Alcohol

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Dr. James Lambert Wellbeing Guide to Alcohol

Hi I'm James.

I'm a doctor working with people with drinking problems.

As doctors we ask people a certain set of questions when we're worried about their alcohol consumption. Which is:

• do you feel you need to cut down,
• do you ever feel angry about how much you're drinking,
• do you ever feel guilty about how much you're drinking
• and do you ever need an eye opener in the morning? That is getting up and having some kind of chaser or something like that, when you wake up.

If you say yes to any one of those things as a doctor we would say you probably have an alcohol issue.

If you answer yes to any one of those questions you're first port of call should be a family doctor who'll be able to help you. Other than that you can help yourself by reducing the amount you drink.

You can always try and drink at the rate of the slowest member of your group rather than the fastest person in your group, which'll mean you'll drink less over the course of the night. You can also substitute a non-alcoholic drink for an alcoholic drink every other drink, such as a glass of water among your pints of beer. You can try cutting the shots out at the end of the night, or the shots between pints.

Keeping a diary of what you drink could also help, could shock you possibly into drinking a little bit less. It is difficult to try and sustain a new habit and that's what you need to do, you need to try and make it a new way of life. You could try putting the money aside that you would have spent on alcohol and reward yourself with a treat. So you could always tell your friends about your new drinking habits and get them to support you.

If you want more information about the issues discussed here go to www.bbc.co.uk/headroom.