{"id":3351,"date":"2026-01-06T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/alcohol-101\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T15:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:02:24","slug":"alcohol-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/alcohol-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcohol 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n\/* The accent is a light-background device. 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18px 4px;padding:22px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}\n.eqp .al-careful .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:10px;background:#fff;color:#5c1d24;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}\n.eqp .al-careful .mk svg{width:22px;height:22px}\n.eqp .al-careful .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5c1d24;margin:2px 0 6px}\n.eqp .al-careful .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(16px,calc(11px + .75vw),19.5px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.eqp .al-careful .t b{font-weight:700}\n@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .al-careful{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .al-careful .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}\n\n\/* ---- shared figure furniture ---- *\/\n.ra-fig{margin:0;background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:22px;padding:clamp(20px,3.2vw,34px)}\n.ra-fig .hd{margin:0 0 18px}\n.ra-fig .ti{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:0 0 6px}\n.ra-fig .q{font-size:clamp(19px,2vw,22px);font-weight:600;line-height:1.35;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.ra-fig figcaption{font-size:16.5px;line-height:1.65;color:#6b6259;margin:22px 0 0;padding-top:16px;border-top:1px solid #e8dfcf}\n.ra-fig figcaption b{color:#2a2622;font-weight:600}\n.ra-seg{display:inline-flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:4px;padding:4px;background:#fbf6ec;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:14px}\n.ra-seg button{font:600 15px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border:0;border-radius:10px;padding:9px 15px;min-height:40px;cursor:pointer;background:none;color:#6b6259;transition:background .18s ease,color .18s ease}\n.ra-seg button:hover{color:#2a2622}\n.ra-seg button[aria-pressed=true]{background:#7d2a33;color:#fff}\n.ra-fig button:focus-visible,.ra-fig input:focus-visible,.ra-fig label:focus-within{outline:2px solid #36302b;outline-offset:2px}\n\n\/* ---- the questions (part nine) ---- *\/\n.ra-faq{display:grid;gap:12px;margin:0 0 30px}\n.ra-faq details{background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:18px;overflow:hidden;transition:border-color .2s ease,box-shadow .2s ease}\n.ra-faq details:hover{border-color:#dcd3c5}\n.ra-faq details[open]{border-color:#dcd3c5;box-shadow:0 10px 26px rgba(54,48,43,.08)}\n.ra-faq summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr) auto;align-items:center;gap:16px;\n  padding:18px 20px;font-size:clamp(18px,1.9vw,20px);font-weight:600;line-height:1.4;color:#2a2622}\n.ra-faq summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}\n.ra-faq summary:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #36302b;outline-offset:-4px;border-radius:18px}\n.ra-faq .qb{position:relative;display:block;width:46px;height:42px;transform-origin:30% 90%}\n.ra-faq .qb svg{position:absolute;inset:0;width:100%;height:100%;overflow:visible}\n.ra-faq .qb path{fill:#f7ecdf;stroke:#dcb7b4;stroke-width:1.6;transition:fill .25s ease,stroke .25s ease}\n.ra-faq .qb i{position:absolute;left:0;right:0;top:3px;text-align:center;font-style:normal;font-family:\"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;\n  font-size:23px;font-weight:800;line-height:1.3;color:#7d2a33;transform:rotate(-9deg)}\n.ra-faq .qb .x{display:none;color:#36302b;transform:rotate(6deg)}\n.ra-faq details[open] .qb path{fill:#f2ede4;stroke:#dcd3c5}\n.ra-faq details[open] .qb .q{display:none}\n.ra-faq details[open] .qb .x{display:block}\n.ra-faq summary:hover .qb{animation:raWig .55s ease}\n@keyframes raWig{0%,100%{transform:rotate(0)}30%{transform:rotate(-9deg)}65%{transform:rotate(6deg)}}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.ra-faq summary:hover .qb{animation:none}}\n.ra-faq summary .pl{width:30px;height:30px;border-radius:8px;border:1.5px solid #dcd3c5;color:#36302b;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;transition:transform .2s ease,background .2s ease}\n.ra-faq summary .pl svg{width:12px;height:12px}\n.ra-faq details[open] summary .pl{transform:rotate(45deg);background:#f2ede4}\n.ra-faq .an{background:#fbf6ec;border-top:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;padding:18px 24px 20px 