Alcohol & You Promotig Positive Chage DERBYSHIRE Alcohol Advice Service
Is your drikig seakig up o you? A few glasses of wie at home...a couple of pits after work...it all adds up. May of us drik more tha we realise. How much is too much? Ofte we drik to help us uwid, relax or forget our problems. However regularly drikig over recommeded guidelies ca icrease our risk of serious health problems such as cacer, heart problems ad liver disease. It ca also lead to other other problems with relatioships, moey, work ad more. Daily Recommeded Guidelies Me 3-4 Uits per day Wome 2-3 Uits per day If I wat to cut dow where do I start? A good place to start is to work out how much you are drikig. The good ews is that cuttig dow does t ecessarily mea stoppig. This booklet is desiged to help you work out how much you are drikig, whether its too much, ad gives you some ideas for how to cut dow.
Kow your Uits WINE Uits Small glass of wie (125ml) ABV 13% 1.6 Medium glass of wie (175ml) ABV 13% 2.3 Large glass of wie (250ml) ABV 13% 3.3 Bottle of wie (75cl/750ml) ABV 13% 9.8 CIDER Regular Cider (1 pit) ABV 5.3% 3 Strog Cider (440ml ca) ABV 5% 2.2 Strog Cider (500ml ca) ABV 7.5% 3.8 LAGER or BITTER Stadard Lager/Bitter (1 pit) ABV 4% 2.3 Strog Lager/Bitter (440ml ca) ABV 5% 2.2 Strog Lager or Bitter (1 pit) ABV 5% 2.8 Super Stregth Lager (500ml ca) ABV 9% 4.5 WHISKEY or BRANDY Sigle measure (35ml) ABV 40% 1.4 Double measure (70ml) ABV 40% 2.8 Bottle (70cl/700ml) ABV 40% 28 VODKA or GIN Sigle measure (35ml) ABV 37.5% 1.3 Double measure (70ml) ABV 37.5% 2.6 Bottle (70cl/700ml) ABV 37.5% 26
Step 1 - How much are you drikig? Try to write dow what you are drikig over a typical week. The see if you are drikig over the recommeded guidelies. It helps to be hoest. Addig up what you drik ca help you to kow whether you eed to cut dow. Day Why, where, who with? Type of drik Number of driks Uits Total uits for day Example Cookig dier Bored ad feelig low 440ml ca of strog lager. Medium 175ml glass of white wie 2 2 2x2.2 2x2.3 9 Moday Tuesday Wedesday Thursday Friday Saturday Suday Weekly Total Average daily uits To dowload further diaries or to use our o-lie driks calculator visit our website www.daas.co.uk
Step 2 - Are you at risk of harmig your health? The effects of alcohol o your health will deped o how much you drik. The more you drik the more you raise your risk of health problems. Usig the followig iformatio ca you work out your risk level? MEN WOMEN Over 50 uits per week (25 stadard pits of lager) HIGHER RISK Over 35 uits per week (3.5 bottles of wie) Over 28 uits per week (14 stadard pits) INCREASING RISK Over 21 uits per week (2 bottles of wie) Uder 28 uits per week (14 stadard pits) LOWER RISK Uder 21 uits per week (2 bottles of wie) What does this mea? Lower risk If your typical drikig falls withi the daily uit guidelies, you ru a fairly low risk of developig a alcohol-related illess. However some people caot drik at all because they are pregat, takig medicatio or have health problems. Icreasig risk If you are regularly exceedig the daily uit guidelies you start to icrease your risk of developig health problems such as: liver ad heart disease, raised blood pressure, various cacers, depressio, axiety, sleep problems, sexual problems ad more. High Risk If you regularly fall ito this group the your health will almost certaily be harmed. You are at high risk of developig health problems such as: liver ad heart disease, raised blood pressure, various cacers, depressio, axiety, sleep problems, sexual problems ad more. Is it time to cut dow?
What is bige drikig? Eve if you do ot drik every day, you could be at risk of harmig your health ad other problems if you regularly drik: too much too quickly with the aim of gettig druk more tha double the recommeded guidelies i a sigle sessio which is: over 8 uits for a ma or 4 pits of stadard lager over 6 uits for a wome or two large glasses of wie. If you do drik i this way, the your body will ot be able to keep up with the amout of alcohol you are cosumig ad may be damaged as a result. Some of the risks of bige drikig are as follows: The risks of bige drikig Health Loss of brai cell fuctio Gag reflex may ot work leadig to chokig Alcohol poisoig, hyperthermia, coma ad eve death Other Risks Poor judgemet Uacceptable ad eve violet behaviour Passig out Placig yourself i vulerable situatios
Step 3 Helpig you make the decisio You may have mixed feeligs about whether you wat to chage your drikig. It ca help to thik about the good thigs about your drikig ad the ot so good thigs. The good thigs about my drikig The thigs I do t like about my drikig 1 Gives me cofidece to speak to people I do or say thigs I later regret 2 3 4 5 Now thik about the advatages of stayig the same ad the disadvatages of stayig the same. Advatages of stayig the same Disadvatages of stayig the same 1 Goig out drikig with my frieds Costatly late for work 2 3 4 5
Step 4 Thik differetly about your drikig People ofte drik too much to help them cope with how they feel. The urge to drik ca be very strog ad fidig ways to distract yourself ca help. It ca help to thik about why you drik ad what else you could do istead. Re-thik your drik Reaso for drik Tick if it applies to me Other ways I might achieve this To relax To give me cofidece Because frieds do To help sleep For compay Boredom I like the taste Because I am agry To cope with worries To celebrate Other reasos you ca thik of:
Step 5 High risk situatios If you fid yourself i a high risk situatio where you feel a strog urge to drik the you eed to be ready to cope with it. What else could you do to stop yourself from drikig whe you feel uder pressure? It ca help to pla for these momets. Risky situatio How will I cope People who ca support me 1 2 3 4 Step 6 Plaig ad settig goals Oce you ve made the decisio to chage, the ext step is establishig clear drikig goals. The more specific, realistic, ad clear your goals, the better. Here are some example goals: Example 1 - My drikig goal I wat to reduce the amout I drik. I wat to completely stop drikig durig the week ad drik less at weekeds. I pla to do this i two stages by: Gradually reducig dow what I drik to uits per day, the After four weeks stoppig completely durig the week. I will the cut my weeked drikig back to uits.
