Drugs & Alcohol Abuse

Drugs

Many patients are using hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin. If you would like help with this problem come and talk to the medical team and we can refer you for expert guidance.

For more information please visit the following websites:

 

How can I tell if my drinking is becoming a problem?

Take this simple online test

If you feel that you do have a problem with alcohol come and have a chat to us and we can try to get you the help you need. Alternatively you can contact the following local and national resources.

 

How can Alcohol damage your health?

Drinking too much on a regular basis can damage your health (and other people's health) in various ways. It can cause the following problems:

  • high blood pressure ( can cause strokes and heart attacks)
  • liver damage and cirrhosis of the liver (potentially fatal)
  • cancer of the mouth and throat
  • brain and nerve damage
  • poor sleep
  • depression
  • problems with work, relationships and the law
  • accidents
 

How much is a unit of alcohol?

More and more drinks are being labelled with the number of units they contain.These are some examples of the number of units in different drinks.

A glass of wine at 11% to 12% contains 1.5 to 2 units
A bottle of wine at 11% to 12% contains 8 to 9 units
A pub measure of sherry, port, madeira or vermouth contains 1 unit

A half pint of ordinary strength beer (3.5%) contains 1 unit
A 440 ml can of 4%-5% beer contains 2 units
A 440 ml can of 8%-9% beer contains 4-4.5 units

A 25ml pub measure of spirits contains 1 unit and a bottle of spirits about 30 units
A 200ml Alco pop bottle at 13.5% contains 2.7 units
Use our alcohol calculator to find out how many units of alcohol you drink.

 

Who is at special risk from drinking?

Pregnant women may harm their unborn baby in various ways, such as affecting the baby's growth and development. See "choosing your parents" on this site for more information. It is safer to drink no more than one to two units a week and to avoid getting drunk.

Some medications don't mix well with alcohol. Check the information leaflet with the medication or ask our dispenser.

Some people find it particularly difficult to control their drinking and it is better if these people don't drink any alcohol at all.

For more information visit the following websites:

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