74px}\n.ra-faq .an p{font-size:18.5px;line-height:1.66;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 12px}\n.ra-faq .an p:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n@media(max-width:560px){.ra-faq summary{gap:12px;padding:16px}.ra-faq .qb{width:38px;height:35px}.ra-faq .qb i{font-size:19px;top:2px}.ra-faq .an{padding:16px}.ra-faq .an p{font-size:17.5px}}\n.ra-faq .all{display:flex;justify-content:flex-end;margin:0 0 2px}\n.ra-faq .all button{font:600 14.5px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border:0;background:none;color:#36302b;cursor:pointer;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;padding:6px 4px}\n\n\/* ---- shared by the five figures ---- *\/\n.al-f .lab{font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:0 0 8px}\n.al-chips{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px;margin:0 0 20px}\n.al-chips button{font:600 15.5px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:12px;padding:8px 14px 9px;min-height:44px;cursor:pointer;background:#fff;color:#2a2622;text-align:left;display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:3px}\n.al-chips button .d{font-size:12.5px;font-weight:500;color:#6b6259;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.al-chips button[aria-pressed=true] .d{color:#fff;opacity:.88}\n.al-gl .hint{font-size:14.5px;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259;margin:-8px 0 20px}\n.al-gl .al-mob{display:none}\n.al-gl .al-sel{display:block;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;min-height:52px;font:600 16px\/1.3 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;color:#2a2622;background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #7d2a33;border-radius:12px;padding:12px 44px 12px 16px;margin:0 0 20px;cursor:pointer;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none;background-image:linear-gradient(45deg,transparent 50%,#7d2a33 50%),linear-gradient(135deg,#7d2a33 50%,transparent 50%);background-position:calc(100% - 22px) 50%,calc(100% - 16px) 50%;background-size:6px 6px,6px 6px;background-repeat:no-repeat}\n.al-gl .al-sel:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #7d2a33;outline-offset:2px}\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-gl .al-dsk{display:none}.al-gl .al-mob{display:block}.al-gl .al-sel{margin-bottom:12px}}\n.al-gl .al-szw{display:none}\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-gl .al-szw{display:block}}\n\/* figure 3: the Count-in chips become the same select at 640px and below *\/\n.al-gd .al-mob{display:none}\n.al-gd .al-sel{display:block;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;min-height:52px;font:600 16px\/1.3 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;color:#2a2622;background:#fff;border:1.5px solid #7d2a33;border-radius:12px;padding:12px 44px 12px 16px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none;background-image:linear-gradient(45deg,transparent 50%,#7d2a33 50%),linear-gradient(135deg,#7d2a33 50%,transparent 50%);background-position:calc(100% - 22px) 50%,calc(100% - 16px) 50%;background-size:6px 6px,6px 6px;background-repeat:no-repeat}\n.al-gd .al-sel:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #7d2a33;outline-offset:2px}\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-gd .al-dsk{display:none}.al-gd .al-mob{display:block}}\n.al-chips button:hover{border-color:#dcb7b4}\n.al-chips button[aria-pressed=true]{background:#7d2a33;border-color:#7d2a33;color:#fff}\n.al-f .src{font-size:14.5px;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259;margin:12px 0 0}\n\n\/* ---- figure 1: what's in your glass ---- *\/\n.al-gl .sl{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr));gap:18px 26px;margin:0 0 22px}\n.al-gl .sl label{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:baseline;gap:10px;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 6px}\n.al-gl .sl output{font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;color:#7d2a33;font-weight:700}\n.al-f input[type=range]{width:100%;accent-color:#7d2a33;min-height:32px;margin:0}\n.al-gl .res{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:baseline;gap:4px 14px;background:#f7ecdf;border-radius:14px;padding:16px 20px;margin:0 0 20px}\n.al-gl .res .g{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.4;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.al-gl .res .g b{font-family:\"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;font-size:40px;font-weight:700;color:#7d2a33;margin-right:6px;font-variant-numeric:lining-nums tabular-nums}\n.al-gl .res .fx{font-size:14.5px;color:#6b6259;margin:0;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.al-gl .rl{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:grid;gap:12px}\n.al-gl .rl li{display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,210px) minmax(0,1fr) auto;align-items:center;gap:6px 16px;margin:0}\n.al-gl .rl .nm{font-size:16px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.3;color:#2a2622}\n.al-gl .rl .nm span{display:block;font-size:13.5px;font-weight:500;color:#6b6259}\n.al-gl .rl .tr{position:relative;height:16px;border-radius:4px;background:#fbf6ec;border:1px solid #e8dfcf;overflow:hidden}\n.al-gl .rl .tr i{position:absolute;left:0;top:0;bottom:0;background:#e6cd8a;border-radius:3px;transition:width .25s ease}\n.al-gl .rl .v{font-size:17px;font-weight:700;color:#7d2a33;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;min-width:118px;text-align:right}\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-gl .sl{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}\n  .al-gl .rl li{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr) auto}.al-gl .rl .tr{grid-column:1\/3;grid-row:2}.al-gl .rl .v{min-width:0}}\n\n\/* ---- figure 2: one evening ---- *\/\n.al-ev .top{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;gap:10px 16px;margin:0 0 34px}\n.al-ev .plot{position:relative;height:210px;margin:0 0 6px;border-bottom:1.5px solid #e8dfcf}\n.al-ev .plot svg{position:absolute;inset:0;width:100%;height:100%;overflow:visible}\n.al-ev .plot .sleep{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;background:#f8f0dc;border-left:1px dashed #d2a83e;border-right:1px dashed #d2a83e}\n.al-ev .plot .sleep span{position:absolute;top:8px;left:10px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c}\n.al-ev .plot .ld{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;width:0;border-left:2px dotted #36302b}\n.al-ev .plot .ld span{position:absolute;bottom:6px;left:6px;white-space:nowrap;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;color:#241f1b}\n.al-ev .plot .mk{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;width:0;border-left:2px solid #2a2622}\n.al-ev .plot .mk i{position:absolute;left:-7px;width:12px;height:12px;border-radius:3px;background:#2a2622;transform:rotate(45deg)}\n.al-ev .yl{position:absolute;right:0;top:-22px;font-size:12.5px;color:#6b6259}\n.al-ev .ax{position:relative;height:22px;font-size:13.5px;color:#6b6259;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;margin:4px 0 14px}\n.al-ev .ax span{position:absolute;top:0;transform:translateX(-50%);white-space:nowrap}\n.al-ev .ax span.a0{transform:none}.al-ev .ax span.a1{transform:translateX(-100%)}\n.al-ev .rng label{display:block;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 4px}\n.al-ev .card{background:#fbf6ec;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:16px;padding:18px 20px;margin:16px 0 0}\n.al-ev .card .t{font-size:13px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:0 0 6px}\n.al-ev .card .h{font-size:20px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.3;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 6px}\n.al-ev .card .b{font-size:17px;line-height:1.6;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.al-ev .card .l{font-size:14.5px;color:#6b6259;margin:10px 0 0}\n@media(max-width:560px){.al-ev .plot{height:170px}.al-ev .ax span.mid{display:none}}\n.al-ev .evn{display:none}\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-ev .evn{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;gap:10px;margin:12px 0 0}\n  .al-ev .evn button{flex:1 1 0;font:600 15.5px\/1.2 \"Work Sans\",sans-serif;min-height:48px;padding:10px 12px;border:1.5px solid #7d2a33;border-radius:12px;background:#fff;color:#7d2a33;cursor:pointer}\n  .al-ev .evn button:disabled{opacity:.4;cursor:default}\n  .al-ev .evn .evc{flex:0 0 auto;font-size:14px;color:#6b6259;white-space:nowrap;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}}\n\n\/* ---- figure 3: where the advice draws the line ---- *\/\n.al-gd .ctl{display:grid;gap:14px;margin:0 0 20px}\n.al-gd .amt{font-size:17.5px;line-height:1.5;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.al-gd .amt b{font-family:\"Playfair Display\",Georgia,serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;color:#7d2a33;font-variant-numeric:lining-nums tabular-nums}\n.al-gd .rows{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:grid;gap:12px}\n.al-gd .rows li{display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,170px) minmax(0,1fr);gap:6px 18px;margin:0;padding:14px 16px;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:14px;background:#fff}\n.al-gd .rows .c{font-size:15.5px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.35;color:#36302b}\n.al-gd .rows .c span{display:block;font-size:13.5px;font-weight:500;color:#6b6259;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.al-gd .rows .r{font-size:16.5px;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.al-gd .rows .r:empty{display:none}\n.al-gd .scale{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr 2fr 3fr;gap:3px;margin:8px 0 4px;position:relative}\n.al-gd .scale i{display:block;height:12px;border-radius:3px}\n.al-gd .scale i:nth-child(1){background:#f7ecdf;border:1px solid #dcb7b4}\n.al-gd .scale i:nth-child(2){background:#dcb7b4}\n.al-gd .scale i:nth-child(3){background:#b86f75}\n.al-gd .scale i:nth-child(4){background:#5c1d24}\n.al-gd .scale b{position:absolute;top:-5px;width:4px;height:22px;background:#241f1b;border-radius:2px;transform:translateX(-2px);transition:left .25s ease}\n.al-gd .sk{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr 2fr 3fr;gap:3px;font-size:12.5px;color:#6b6259;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums}\n.al-gd .sum{display:none}\n.al-gd .sk .sh{display:none}\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-gd .rows li{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}\n  .al-gd .sum{display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5;font-weight:600;color:#241f1b;background:#f7ecdf;border-radius:12px;padding:10px 14px;margin:0}\n  .al-gd .sk .lg{display:none}.al-gd .sk .sh{display:inline}}\n\n\/* ---- figure 4: the first four days ---- *\/\n.al-wd .track{position:relative;height:auto;margin:6px 0 4px}\n.al-wd .bar{margin:0 0 12px}\n.al-wd .bar span{display:block;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.3;margin:0 0 5px;white-space:nowrap}\n.al-wd .bar .bt{position:relative;height:18px}\n.al-wd .bar i{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;border-radius:6px}\n.al-wd .b1 i{background:#f7ecdf;border:1.5px solid #dcb7b4}.al-wd .b1 span{color:#5c1d24}\n.al-wd .b2 i{background:#dcb7b4}.al-wd .b2 span{color:#5c1d24}\n.al-wd .b3 i{background:#7d2a33}.al-wd .b3 span{color:#7d2a33}\n.al-wd .b4 i{background:#36302b}.al-wd .b4 span{color:#241f1b}\n.al-wd .ax{position:relative;height:22px;font-size:13.5px;color:#6b6259;font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums;margin:2px 0 16px;border-top:1.5px solid #e8dfcf}\n.al-wd .ax span{position:absolute;top:4px;transform:translateX(-50%);white-space:nowrap}\n.al-wd .ax span.a0{transform:none}.al-wd .ax span.a1{transform:translateX(-100%)}\n.al-wd .st{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:grid;gap:10px}\n.al-wd .st li{margin:0;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:14px;padding:14px 16px;background:#fff}\n.al-wd .st .w{font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:0 0 4px}\n.al-wd .st .h{font-size:18.5px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.3;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 4px}\n.al-wd .st .b{font-size:16.5px;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.al-wd .st .d{font-size:16px;line-height:1.5;font-weight:600;color:#5c1d24;margin:6px 0 0}\n.al-wd.js .st li{display:none}.al-wd.js .st li.on{display:block}\n@media(max-width:560px){.al-wd .bar span{font-size:13px}.al-wd .ax span.mid{display:none}}\n@media(max-width:900px){.al-wd .ra-seg{display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}.al-wd .ra-seg button{text-align:center}}\n\/* phones: all four stage cards are shown at once and the tab strip is gone, so the seizure and emergency lines are never behind a tap *\/\n@media(max-width:640px){.al-wd .ra-seg{display:none}.al-wd.js .st li{display:block}}\n\n\/* ---- figure 5: three questions ---- *\/\n.al-au fieldset{border:0;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0;min-width:0}\n.al-au legend{font-size:1.125rem;font-weight:600;line-height:1.4;color:#2a2622;margin:0 0 10px;padding:0}\n.al-au legend span{display:inline-block;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:0 8px 0 0}\n.al-au .op{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px}\n.al-au .op label{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;min-height:42px;padding:8px 14px;border:1.5px solid #e8dfcf;border-radius:12px;cursor:pointer;background:#fff;font-size:16px;line-height:1.3;color:#2a2622}\n.al-au .op input{width:18px;height:18px;margin:0;accent-color:#7d2a33}\n.al-au .op label:has(input:checked){border-color:#7d2a33;background:#f7ecdf}\n.al-au .out{border-radius:16px;padding:18px 20px;background:#f2ede4;margin:4px 0 0}\n.al-au .out .m{font-size:1.125rem;font-weight:600;line-height:1.5;color:#2a2622;margin:0}\n.al-au .out .m2{font-size:17px;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:8px 0 0}\n.al-au .out .m2:empty{display:none}\n.al-au .out .nt{font-size:15.5px;line-height:1.55;color:#241f1b;margin:12px 0 0;padding:12px 0 0;border-top:1px solid #dcd3c5}\n\n\/* Tap targets: the gate floor is 44px below 900px wide, for any control. *\/\n@media(max-width:900px){.al-chips