Drink
At Crawley Wellbeing we believe in a healthy balance where enjoying a glass of wine or lager is not a crime. If however you think you may be exceeding 'safe' limits we would like to help you reduce your alcohol intake to one that will not harm you.
Why not start out by taking some easy self-assessment tests to find out more? Click on the button below:
How does alcohol affect you?
There is a lot said about the dangers of drinks being spiked with drugs. However, the reality is that alcohol alone is far more likely to put you at risk, whether you are male or female. Evidence shows that people who have been drinking are more at risk of being the victim (and perpetrator) of attacks, robberies, muggings and sexual assaults
Health
Our livers breaks down alcohol and burn it as fuel. But alcohol exhausts the liver's ability to do this and too much too often can damage it permanently. Given a chance, the liver can repair a lot of damage. This is why it's important to drink sensibly and have non-drinking days as well as not drinking too much at any one time.
Other risks associated with drinking excess alcohol:
- Heart disease
- Mental health & memory problems
- Stroke
- Changes to physical appearance
- Weight gain & therefore diabetes
- Sexual health problems
- 'Man' breasts
- Pancreatitis
Drinking too much alcohol in a short period of time can cause alcohol poisoning. What does this mean?
Alcohol is basically a solvent, so it travels through all membranes and has affects on almost everything. It has a global affect on the brain. It affects balance and coordination. It affects speech, so it affects how you talk. People can be just conscious enough to do things but can't remember them, and that is called blacking out. Someone with alcohol poisoning can eventually stop breathing. If a person has a lower respiratory rate, that is a sign of poisoning. If they are in really bad shape, and they are vomiting, they run the risk of aspirating the vomit and dying from that. And alcohol can affect one of the most primitive parts of the brain so that the brain forgets to breathe.
What kind of alcohol do you drink?
It doesn't matter whether you take it in cocktails, beer, wine, cider or lager, it's the alcohol that counts. Alcohol affects all kinds of cells in the body, causing changes in some and stopping others from working properly. As with most 'poisons', the more you take, the worse the effects are.
There are several organisations offering free help and advice, some local and some national. If you are wanting to take the first step but are unsure where to go to first, please either pick up the phone or complete the online enquiry form - we are here to help you.
- contact crawley wellbeing - online enquiry form
| Contacts | Telephone | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Crawley Addaction - Addaction is the UK's biggest drug & alcohol treatment charity and their services are both confidential and free. | Tel: 01293 657015 | www.addaction.org.uk |
| AlAnonConfidential - helpline and local self help support groups for individuals affected by someone else's drinking. | Tel: 020 7403 0888 | www.al-anonuk.org.uk |
| Alcoholics Anonymous - a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. | Tel: 0845 76 97 555 | www.aa-uk.org.uk |
| Drinkline - free national alcohol helpline | Tel: 0800 9178282 | |
| Alcohol Concern - the national agency on alcohol misuse. Provides information and encourages debate on the wide range of public policy issues affected by alcohol; including public health, housing, children and families, crime and licensing. Support specialist and non-specialist service providers helping to tackle alcohol problems at a local level, whilst also working to influence national alcohol policy. | Tel: 020 7928 7377 | www.alcoholconcern.org |