Online Alcoholism & Addiction Counselling

Everyone seems to drink alcohol in our culture. Many seem to drink to excess on occasion. But how much drinking is too much?

Many of our clients say – why can’t I be like other people? They seem to be able to drink without getting drunk all the time.

Regular drinking is not necessarily a problem – in Mediterranean cultures families will usually have wine with dinner on most days. But they just have a glass or two. Few people in those countries see any problem with drinking like that.

The truth is, it varies from person to person – there’s no absolute level of alcohol consumption at which you have a problem.

Most people know if they’re drinking too much

… even before other people tell them. Basically if the negative consequences are more than the positive ones. But there are many signs to look out for -

• if you’re looking forward to a drink more than the other things in your life,
• if you’re often feeling depressed or guilty – like you need to hide how much you’re drinking from others, or even having a ‘secret’ drink when you can get away with it,
• if you’ve ever noticed a pile of your empties and thought ‘wow, that’s getting big’,
• if the following day, you can’t concentrate on what you need to, because you ‘just can’t face it today’ – (you’re too hungover),
• if you’re finding it difficult to look people in the eye, because you think they might be judging you,
• if you’re buying a bottle during the day, do you buy lots of groceries with it to hide the fact that you’re buying alcohol before lunchtime?
• but one of the surest signs is this – if you’re hungover, and you start thinking ‘just one drink will take this hangover away’, then you’ve definitely got a problem.

What signs have you noticed that you’re drinking too much?

Many people looking for help on this site do not consider themselves to be alcoholics. They are not drinking all day, every day. But they are regularly binge drinking alcohol to excess, such that they are damaging their health, their relationships and their self esteem.

It is easier to convince yourself that you haven’t got an alcohol problem if you can regularly have days where you don’t drink at all. You think you’ve got control of your drinking again, so you’re not so concerned any more.

Then it happens again – you binge, and wake up feeling awful. Maybe you carry on drinking heavily for a couple of days to deal with how guilty you feel about it all. But this type of binge drinking can have serious negative consequences which you need to do something about.

Are you an alcoholic or a binge drinker?

Take our test of alcoholism signs and symptoms.

Most people who are drinking too much, in whatever way, will occasionally ask themselves the question – am I an alcoholic?

It’s a scary question to ask yourself, but as with most things the answer will not be a black or white,

“yes you’re an alcoholic” or
“no you’re not”,

but a shade of grey somewhere in between.

What sort of alcoholic are you?

Binge Drinker

• Irregular over-drinking,
• Monster hangovers,
• Doing embarrassing things you regret,
• Alienating your friends,
• Accidents,
• Days off work,
• Mood swings…

If this sounds like you, then get some help here.

Heavy Drinker

• Very difficult to have a day without alcohol,
• Can’t sleep without drink,
• Drinking alone,
• Guilt,
• Cravings,
• Can’t concentrate,
• Low energy,
• Depression…

Or if this sounds more like you, then contact us here.

Dependent Drinker

• Physical withdrawal,
• Drinking from early in the day, every day,
• Isolation,
• Poor health,
• Unstable work,
• Relationships failing,
• Feeling hopeless & ashamed…

If however, this is who you are, then to start with you’re going to need some medical help to detox your liver – go and see your Doctor, then get in touch with us.

You might be wondering, more simply, how can I stop drinking alcohol? But of course it’s never as simple as that. You’ll need plenty of support, and some clear goals, plus some in-depth understanding of how your own particular addiction works. That’s what online counselling will do for you. Try one session at least, and you’ll see how it can help.

If you do nothing about your problems, then nothing will change.

A report released recently by the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University and the North West Public Health Observatory stated that the North of England particularly, is in the grip of dangerous levels of binge drinking.

18% of adults in England overall reported binge drinking (defined by them as more than double the recommended daily limit) more than once a week. Certain areas reported even higher levels – up to 27% in some major northern cities. This is not just a problem with young men – women are binge drinking far more than they used to.

The shadow home secretary, David Davis said:

“This alarming research shows why it was wrong of the government to unleash 24-hour drinking on all our towns and cities without a proper assessment of the consequences.”

This is a problem which seems to be getting worse. Realistically, what can be done about it? As we’ve said before, it is not just the responsibility of the government to advise against drinking, or of the health service to ‘mop-up’ the mess afterwards.

Some people point the finger at the alcohol industry which produces such cheap drinks now. But many countries in Europe have much cheaper alcohol than England, so why are we such a nation of drunkards?