Experiences with

Alcohol misuse

Alcohol misuse is when you drink in a way that's harmful, or when you're dependent on alcohol. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week.

A unit of alcohol is 8g or 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, ABV 12%) of wine contains about 1.5 units of alcohol.

Find out more about alcohol units

Low-risk drinking advice

To keep your risk of alcohol-related harm low:

  • men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis
  • if you drink as much as 14 units a week, it's best to spread this evenly over 3 or more days
  • if you're trying to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it's a good idea to have several alcohol-free days each week
  • if you're pregnant or trying to become pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum

Regular or frequent drinking means drinking alcohol most days and weeks.

The risk to your health is increased by drinking any amount of alcohol on a regular basis.

Risks of alcohol misuse

Short term

The short-term risks of alcohol misuse include:

  • accidents and injuries requiring hospital treatment, such as a head injury
  • violent behaviour and being a victim of violence
  • unprotected sex that could potentially lead to unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
  • loss of personal possessions, such as wallets, keys or mobile phones
  • alcohol poisoning – this may lead to vomiting, fits (seizures) and falling unconscious

People who binge drink (drink heavily over a short period of time) are more likely to behave recklessly and are at greater risk of being in an accident.

Long term

Persistent alcohol misuse increases your risk of serious health conditions, including:

As well as causing serious health problems, long-term alcohol misuse can lead to social problems for some people, such as unemployment, divorce, domestic abuse and homelessness.

If someone loses control over their drinking and has an excessive desire to drink, it's known as dependent drinking (alcoholism).

Dependent drinking usually affects a person's quality of life and relationships, but they may not always find it easy to see or accept this. 

Severely dependent drinkers are often able to tolerate very high levels of alcohol in amounts that would dangerously affect or even kill some people.

A dependent drinker usually experiences physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly cut down or stop drinking, including:

This often leads to "relief drinking" to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Find out more about the risks of alcohol misuse

Am I drinking too much alcohol?

You could be misusing alcohol if:

  • you feel you should cut down on your drinking
  • other people have been criticising your drinking
  • you feel guilty or bad about your drinking
  • you need a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover

Someone you know may be misusing alcohol if:

  • they regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week
  • they're sometimes unable to remember what happened the night before because of their drinking
  • they fail to do what was expected of them as a result of their drinking (for example, missing an appointment or work because they're drunk or hungover)

Getting help

If you're concerned about your drinking or someone else's, a good first step is to see a GP.

They'll be able to discuss the services and treatments available. 

Your alcohol intake may be assessed using tests, such as the:

As well as the NHS, there are a number of charities and support groups across the UK that provide support and advice for people with an alcohol misuse problem.

For example, you may want to contact:

See a full list of alcohol charities and support groups

Treating alcohol misuse

How alcohol misuse is treated depends on how much alcohol a person is drinking.

Treatment options include:

  • counselling – including self-help groups and talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • medicines
  • detoxification – this involves a nurse or doctor supporting you to safely stop drinking; this can be done by helping you slowly cut down over time or by giving you medicines to prevent withdrawal symptoms

There are 2 main types of medicines to help people stop drinking.

The first is to help stop withdrawal symptoms and is given in reducing doses over a short period of time. The most common of these medicines is chlordiazapoxide (Librium).

The second is a medicine to reduce any urge you may have to drink. The most common medicines used for this are acamprosate and naltrexone.

These are both given at a fixed dose, and you'll usually be on them for 6 to 12 months.

Further reading

Alcohol and pregnancy

The Department of Health and Social Care recommends pregnant women and women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol.

Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, and the risk increases the more you drink.

The Chief Medical Officers for the UK recommend that if you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep the risk to your baby to a minimum.

If you're worried about alcohol use during pregnancy, talk to your doctor or midwife.

If you're trying to conceive, your partner should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which should be spread evenly over 3 days or more.

Drinking alcohol excessively can affect the quality of his sperm.

HealthUnlocked contains information from NHS Digital, licensed under the current version of the Open Government Licence

568 public posts

Spider Nevi

Dermatologist told me i have spider nevi, been a heavy drinker for years , recently quit 5 months ago. All my lfts are normal as well as the ultrasound, is it possible to have spider nevi without a liver disease? Or it is always associated with liver disease, im getting anxiety right now. I dont know
in British Liver Trust

Recurring Hepatic Encephalopathy

Hello everyone, it’s been a while since I posted and I hope everyone is staying encouraged and strong on your journey. I wrote last year about my brother and his Ascites and cirrhosis diagnosis. Well, it has not been easy the past 4 months. He is currently having repeated hepatic encephalopathy episodes
in British Liver Trust

Having ascites, showing bad reaction to Spironolactone, and Furosemide. What to do now? Need your advice

Last November I've been told that I have some (not much) ascites and was prescribed Spironolactone 100mg one a day, I took the tablet, about 4 or 5 days later, my hands became dark or purple and swelled, my palms became red and still after 4 months they are the same ( before using this tablets I never
in British Liver Trust
Want to take advantage of all our features? Just log in!
or

My Dad is in hospital due to severe confusion , and a twitch in both hands.. apparently a build up of ammonia. Has anyone been through this?

