Alcohol Misuse

ISSUES WITH ALCOHOL

Text About It is a free, anonymous text support service for moments when you are struggling with alcohol and need support to get to a calmer place. Text HELLO to 50808 to start a conversation, any time - day or night.

If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999 immediately.

Alcohol dependence is another way of saying someone has an addiction to alcohol, also referred to as alcoholism. Some people may enjoy having a drink, but for others, they feel that they need to drink. If you have a dependence on alcohol, you’re no longer in full control of your drinking.

There can be varying degrees of alcohol dependence, and it doesn’t always mean drinking excessively. For some, dependence might show up as relying on alcohol to relax and unwind, using alcohol to sleep, binge drinking or not feeling able to socialise without drinking. Everyone’s relationship with alcohol is different and it’s important to consider what feels right for you and not compare your use with others.

There are a number of physical and psychological signs that you may be dependent on alcohol.

Physical Signs:

• Tolerance: if you need to drink more alcohol to have the same effect than you used to, this means you’ve built up a tolerance to alcohol. The more your tolerance goes up, the more alcohol you’ll need to drink to get the same effect.

• You have a physical craving for alcohol

• You experience withdrawal symptoms when you don't drink, such as shaky hands, sweating, feeling nervous or nauseous

• You can’t go to sleep unless you have a drink

Psychological Signs:

• You feel like you can’t relax without alcohol

• You can’t have fun unless you’re drinking

• You have a compulsive need to drink, and you can’t stop once you’ve started

• You use alcohol when you’re feeling nervous or anxious

• You drink when you’re feeling low

• You want to stop drinking, but you feel that you can’t

• You drink when you feel overwhelmed or you’re faced with negative thoughts

• You use alcohol as a way of coping

• You’re always planning your next drink, and all of your social events revolve around alcohol

If you are worried about your drinking it’s important to share this with someone. This could be with a partner, family member or friend. Having support around you can be a boost if you go on to get treatment. Talking to your GP is a good next step as they can recommend treatment or counselling services near you.

If you're not ready to speak to someone you know, there are support organisations who can help you. If you would like free, anonymous, anonymous support, you can text HELLO to 50808 to speak to a volunteer. We are available at any time, day or night.