Alcohol and Drinking Problems

Introduction

Case history

Mr Roberts was finding work increasingly difficult and dreaded the tension he felt in the mornings. He had enjoyed a drink after work for years, but now his wife and children were complaining about his irritability and asking why he was no longer the reliable husband and father they knew.

When his doctor checked his blood pressure he also asked him about his drinking. An explanation of how alcohol could actually cause tension did not make sense to him at first, but he agreed to have three weeks free of alcohol – and he felt much better.

He decided to cut drinking out of his life. With his family’s support and advice from his GP, he found this much easier than he had feared, and was soon back to his former vigour and enthusiasm for family life and work.

Is too much alcohol a common problem?

Out of the UK population of 60 million people, 36 million of us are regular drinkers. Two million are heavy drinkers, and there are a million men and women in Britain who have, or have had, a serious drinking problem.

Of those, 200,000 are dependent on alcohol each day of their lives. More women are now drinking than ever before in this century. Although alcohol-related problems used to affect far more men than women, women now seek counselling for drinking problems as frequently as men.

This book explains how alcohol can have a variety of harmful as well as pleasant effects. It gives guidance on how to change a drinking pattern and succeed – whether by cutting down or abstaining completely.

KEY POINTS

• In the UK 36 million people are regular drinkers

• Women seek counselling for drinking problems as frequently as men