohol is a contributor to poor heart health.
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“Alcohol is toxic to every cell in your body,” he said. “I think that alcohol is going to be the new cigarette smoking.”
“Whether it’s one drink a week or one drink a night, you are still making a choice to put a toxic substance into your body,” the professional added.
“That being said, it is an individual choice. People have to make good decisions for themselves. It’s your body, your rules.”
Of course, a lot of people still like a tipple regardless of the above, and when it comes to low to moderate drinkers, they don’t typically see their health decline quite like those who aren’t able to control their consumption.
What are the NHS categories and what do they mean?
While you might think there are three categories of drinking (low, moderate and high), there are actually four.
Each category comes with side effects, how much they normally drink in a week, and the implications.
Revolving around how many units are consumed per week, the NHS advises that drinking an increased amount can put you at risk of things like cancer or cardiovascular issues.
Low Risk
Those who rarely drink up to 14 units per week over the course of three or more days, are at a ‘low risk of harm from drinking’, the document states.
For these people, the side effects of their low alcohol consumption include things like:
• Increased relaxation
• Sociability
• Sensory enjoyment of alcoholic drinks
Increasing Risk
If you drink up to 50 units a week for men or up to 35 units a week for women, you could be in for long-term health problems with a risk of:
• Low energy and insomnia
• Depression
• Relationship problems
• Impotence
• High blood pressure
• Alcohol dependence
• Increased risk of liver disease and cancer
With a pint of 4 percent beer being 2.3 units, you can see how much you’d need to drink to get to 50 units in a week (around 25 pints).
Higher Risk
With the same risks as the above for anyone who drinks up to 50 (men) or 35 (women) units, those who have an increased risk of being ill due to alcohol are those who drink above this amount.
At this point, it’s likely the alcohol is already affecting your health or wellbeing in some way.
Possibly Dependent
You might be an alcoholic, and you might even need further assessment by an alcohol specialist if you drink any more than the previous category.
At this point, the NHS states that your doctor or nurse ‘will make a referral to the Hospital Alcohol Team’ for further testing and treatment.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Britt Jones