Published on: 16th November 2015
Whether you’ll be taking part in #DryJanuary or are just considering reducing your alcohol intake in general, Alcohol Awareness Week (16th to 22nd Nov), is a great way to start thinking about your drinking.
Keeping an eye on what you drink can have a positive effect on your overall health and wellbeing, and Lincolnshire’s dedicated NHS Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (DART) have offered the top five benefits to cutting back on alcohol.
The DART team, part of Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, provides support and treatment for anyone aged 18 or over, experiencing problems with drugs or alcohol.
Their five benefits to cutting down on drinking are:
- Watching your weight – Alcohol is heavy on calories, with 682 in an average 13 per cent bottle of wine – cutting down is a great way to stay in shape.
- Sleep soundly – Drinking less means you get more high quality shuteye because alcohol interferes with the normal sleep process.
- Reducing your stress levels – Some people say they drink to relax, but excess alcohol can actually make you feel more stressed because it’s a depressant.
- Avoiding hangovers – Keep to the daily unit guidelines and you can kiss goodbye to a sore head, dry mouth and that dreaded ‘what on earth was I thinking last night?’ hangover feeling.
- Staying healthy for longer – Cutting down can be great news for your long-term health. Drinking less alcohol reduces the risks of alcohol-related cancers, diabetes and heart disease. It puts less pressure on the liver too.
Cathy Hobbs, DART Coordinator for Boston said:
Anyone who believes they have a problem with alcohol or drugs can refer themselves to DART, by dropping into the resource centres, by phone, by email or via their GP. They would be offered an assessment and then we’d draw up a plan together to help achieve their desired goal. Possible signs that alcohol is becoming a problem could be not being able to have alcohol free days, or it becoming more important than family or work. Also drinking more than the recommended weekly amounts - 14 units for women, or 21 units for men – would make people at increased risk of developing future health problems.
