Usually when I drink that much I feel really shitty the next day and don't drink for a few days before starting up again.
Seriously, will health problems result from having about 6 drinks a night? I feel nothing in the morning afterwards unless I have about 8+ drinks within 2-3 hours a night.
I suppose it depends on what ypou are drinking. I'd imagine that, that amount of drinking every night you'll eventually end up with liver problems.
Me, I like to have a can of stella a night or a couple of glasses of wine. I don't get hammered any more but I can easily put away a couple of bottles of wine on the occasional weekend or 7-8 pints down the pub.
Alcohol: How Much Is Too Much?
The recommended weekly alcohol limit is:
3-4 units per day for men and
2-3 units per day for women.
One unit of alcohol is roughly equivalent to half a pint of normal strength beer, or a small glass of wine, or one pub measure of spirits. Check the bottle or can to see how many units there are in it. All this should be spread out over the week, so don't kid yourself that sticking to the limit but drinking it all in one go is somehow being healthy!
Similarly, if you regularly go over this amount, then you should think about cutting down your alcohol intake. Apart from all the things you can get up to when you're drunk, your body will suffer long-term if you put too much alcohol in it. Your liver, stomach, throat, kidneys and heart can all suffer from long term alcohol use (or abuse).
Binge drinking (downing twice the recommended daily intake in one session) is a growing problem, and according to a survey by Communities that Care, over a quarter of 15 and 16 year olds (male and female) binge three or more times a month.
We know the health risks, but it still doesn't stop us. Why? The experts say there are two reasons:
The British attitude towards booze is that, because it's a forbidden fruit when we're young, we associate it with being 'grown up', cool or rebellious. We carry that belief with us even when we're legally old enough to drink.
British pub opening hours give us a desperate need to cram in as much as we can before being turfed out just after 11pm.
The government hopes it has the solution. In 2003, they're trying to push through new legislation that allows pubs, clubs and bars to open 24 hours a day. The longer licensing hours, they believe, should allow us to drink at a more leisurely pace and reduce binge drinking.
Regularly Overdoing It
Of course at Christmas, or around a birthday, everyone overdoes it a bit and it's kind of expected. Going over the recommended limit occasionally does not mean you are an alcoholic or that you have a drink problem.
But if you find it hard or impossible to stick to the recommended level, if you're drinking too much too often, or if you regularly feel you really need a drink, that's when you should think about asking for help.
Ask yourself these questions:
Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?
Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
Answering 'yes' to two or more of them means you may have an alcohol-related problem and that you should cut down. Your drinking could start to control you rather than the other way round.
Think you're overdoing it, or are you worried about someone else? Read on for more info about alcohol addiction.
Related Links
For a list of useful links, contacts and resources see the Further Information - Alcohol section.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/health/drugs/drinking2.shtml
