Alcohol and other drugs are powerful substances with a potential to harm users or to tempt them into over-indulgence. The question is knowing one's limit and what may be ok usage and when Alcohol or Drug Usage may become too much.

The NHS recommends that you should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units per day (women) or 3-4 units per day (men). If you exceed these levels then you are likely to cause health issues.

Specialist Binge Drinking Therapy Service

TalkTherapyLondon has significant experience working in the Alcohol & Drug Counselling field. With years of experience working in different methods with different organisations, we have developed a specialist approach to tackle Binge Drinking. Contact us for more information.

Impact of Alcohol

Psychological consequences.

Are you using drink or drugs to escape from a problem which you might be able to solve if you faced it? If so, you may be perpetuating your shyness, anxiety, depression, unhappiness etc. rather than dealing with it for once and all.

Drink and drugs don't permanently change our world. They allow us to feel a temporary confidence or happiness, but the effect is usually one of borrowed time. Often the unhappiness or anxiety returns even more strongly once the effects wear off. Drink and drugs can cause psychological problems by themselves. Alcohol can commonly cause depression; drugs can also cause depression, or can trigger anxiety or even psychosis (loss of reality).

Social consequences

Drink and drugs are often seriously expensive, so uncontrolled use can lead to financial problems. You can quite easily end up in trouble with the law. Although drinking alcohol is legal, it can lead to assault and driving when drunk which are not. Similarly, although the law may turn a blind eye to personal use of certain drugs, this attitude is not consistent. Sentences for any supplying can be heavy and unpredictable. Any conviction for drink or drugs offences may severely limit the opportunities open to you in the future.

Pronounced use of drink or drugs tends to rigidly define social groups, so it may limit your circle of friends. Continual or large scale use of alcohol has a bad effect on most people's sex-life.

Physical Consequences

Drink definitely lowers people's ability to resist harming themselves when they have problems. Drink can lower people's inhibitions against hurting others.
Drink greatly lessens people's ability to say no to unwanted sexual encounters which they would have definitely avoided had they been sober. Many serious accidents are drink and drug related. There are long-term health risks.

All these things will not happen to everybody. You may be lucky and avoid any serious mishaps. However, all these consequences are seen routinely enough by anyone involved in welfare work to suggest they are not exaggerated or unusual.

Taking Control - See Counsellor Resources for some web links

If you want to take more control of your use of drink or drugs the following suggestions may help.

Make a list of the advantages and drawbacks of your alcohol and drug use which are personally significant to you.

Keep a drink diary of your consumption over a week.

Talk to someone whom you trust about your use. See if they feel you have cause for concern.

Consider what you are using. Can you substitute a less potent alternative?

Consider the social pressures to consume. Can you limit your exposure to these - e.g. stop buying in rounds, meeting in pubs, partying late etc.?

Consider what emotions trigger consumption. Are you using drink and drugs to help deal with certain feelings - frustration, anxiety, shyness, boredom etc. Can you find alternative means of dealing with these feelings?

Try a month of abstinence.

TalkTherapyLondon can help in supporting you with a Drug or Alcohol problem and has therapists with relevant experience in major national Alcohol and Drug Charities.