While alcohol may feel like it can ‘take the edge off’ and help us feel a little more relaxed in the moment, too much, too often can have some damaging consequences. So, if you’d like to either limit the alcohol you drink, or stop drinking altogether, there are some steps you can take to help make the process more manageable.
Did you know that people who drink more alcohol tend to have a lower quality of sleep because alcohol can disrupt your levels of a chemical in the brain called adenosine? Adenosine influences your sleepiness; it’s increased with alcohol but then quickly subsides after a few hours, which is why you might fall asleep quickly and then wake up in the night.
How many units of alcohol can you drink per week?
The maximum number of units of alcohol suggested per week is no more than 14 for men and women, spread across three days or more. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to drink that much, or anything at all!
Ultimately, there’s no “safe” level of drinking, but sticking within these guidelines can help protect your health.
Understanding how much alcohol you consume weekly is essential for improving your overall health. Learn more about how many units of alcohol per week is too much in our guide.
The image below shows how many units there are in different types of alcohol.
What happens when you drink too much alcohol?
Short-term effects
Some of the short-term risks of drinking alcohol include:
- Displaying antisocial or violent behaviour: 1.2 million alcohol-induced violent incidents occur annually in England.
- Injury and accidents: Over one in 10 visits to A&E are a result of drinking alcohol excessively.
- Losing personal possessions: You may lose possessions when you’re drunk, such as your wallet or your keys, due to the effect that alcohol has on your brain.
- Taking time off work or education: Repeatedly doing this could put your job or education at risk.
- Unprotected sex: Having unprotected sex can lead to STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and unplanned pregnancies.
- Disrupted sleep: Alcohol can cause you fall asleep quickly and then wake up during the night.
Long-term effects
The risks of long-term alcohol abuse include:
- Organ damage: The brain and nervous system, liver, pancreas, and heart can all be damaged as a result of long-term alcohol consumption.
- Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes: This is because alcohol increases your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
- Can lead to insomnia and can make sleep apnoea symptoms worse.
- Can make anxiety and depression worse.
- May make you put on weight: You consume extra calories when you drink alcoholic drinks, which are often high in sugar. Plus, feedback from our Evergreen Life community shows that people who drink more alcohol also consume more processed meats, sugary drinks, and have a lower quality of sleep.
- Can make existing conditions worse, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
- Can damage your immune system, which could reduce your resistance to diseases.
- Makes you more prone to accidents and risky behaviour, which can result in long-term, or potentially fatal, consequences.
For more information on how alcohol affects your body, and advice on how to curb drinking habits, head over to our previous article.
With the above risks in mind, it’s important to be conscious of the amount of alcohol you consume, and how you might reduce it. Here are our tips on how to gradually stop drinking.
8 ACTIONS TO HELP REDUCE YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE
Stopping drinking altogether can be tough, but there are various steps you can take, and people you can reach out to, to gradually reduce your alcohol intake.
1. Make a plan. Before you start drinking, set a limit on how much you’re going to drink – be it weekly or monthly. You can find a link to a unit calculator at the end of this article. This makes it easier to gradually reduce your intake.
2. Set a budget. Write down how much you’re currently spending on alcohol each week – the results may surprise you. Ask yourself if you want to be spending this much on alcohol, or if this money could be put to better use.
3. Let friends and family know. Let your friends and family know you’re cutting down and that it’s important to you. This may require asking them to reduce offers of alcohol. Stopping drinking alcohol can take a toll on your mental health, so it’s important to have a strong support circle.
4. Cut back on alcohol a little each time you drink. This way, you’re always taking a positive step forward. If you slip up along the way, don’t be hard on yourself. The journey to sobriety often isn’t linear, and you can start afresh the moment you decide that’s what you want to do.
5. Make it a smaller one. If you’d still like to drink every once in a while, go for smaller sizes. Try bottled beer instead of cans or pints, or a small glass of wine instead of a large one.
6. Have a lower-strength drink. Cut down your alcohol intake by swapping strong beers or wines for ones with a lower strength (ABV in %). You’ll find this information on the bottle. Alternatively, you could go for a non-alcoholic beer or drink instead.
7. Stay hydrated. For occasions when alcohol is consumed, have a glass of water beforehand, and alternate alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks.
8. Take a break. Try to have several drink-free days each week. Once you’ve mastered this, you could do this monthly. That, of course, doesn’t mean binge drinking to ‘catch up’ on all the alcohol free days you missed. But why not take a moment to get curious about why you drink – it may be to relax or socialise, it’ll vary between people – are there other healthier ways to achieve the same outcomes?
If you feel that you’re dependent on alcohol, do book an appointment with your GP. There is lots of help available, including free advice from the NHS.
How can the Evergreen Life app help you stop drinking?
Taking control of your health and wellbeing doesn’t always feel easy, but cutting down your alcohol intake can have many benefits, and we’d love to support you if you decide you want to make any changes.
The Evergreen Life app can help you notice areas of your wellbeing where you could improve, with questionnaires on happiness, fitness, and nutrition, and more, released along your wellbeing journey such as those about alcohol consumption and sleep.
If you’d like more support with taking control of your health, you can download the app by clicking below:
Reviewed by:
Dr Brian Fisher MBBch MBE MSc FRSA – Clinical Director
- Alcohol Change UK (2021) Coronavirus: getting support. Alcohol Change UK.
- Alcohol Change UK (2022) Unit calculator. Alcohol Change UK.
- Cherney K (2019) Does Alcohol Cause Acne? Healthline.
- Drinkaware (2022) Alcohol and anxiety. Drinkaware.
- Drinkaware (2022) Alcohol and depression. Drinkaware.
- Drinkaware (2022) How can I beat my beer belly? Drinkaware.
- Mental Health Foundation (2022) Alcohol and mental health. Mental Health Foundation.
- NHS UK (2022) Alcohol advice. NHS UK.
- NHS UK (2022). Alcohol. NHS UK.
- NHS UK (2022) Alcohol misuse. NHS UK.
- Pacheco, D (2022) Alcohol and sleep. Sleep Foundation.
- Thakkar MM, Sharma R, Sahota P (2015) Alcohol disrupts sleep homeostasis. Alcohol 49: 299-310. (doi: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.07.019).
