Introduction
Many Australians drink Alcohol in amounts that are harmful to their health. This kind of drinking can cause death, disease and injury and is a significant factor in ill health and social harm in Australia.
Alcohol is the most widely used drug in Australia. People drink Alcohol for various reasons and in different social and cultural contexts, but Alcohol can cause harm to the person who drinks and sometimes to others around them.
During the pandemic, some people have been drinking less because they are going less often to pubs. Others are drinking more at home. Of these, some have turned to drink for stress relief and run into significant strife with it.
The New Guidelines and Alcohol Consumption
No level of alcohol consumption can be considered safe for everyone. To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury for healthy men and women, drink no more than ten standard drinks per week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day. A standard drink is a can or stubbie of mid-strength beer, 100ml of wine, or a 30ml shot of spirits.
However, some people need to take more care. You are at greater risk of alcohol harm if you are engaging in risky activities such as driving or operating machinery, under 18, if you are older than 65, or taking other medicines or drugs.
During pregnancy, no level of drinking is considered safe for the baby.
Drinking heavily can put you at risk of short-term injury or illness. The effects can also accumulate, harming your health over your lifetime.
Alcohol contributes to a significant health burden in Australia. Harms related to drinking result in more than 4,000 deaths and 70,000 hospital admissions every year.
Does drinking in moderation have health benefits?
The Short answer is NO!
One of the main reasons the guidelines were changed and aimed at less drinking however studies that mentioned a possible protective effect of low-level alcohol consumption, particularly against coronary heart disease, were scrutinised. The evidence for a protective effect has been challenged by research in recent years. Some researchers dispute its existence.
But at the least, any protective effect is not as strong as previously thought. However, if there was a protective risk against heart disease, some cancers’ increased risk was counterbalanced.
The Harmful Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol and the Liver
One of its prominent roles of the liver is to neutralise various toxic substances you consume. For this reason, your liver is particularly vulnerable to damage by alcohol intake.
Liver diseases caused by alcohol consumption are collectively known as alcoholic liver diseases.
The first of these to appear is fatty liver, characterised by increased fat inside liver cells.
The fatty liver gradually develops in 90% of those who drink more than a 1/2 ounce (15 ml) of Alcohol per day and is usually symptomless and fully reversible.
In heavy drinkers, binge drinking may cause your liver to become inflamed. In worst-case scenarios, liver cells die and get replaced with scar tissue, leading to a severe condition called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is irreversible and associated with many serious health problems. In advanced cirrhosis, a liver transplant may be the only option.
Alcohol and Mental Health
Alcohol intake and depression are closely but complexly associated.
While alcohol intake and depression seem to increase the risk of one another; simultaneously, alcohol abuse may be the more substantial causal factor.
Many people facing anxiety and depression drink intentionally to reduce stress and improve mood. While drinking may provide a few hours of relief, it will worsen your overall mental health and spark a vicious cycle.
Because heavy drinking is a significant cause of depression in some individuals, treating the underlying alcohol abuse leads to significant improvements.
Alcohol and Weight Gain
On average, one serving of Alcohol contains 100-150 calories, so even a moderate amount of 3 drinks a day can contribute 300+ calories. Mixed drinks that add juice, tonic, or syrups will further drive up calories, increasing the risk of weight gain over time.
Alcohol and Cancer
Alcohol may increase the risk of cancers such as Head and Neck Cancer, Oesophageal Cancer, Liver Cancer, Breast Cancer and Colorectal Cancer.
What is Alcoholism?
Alcoholism has been known by a variety of terms, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Today, it’s referred to as alcohol use disorder.
It occurs when you drink so much that your body eventually becomes dependent on or addicted to Alcohol. When this happens, Alcohol becomes an essential thing in your life.
People with alcohol use disorder will continue to drink even when drinking causes negative consequences, like losing a job or destroying relationships with people they love. They may know that their alcohol use negatively affects their lives, but it’s often not enough to make them stop drinking.
How is it treated?
Treatment for alcohol use disorder varies, but each method is meant to help you stop drinking altogether. This is called abstinence. Treatment may occur in stages and can include the following:
- detoxification or withdrawal to rid your body of Alcohol
- rehabilitation to learn new coping skills and behaviours
- Counselling to address emotional problems that may cause you to drink
- support groups, including 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- medical treatment for health problems associated with an alcohol use disorder
- medications to help control addiction
Treatment of Alcoholism
One of the medications used for alcoholism is currently unavailable in Australia. Should you find this problem or loved one you are trying to help cannot find this medication, a compounding pharmacy may help (www.ecompoundingchemist.com.au). This form of medication treatment deters alcohol use. It prevents Alcohol’s normal metabolism, which causes unpleasant, potentially serious effects, if Alcohol is consumed, e.g. flushing, sweating, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, headache, dyspnoea, chest pain, hypotension, heart collapse, seizures, arrhythmias.
This form of medication treatment is effective if the patient is deterred from drinking by fear of unpleasant effects, and someone is available to supervise daily administration.