Double your chances of avoiding a trip to A&E by Dr Chauhan

Dr Zahid Chauhan

I am not here to take the cheer out of your Christmas and New Year. But recent figures showing that the number of people admitted to hospital for alcohol-related problems has doubled in the last decade, has to be a warning to us all to examine how much drinking we do.

Last year, one million people were treated for one of the myriad of conditions related to alcohol consumption. And over half of those were for potentially fatal alcohol-related heart disease, while 17 per cent were for alcohol-related mental and behavioural disorders.

Just like the reasons we drink – to be sociable, because we enjoy the taste or as an emotional crutch – the medical problems alcohol causes are manifold.

There are the ones frequently talked about such as liver, weight and heart problems. And then there is the archetypal image of the down-at-heel alcoholic, with the shaking hands and probably homeless.

But there are many other hidden issues, too. My experience as a GP teaches me that alcohol dependence is often rooted in mental health problems, which desperately need addressing. Binge drinking can lead to the reckless behaviour which results in accidents, incidents of domestic abuse and even sexually related infections and unwanted pregnancies.

The recommendation from the UK's Chief Medical Officer is that men and women should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week if they want to stay healthy.

Take a look at the Drink Aware website to see what that looks like and I guarantee that it amounts to surprisingly few glasses of wine or beer:

• www.drinkaware.co.uk/alcohol-facts/alcoholic-drinks-units/alcohol-limits-unit-guidelines/

It also puts paid to that picture of the alcohol-dependent and reminds us that if we are drinking more than that amount regularly, then we need to think about the damage we are potentially doing.

A visit to the GP is the first port-of-call should you be worried about your drinking. Nipping conditions in the bud saves the NHS precious resources and limits the harm done to your body. There are a plethora of treatments and organisations who can help you reduce your alcohol intake and, as a national health campaigner, I would like to see stringent controls on alcohol advertising and an end to cheap booze.

I raise a toast to all of you this festive time but – like you should – do so in moderation. Happy, healthy holidays!   

Dr Zahid Chauhan is a national health campaigner striving to create good quality healthcare for all.