button,.ra-seg button,.al-au .op label{min-height:44px}.ra-faq .all button{min-height:44px}}\n\/* 44px hit areas: the slider box is 44px tall and pulled up 6px, so the track keeps its distance from its label *\/\n@media(max-width:900px){.al-f input[type=range]{min-height:44px;margin-top:-6px}.eqp .eq-toc a.ttl{padding-top:9px;padding-bottom:9px;margin-top:-9px;margin-bottom:-9px}}\n@media(max-width:520px){.ra-fig{padding:20px 14px;border-radius:16px;margin:0 -12px!important}}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.ra-fig *,.ra-faq *{transition:none!important}}\n@media print{.ra-seg,.ra-faq .all{display:none!important}.ra-faq details{display:block}}\n@media(max-width:480px){.eqp ol.wp-block-list{padding-left:18px}.eqp ol.wp-block-list li{overflow-wrap:anywhere}}\n<\/style><style>\n\/* ---- glossary popups ---- *\/\n\n\/* THE PAGE MUST NOT SCROLL SIDEWAYS BECAUSE OF A CARD NOBODY CAN SEE. A hidden\n   absolutely positioned box still extends the scrollable width, and a card\n   centred on a word near the right edge hangs off it until the script nudges it\n   back. The script does that on load, but \"on load\" is a moving target: web\n   fonts reflow the line after it, and the sleep article was still scrolling\n   41px sideways at 720px on some loads and not others.\n\n   overflow-x:clip settles it without depending on timing at all. Not hidden:\n   clip does not make this a scroll container, so anything sticky inside keeps\n   sticking and overflow-y stays visible. 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far=false;\nif(h>0){far=window.scrollY\/h>0.35;}\nb.classList.toggle(\"on\",far);\nvar off=false;\nif(phone()){\nif(typing){off=true;}\nelse if(tail()){off=true;}\nelse if(blocked(b)){off=true;}\n}\nb.classList.toggle(OFF,off);\n}\nfunction ask(){\nif(busy){return;}\nbusy=true;\nif(window.requestAnimationFrame){window.requestAnimationFrame(sync);}\nelse{window.setTimeout(sync,50);}\n}\nwindow.addEventListener(\"scroll\",ask,{passive:true});\nwindow.addEventListener(\"resize\",ask);\nwindow.addEventListener(\"orientationchange\",ask);\nwindow.addEventListener(\"load\",ask);\ndocument.addEventListener(\"focusin\",function(e){typing=field(e.target);ask();});\ndocument.addEventListener(\"focusout\",function(){typing=false;ask();});\nif(MQ){\nif(MQ.addEventListener){MQ.addEventListener(\"change\",ask);}\nelse if(MQ.addListener){MQ.addListener(ask);}\n}\nask();\n})();\/*>*\/<\/script><style>@media(max-width:620px){.eqp .wp-block-group.has-background{padding:26px 22px!important}}@media(max-width:420px){.eqp .wp-block-group.has-background{padding:22px 18px!important}}<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull eqp has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69fa9525 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding:0px 22px\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<div style=\"color:#6b6259;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-post-date has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><time datetime=\"2026-01-06T10:00:00+01:00\">6 sije\u010dnja, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"color:#6b6259;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"taxonomy-category has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-post-terms has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/body-and-mind\/\" rel=\"tag\">Body and Mind<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/too-afraid-to-ask\/\" rel=\"tag\">Everything You Were Too Afraid to Ask<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family ra-series wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6e5a0c;margin-top:24px;margin-bottom:0;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.2em;line-height:1.4\">Everything you were too afraid to ask<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-playfair-display-font-family\" id=\"top\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:8px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:clamp(26.944px, 1.684rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 2.165), 46px);font-style:normal;font-weight:800;line-height:1.12\">Alcohol 101<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family eq-subtitle wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.14em;line-height:1.4\">The drug we don&#8217;t call a drug<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.55\">Why a therapist would write about drinking without telling you to stop, what counts as one drink, what alcohol does over an evening and the morning after, what changed on the heart and cancer, how drinking tangles with anxiety and low mood, when it turns dangerous, how to tell it has become a problem, what actually helps, and