If you’re anything like me you’re probably confused about alcohol. You read so much about its health benefits and its dangers, often in the same newspaper on the same day. I’m a big fan of whiskey, and red wine, and like my Spanish family, enjoy letting my hair down.
But what happens when it becomes too much?
We’ve all had a hangover. Hangovers happen after the overconsumption of alcohol, making us dehydrated and resulting in headaches, dizziness or even nausea. Avoiding hangovers requires drinking in moderation and being more conscious of our tolerance to alcohol.
More detrimental and long-term effects of alcohol include increased blood pressure, organ damage and several types of cancer; as well as social implications such as violence or financial problems. Avoiding these long-term effects requires a conscious relationship with alcohol, its effects and the options available to us to help cut down on alcohol consumption and live a healthier lifestyle.
A healthy relationship with alcohol is the ability to enjoy a safe number of drinks without feeling dependent. The recommended alcohol limit for both men and women is 14 units per week, which equates to just over one and a half bottles of wine
or six pints of lager. This recommended consumption easily allows for the occasional social, after work or evening meal drink. Such a recommendation encourages that if we do drink, we should drink in moderation, understanding our limits and reducing physical and mental health risks that arise as a result of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
Simply being conscious of how quickly we are drinking is an effect way to become more mindful of our alcohol consumption. Whilst alcohol has a reputation as being a social lubricant, consider enjoying your drink at a slower pace and ensuring you are fully present when you want a drink. Be engaged in conversations with friends, family or co-workers, and savor your drink in order to avoid over-consuming alcohol and risking damage to our physical and mental health. Reducing our consumption doesn’t have to be painful and appreciating the flavours of a drink or the company you are with is a small but effective way to make drinking something special to be enjoyed, encouraging your mindset to positively attribute alcohol with an occasion or as a treat to be shared.
Hypnotherapy can help you understand more about your relationship with alcohol by addressing the underlying needs and issues that might be causing you to drink too much. Hypnosis encourages the conscious mind to switch off – the part that always says yes to another round – and allows access to the deeper parts of your mind. It helps you get in control – rather than have alcohol control you.