Impact Of Lifestyle Factors: Alcohol

Drug that affects every organ in your body CNS depressant that’s readily absorbed from stomach & small intestine into bloodstream

AKA Excessive alcohol consumption Drinking heavily in short space of time to get drunk/feel effects of alcohol Consuming large quantities of alcohol in single session

Men shouldn’t regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day Women shouldn’t regularly drink more 2-3 of alcohol per day If you’ve had heavy drinking session, avoid alcohol for 48 hours ‘Regularly’ - drinking these amounts every day/most days of week It’s advised to spread alcohol intake throughout week to avoid binges & include 2-3 alcohol free days per week

1 unit = 10ml/8g of pure alcohol, which is average amount adult can process in hour Idea of counting alcohol units first introduced in UK in 1987 to help people keep track of drinking Therefore, within hour, there should be little/no alcohol left in blood of adult, although will vary from person to person

Liver problems Reduced fertility High blood pressure Increased risk of various cancers Malnutrition Psychological health problems Heart attack

Stroke - Brian tissue dies as result of sudden & severe disruption of blood flow to brain Cirrhosis - chronic abuse of alcohol over long time can lead to cirrhosis of liver, which may result in liver failure & death Hypertension - relationship between alcohol use & blood pressure important as hypertension is key factor in risk of CHD & stroke. Hypertension = systolic blood pressure above 140mm Hg & diastolic above 90mm Hg Depression - alcohol dependence may occur together & depression commonly reported in those being treated for alcohol dependence

Damaging relationships with family, friends, work colleagues Being involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour, e.g. fights, domestic violence, vandalism & theft Becoming involved in accident, e.g. road accident, accident at work or accidental fire Loss of job, e.g. repeated absence or poor performance, major financial consequences Becoming victim of crime, e.g. rape, domestic violence, mugging or assault

Alcohol consumed in moderation thought to help reduce risk of HD Research study published in 1992 suggested low death rates from CHD could be due to relatively high consumption of wine in France. Similar pattern of diet & alcohol consumption has also been found in other south European countries where HD rates lower compared to rest of world These observations prompted long series of research studies analysing relationship between wine & CHD Red wine, in particular, also contains flavonoids that act as antioxidants, which help to reduce build up of atherosclerosis (fat building up in inner walls of arteries) Red wine helps maintain flexibility of blood vessel walls

People who abstain from alcohol more likely to be depressed, according to Norwegian study from 2009 This, however, could be from social & personality factors, rather than anything to do with alcohol