NAFLD/Cirrhosis.
in British Liver Trust

BBC News Story, 'My mum was an alcoholic and it was a massive secret'

While I fully understand that this site isn’t an alcohol forum, alcohol has had an impact upon so many peoples lives, and this site is about support and hopefully raising awareness with others. So please forgive me as this post isn’t directly liver-related. What is often forgotten is the impact alcohol-abuse
in British Liver Trust

Newly diagnosed with NAFLD

Hi everyone Finally after months of trying to work out what was making me so tired and lots of upper abdo pain I have been diagnosed with NAFLD. I had a scan of my gallbladder which found an enlarged liver with fatty diffuse. Have had numerous blood tests and the results came back (non alcoholic fatty
in British Liver Trust

First Post: Fluctuating LFT's , specifically GGT

First of all , thank you all for the information you have been providing on here. I've been lurking around for about a year and find it very helpful. My history before my question: I'm a 46 years old, male. 5'6" and weigh 166 lbs and am very athletic. I'm dealing with chronic back pain from breaking
in British Liver Trust

Red vomit - Esophageal Varices?

I'm gonna keep this as brief as possible. So, at the moment I have a lot of concerns about liver disease/cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse. I haven't drunk anything in 10 days, but decided to have a couple of light beers last night. It made me feel really bloated and gassy, so I made myself sick. The
in British Liver Trust

Private fibroscan in East midlands

Hello my first post here. I have been diagnosed with fatty liver by ultrasound and have symptoms that could be related but my GP doesn't want to look into it as my liver function test is almost normal. I was wondering if there are any private fibroscan services in Lincolnshire or nearby?
in British Liver Trust

Fatty liver - what symptoms did/do you have which you attribute to your AFLD or NAFLD?

Fatty liver - what symptoms did/do you have which you attribute to your AFLD or NAFLD? eg pain, itching, nails, eyes, skin etc etc.
in British Liver Trust

Itching and Advanced Liver Disease/Anyone without advanced liver disease?

I keep reading itching is one of the signs of advanced liver disease, how is that possible when people with just a fatty liver with mild fibrosis have itching and some without fibrosis have itching. Anyone with itching without advanced liver disease?
in British Liver Trust

Try and remain calm and positive

I work in the field of mental health and have a lot of client and personal experience in anxiety especially. A mentor once said to me ask this question when you are worrying. ' Is it of any use?' The answer of course is always 'No'. Worrying about something does not change it, and yes I do realise we
in British Liver Trust

Scaring myself silly and pretty ashamed too.

I’ve been lurking on here not posting for a long time. I have a really toxic relationship with alcohol and while I found I have always managed to get it under control, this year has seen my drinking spiral. Over the past nearly 9 months I’ve drank around 2 bottles of wine a day, sometimes less, sometimes
in British Liver Trust

Liver

I've got Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Plus a large 1.8cm gallstone. What are people's advice. For doing the best to help myself and get help x
in British Liver Trust

High ALT and GGT postpartum. Potential haemangioma

I am ten weeks postpartum. I was diagnosed with cholestasis in the last few weeks of pregnancy but my bile acids never exceeded 20. About four weeks postpartum I had some liver tests. My alt was 52. I had these repeated again and my alt is now 117 and ggt is 74. I had a liver scan at two weeks postpartum
in British Liver Trust

High GGT

Hi everyone I had bloods done a few days ago and just had a call from the GP he said my GGT levels were the highest hes ever seen @1335. I have really been abusing alcohol for the past 7 months while being off work. My last binge was about 3/4 days before the test. My ALT also was 114. Vit B also high
in British Liver Trust

Fatty liver Or ALD Alt 66 Ast 35

I'm not sure what stage of fatty liver I am at. Have done so much research and studied health science. But the only was I will get answers is a fibroscan. The GP that said I could have it left the surgery I was registered to. The new GP are not facied as its so common:WRONG! I BELIEVE TO TREAT HUMANS
in British Liver Trust

Raised GGT/ALT. Completely lost.

Hello all. I literally found this forum minutes after speaking with my GP. I am 37, 6'1, 15 stone. Don't drink alcohol over the weekly suggested amount, and don't smoke. I was told today that my GGT levels are at 100, and that my ALT is 66. Doctor didn't explain clearly what this meant or
in British Liver Trust

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms - itchy all over

Hi, I had a burning pain in my liver but it is easing off now after I have stopped drinking alcohol -, 31 days alcohol fee. I've started feeling itchy all over now however. My bloods came back satisfactory... Ggt slightly raised but gp said nothing to worry about and I have a fatty liver but thinks it
in British Liver Trust

Help and advice

Hi. I am new to here but need some advice please My best friend has been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. This is due to being obese all her life(not a drinker) she is so poorly and has fluid on her lungs, stomach and side she cant walk anywhere and is bed bound really apart from going to the
in British Liver Trust
Filter results
Posted in
Sort by