Example 2 - My drikig goal I wat to reduce the amout I drik whe I go out at weekeds. I will do this by ot drikig before I go out. Whe I do go out, I will oly take a certai amout of moey with me ad I will leave my debit card at home. I will avoid gettig ito rouds ad will slow my drikig dow. I wat to reduce my drikig dow to uits o a Friday ad Saturday ad will ot go out o a Suday ight. My drikig goal How I pla to do this Warig If you have physical withdrawal symptoms (shakig, sweatig, axiety) do ot make chages without talkig to your GP or takig advice from a alcohol worker.
The beefits of cuttig dow Oce you start to cut dow you should start to feel the beefits quite quickly. Cuttig back o alcohol will help with geeral well-beig ad other areas of your life. Here are some examples: Family life Improved relatioships with parters, childre ad other family members Less likely to get ito argumets More likely to positively ifluece your childre s views Your health Sleep better Lose weight Better physical shape ad more eergy Reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure brai damage ad other health problems Less likely to suffer with depressio ad axiety Other beefits... More moey Beig able to remember a ight out Less likely to do thigs you later regret Less likely to fid yourself i vulerable situatios Reduced risk of drik drivig Less likely to become ivolved i situatios leadig to arrest
Alcohol ad Calories Cuttig dow o alcohol ca help with weight loss. Alcohol is high i sugar ad cotais a lot of calories. A pit of regular cider is the equivalet to oe sugar iced doughut ad a stadard glass of wie is the equivalet to oe chocolate ice. The chart below provides calorie iformatio of some commo driks. Drik Type Servig size Kcal Alcopop Bottle 275ml 156-206 Cider - regular Pit 210 Cider - strog Pit 250 Cream liqueur Glass 50ml 175 Lager/Ale/Bitter - stadard Pit 170 Lager/Ale/Bitter - strog Pit 227 Low alcohol lager Pit 60-80 Port Glass 50ml 79 Sherry Glass 50ml 68 Vodka/Gi/Barcardi Sigle 35ml 74 Vodka/Gi/Barcardi ad mixer Sigle 35ml 130 Whisky/Brady Sigle 35ml 85 Whisky/Brady ad mixer Sigle 35ml 141 Wie - red or white, still or sparklig Stadard 175ml 130
Tips for cuttig dow Whe you re at home... Do t buy it - you ca t drik what you have t got Reduce your uits by buyig lower stregth ABV% drik Keep busy ad do other thigs Reduce the amout you pour ito your glass Use smaller glasses Start drikig later i the day ad fiish drikig earlier Cosider dier or weeked oly drikig but avoid bige drikig Whe you re out... Keep out of rouds Avoid drikig at home before you go Pace your drikig ad sip your driks slowly Avoid heavy drikers Sip a soft drik or water betwee alcoholic driks Oly take a certai amout of moey with you Kow how you are gettig home Decide o a time to go home ad keep to it
Notes
Notes
Further help If you wat advice about your drikig or are fidig it difficult to cut dow, you may fid it helpful to talk to a alcohol advice worker. If you are a fried, parter or family member ad are worried about someoe s drikig you may also fid it helpful to talk to a alcohol advice worker. If you would like to arrage a appoitmet for this FREE service please call us o the umber below. How to fid us Our cetral base is i Chesterfield however if you live i Derbyshire (but excludig Derby City) we ca arrage to meet you at veue i your area. DRONFIELD A61 BUXTON BOLSOVER A6 A619 CHESTERFIELD BAKEWELL CLAY CROSS MATLOCK SHIREBROOK A38 ALFRETON BELPER A517 RIPLEY HEANOR ASHBOURNE ILKESTON DERBY* SWADLINCOTE 1st Floor Dets Chambers, 81 New Square, Chesterfield S40 1AH Opeig hours: Moday, Wedesday & Friday 9.00am util 4.30pm Tuesday & Thursday 9.00am util 8.00pm Call 0845 308 4010 or 01246 206514 www.daas.uk.com Email: daas@daas.uk.com