When does drinking alcohol become a problem? When you begin waking up with a bit of a headache each Saturday morning? When you begin waking up with a headache every morning? Perhaps it's when you start drinking every morning simply to get out of bed? Or perhaps it's when you once again find yourself waking up in the A&E department with no knowledge of how you ended up there, what day it is, or even what you have been up to for the last couple of week? You don't have to have reached the final example to have a problem with alcohol.
The safe limits for the consumption of alcohol are surprisingly low and many people will frequently exceed these without considering the damage they are doing to their health.
What are some possible solutions? An ideal place to start is by actually keeping a note of the number of units of alcohol that you consume.
If you find yourself to be regularly exceeding the safe limits perhaps it's time that you considered slowing down a little.
An easy way to reduce your unit count is to begin substituting alcoholic drinks with fruit juice or tea.
On an evening out many people often enjoy themselves far more if they alternate between alcoholic and soft drinks.
If you are having an enjoyable night out with your friends, perhaps it is their company and the atmosphere that you are enjoying rather than the alcohol itself.
If you struggle to alternate your drinks, and find you are still drinking too much, perhaps your next step maybe to stop consuming alcohol all together.
Before you consider going 'cold turkey,' especially if you have been drinking heavily for a prolonged period of time, you must visit your doctor or healthcare provider who will be able to advise you on if this is the best course of action.
They can assess your physical and mental health to ensure that you will not suffer from any of the side effects that can accompany the sudden cessation of alcohol.
Alcohol withdrawal can be extremely serious and in certain cases can lead to death.
If your doctor decides that you may suffer from withdrawal symptoms often they will prescribe you with a short course of Benzodiazepines such as Valium or Librium.
These medicines allow you to stop drinking safely and reduce the chances of you have a seizure or heart attack.
Once you have stopped drinking the challenge of not returning to alcohol begins.
Your doctor once again maybe able to help you as there are currently numerous medications including Campral, Antabuse and Baclofen which have been designed to assist you in remaining sober.
Finally the internet is a great resource with many websites and user groups dedicated to helping those battling with alcoholism.
There are many sites online which contain the stories of people whom have fought and overcome their own fight against drink.
These can provide a great source of inspiration for those wishing to do the same.