Alcohol
Risks of excessive alcohol consumption
Cancer
Stroke
Heart disease
Liver disease
Brain damage
Damage to nervous system
Reducing alcohol reduces the risk of
Heart/liver disease
Developing diabetes
Stroke
Reasons why people drink
Socialise
Past experiences
Stress
Environment
Accessibility
To rebel
Peer pressure
Afraid of being isolated from a group
Alcohol is very easy to get hold of
Defying rules, especially teenagers
Seeing somebody drinking alcohol causes a craving to some, especially if it is cheap
Alcohol is served at most social events
Relieves temporarily the negative emotion, especially anxiety
Positive experiences with alcohol such as temporarily reducing anxiety makes it more likely that someone will return to alcohol use
Help to stop
Being honest, go to your GP and admit excess alcohol abuse
Local community alcohol services
Counselling
Speak up to friends and family
Medication
Intensive rehabilitation
Benefits of reducing the amount of alcohol consumption
Feeling better in yourself
Taking more interest in your appearance
More control of emotions
Improvement of Mental Health
Take control over your weight
Sleep better
Many benefits to your health such as reduced risk of getting certain types of cancers
More time to focus on the things that matter
Effects alcohol has on the body
Shrinking brain
Behaviour changes
Blackouts
Hallucinations
Speech
Thinning of the bones
Muscle Cramps
Birth defects
Sexual dysfunction
Numbness
Possible damage to Central Nervous System
Men are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction when having excess amounts of alcohol
A pregnant woman could cause serious harm to her baby if drinking in excess while pregnant
Excess drinking can cause muscle cramps, weakness and eventually death of the muscle
Slurred speech is common in excess abuse of alcohol
Can leave you without the mental clarity to make decisions
Long term excess drinking can cause shrinking of the frontal lobes in the brain
Alcohol affects the ability of the brain to retain memories
This usually happens when withdrawal of alcohol is occurring