Excessive Dringking
What actually happens if I drink more?

If you are drinking 4 or more units a day on average then the first problem is that alcohol can cause high blood pressure, and high blood pressure is the major cause of strokes, the risk is not particularly high but when you look at the population as a whole it makes quite a big impact. The major health problem with drinking too much is that it damages the liver.

Firstly a few myths about alcohol and the liver.

You do not need to be an alcoholic to get liver disease; only 1 in 5 patients with alcohol induced liver failure are alcohol dependent or alcoholic.

You do not need to drink spirits to get liver disease. Approximately 1/3 of our patients drink mainly spirits, 1/3 lager, cider or beer and 1/3 wine. Twenty or thirty years ago to get liver disease from drinking wine was pretty unusual in the UK, it was something that happened in France, Spain or Italy. However many of us drink wine regularly now, and liver disease from drinking wine regularly is increasing. The threshold for liver disease is around 4 bottles a week, above this the incidence of liver disease goes up rapidly. It is also only a matter of time before we see cirrhosis from alcopops.

Everyone who drinks more than 4 or 5 units each day is likely to get what is called fatty infiltration of the liver.

You don't have to be old to get health damage, as I write this we have a 29 year girl on the ward with alcoholic cirrhosis. Our youngest patient so far with severe alcohol induced liver disease was 22 - and he very nearly died. It is unusual however to get serious liver disease at this age, it's more common in your late 30's, 40's and 50's.