Alcohol misuse -Treatment

Treatment-Alcohol misuse

Contents

1. Overview
2. Risks
3. Treatment

The treatment options for alcohol misuse depend on the extent of your drinking and whether you're trying to drink less (moderation) or give up drinking completely (abstinence).

Brief intervention

If you are worried about your drinking or have had an alcohol-related accident or injury, you may be offered a short counsellingsession known as a brief intervention.

A brief intervention lasts about 5 to 10 minutes, and covers risks associated with your pattern of drinking, advice about reducing the amount you drink, alcohol support networks available to you, and any emotional issues around your drinking.

Keeping a "drinking diary" may be recommended so you can record how many units of alcohol you drink a week. You may also be given tips about social drinking, such as alternating soft drinks with alcoholic drinks when you're out with friends.

Alcohol misuse -Risks

Risks-Alcohol misuse

Contents

1. Overview
2. Risks
3. Treatment

Alcohol is a powerful chemical that can have a wide range of adverse effects on almost every part of your body, including your brain, bones and heart.

Alcohol and its associated risks can have both short-term and long-term effects.

Short-term effects of alcohol consumption

The short-term effects of alcohol consumption are outlined below. This information is based on the assumption that you have a normal tolerance to alcohol.

Dependent drinkers with a higher tolerance to alcohol can often drink much more without experiencing any noticeable effects.

Alcohol misuse - Overview

Overview-Alcohol misuse

Contents

1. Overview
2. Risks
3. Treatment

Alcohol misuse means drinking excessively – more than the lower-risk limits of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol consumption is measured in units. A unit of alcohol is 10ml of pure alcohol, which is about:

• half a pint of lower to normal-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6%)
• a single small shot measure (25ml) of spirits (25ml, ABV 40%)

A small glass (125ml) of wine contains about 1.5 units of alcohol.