Alcoholism Effects - How Much Alcohol is Too Much?

To an alcoholic, the more the better. In the United Kingdom, people are drinking more and more illustrated by the fact that 26% of the adults in England have an alcohol abuse disorder. That is a whopping 8.2 million people.

Interestingly enough this is based upon the recommended levels of alcohol consumption as advised by the Department of Health in the UK.

Maximum Recommended Drinking Levels in the UK

* Women: 2 - 3 units per day of which a small glass (175 ml) of wine or 1 pint of ordinary strength beer = 2 units However no more than 14 units per week
* Men: 3 - 4 units per day and no more than 21 units per week

Like it or not, anything above this is problematic and that is why it accounts for almost 10% of the disease burden in the NHS healthcare system.

Binge Drinking

For a Man binge drinking is having more than 8 units of alcohol or roughly 4 pints of beer. For a Woman that is 6 units: 2 large glasses of wine.

The average party goers in the city streets of London, Blackpool, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin or Edinburgh will do this more than twice a week. Not talking of all the binging that goes on in the smaller towns. If you ever watch the TV show "Booze Britain" you will see just how rampant the problem of binge drinking is in the UK.

What Are Some Other Signs of Alcohol Abuse?

1. Becoming more and more detached from family and friends
2. Increasing tolerance to alcohol, needing more and more to feel something
3. Health problems, generally unwell, alcohol body odour
4. Reduced creativity, foggy mental function
5. Withdrawal symptoms (after all, what do you think a hangover is?)
6. Failing at work, missing work
7. Financial problems, no basic necessities in the home but always money for booze
8. Reduced sexual drive and performance
9. Accidents
10. Abuse of family and friends
11. Depression and further use of drugs to "feel better"

Getting Out of the Trap

If you see some of these signs in yourself or the person you care about it is time to take charge of the situation. Not everyone will require a professional rehabilitation treatment program. For those maybe just a serious look at their lives will be enough to stop the self destruction and move off that path before it ends in the bottomless pit.

For others, professional help is definitely needed. Many have tried to stop and perhaps do for a short while, only to fall back into the same patterns or binge drinking and alcohol abuse. This is when it becomes necessary to look at the options available to the alcoholic who wants to change their life.

In the UK there do exist treatment options that do not substitute one drug for another and give people the tools that they perhaps lacked in the first place which drove them to the excessive drinking. Tools for learning, tools for having better relationships and getting along with others, confronting life's problems, communicating and deciding ones own future. Tools to prevent further relapses.

There are also professional Rehab Consultants who can help you figure out what to do next. There is light at the end of the tunnel and there is hope.

Would you like to help a loved one end addiction?

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Paula Dewar is a mother and Professional Rehab Consultant who has saved a dozen drug abusers and their families. She lives in the UK with her family. Paula speaks English and Portuguese.