Do you like to pour a small glass of wine while you’re cooking dinner? Is it the first thing you reach for in the fridge when you get home? I totally get it. I feel like doing this most evenings. But is it something you have to be careful of? Are you going to get yourself into a habit that you can’t break? Alcohol is so readily available these days and has been normalised particularly around special occasions like Christmas or birthdays. When we all went through the pandemic a few years ago I think many of us found we were drinking a lot more alcohol than we used to and some of us have continued to drink the large quantities even as life got back to normal. So, if you are a little worried that you might be over doing it, let’s look at the symptoms of drinking alcohol too much to see if you fit into this category.
How much alcohol is safe per day?
The National Health Service in the UK recommends that you shouldn’t drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. They also suggest that this is spread out over 3 or more days. In easy to understand terms that would be about 6 medium size glasses of wine or 6 pints of beer (4% volume).
There is no way to say that any amount of alcohol, large or small, can be completely safe but if you stick to these guidelines then you can hopefully reduce the risks to your health.
What happens when you start drinking alcohol too much?
Each person can experience different symptoms of drinking alcohol too much, but here are some of the most common ones:
Symptoms of Drinking Alcohol Too Much
- Not being able to stop or limit your intake.
- Feeling you may have a drinking problem but unable to do anything about it.
- Craving alcohol.
- Spending many hours drinking or recovering from drinking.
- Not showing up for work or for family duties because of your alcohol use.
- Drinking alcohol despite being aware it is affecting your relationships at work and with friends and family.
- Drinking alcohol in inappropriate circumstances such as when you are driving.
- Not taking part in social situations of hobbies as much as you used to because you would rather drink alcohol.
- When you don’t drink you may feel withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, sweating or shaking.
Is aging faster one of the symptoms of drinking alcohol too much?
New research has found that people who are drinking more than five glasses per week have shorter telomeres. You’ve probably never heard of this. I hadn’t until I read a recent article but apparently they are biological caps that you find on the end of your chromosomes. Their job is to protect your DNA inside the chromosomes from damage.
Your telomeres naturally shorten as you get older, but if you drink a lot of alcohol then this increases the speed at which they shorten. This leaves you more susceptible to disease and age-related illnesses.
So, to confirm, one of the symptoms of drinking alcohol too much is unfortunately aging faster. If you are desperate to stay looking as young as possible for as long as possible then you may have to cut back on the gin and tonics or nightly glasses of wine.
What are the benefits of not drinking alcohol?
Obviously not drinking alcohol at all purely means you won’t experience any of the negative side effects and symptoms I have mentioned previously in this post. You have the best chance of good health and your risks of developing any disease or illness related to alcohol intake is pretty much eliminated.
If you are an alcohol drinker and are experiencing symptoms of drinking too much alcohol it may be time to get some help. Contact your healthcare provider for advice. You will feel so much healthier if you can stop. Here are some of the benefits of not drinking alcohol:
Benefits of not drinking alcohol
- No more hangovers with nausea and headaches.
- Your mental health will improve
- Your skin will look better
- You might lose weight
- You will have more energy
- You should sleep better
- Your relationships should improve
- Your will feel happier, and life will be easier to cope with
Final thoughts
So many of us love a drink now and then, me included, and there is nothing wrong with that, but ideally it should be treat and not a regular thing. It is all too easy to slip into a dangerous pattern of drinking if you aren’t careful. If you feel like alcohol is taking over your life and it’s all you can think about then you may have a problem that needs to be addressed. Please act now before it gets out of control and contact someone who can help you break this cycle. Good luck and stay strong. You can do this.
I spent many years living with a person who was addicted to alcohol and it’s a tough thing to go through. If you are interested in my experience of alcohol abuse I have written a post on it on medium.com called Another Vodka Bottle Under The Mattress which I would love you to read.
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