the questions people usually only ask a search bar<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-credit\" style=\"--eq-credit-ac:#36302b\">Written by <a href=\"\/our-team-ivana\/\" rel=\"author\">Ivana<\/a>, psychologist and psychotherapist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);line-height:1.5\"><strong style=\"color:#36302b\">33 minute read<\/strong> &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 7,479 words<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- eq-post-top -->\n<div class=\"pt-on\" hidden data-src=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/alcohol-101-post-top-b.jpg\" data-w=\"400\" data-aspect=\"1.006\" data-side=\"right\" data-bleed=\"\"><\/div>\n<script>\n\/* Post tops: turns the post's masthead group into the cream band and adds the\n   drawing beside the words. 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It&#8217;s Sunday morning, your heart is racing for no reason you can name, and you&#8217;re scrolling back through your messages to check what you said. It&#8217;s a Tuesday, the day was hard, and the glass of wine at seven has slowly become part of how evenings work. Alcohol is the most ordinary drug there is, and that&#8217;s exactly why so little of what we know about it gets explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Not drinking is the lowest-risk choice<\/strong>, and plenty of people make it. Most adults who drink will keep drinking, though, and they have every right to know what it actually does. This article is the sibling of Drugs 101 on this site and works the same way: what the research says, where it&#8217;s still argued about, and what you can do with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Nobody is keeping score here!<\/strong> This is for you if you&#8217;re curious, worried about your own drinking or someone else&#8217;s, or still thinking about last weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a478845c wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f7ecdf;border-color:#dcb7b4;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:0;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.341), 17px);line-height:1.65\">If someone has been drinking and can&#8217;t be woken, is breathing slowly or strangely, or is having a seizure, call your local emergency number now. Then go to <a href=\"#part-6\" style=\"color:#5c1d24;font-weight:600;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">part six<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:26px;margin-bottom:0px\"><aside class=\"ra-anyway\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 20.5s-7.5-4.8-7.5-10.4A4.4 4.4 0 0 1 12 7.4a4.4 4.4 0 0 1 7.5 2.7c0 5.6-7.5 10.4-7.5 10.4z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"h\">This might not be your drink. Read it anyway.<\/p><p class=\"t\">Even if you hardly drink, part six is for the friend who went quiet at the end of the party: <a href=\"#part-6\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;font-weight:600;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">when drinking turns dangerous<\/a>. For the other drugs people mix with alcohol, the companion article is <a href=\"\/drugs-101\/\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;font-weight:600;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Drugs 101<\/a>.<\/p><\/aside><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-83938ec0 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f4efe6;border-color:#e2d9ca;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:0;padding:34px 38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#241f1b;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">THE SHORT MEASURE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A standard drink is a fixed amount of pure alcohol, but countries disagree on the size, so it\u2019s worth checking your glass as well as your count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Blood alcohol keeps rising after the last drink, so nobody who has passed out should be left to sleep it off.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Even two drinks disturb your sleep, no hangover cure has good evidence, and the anxiety the morning after is common and real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The idea that moderate drinking protects the heart has shrunk under closer study and is still argued about, while alcohol causes at least seven cancers, with the risk rising from low levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Drinking to cope works in the moment but tends to feed anxiety and low mood, and the low mood often eases within weeks of stopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you drink heavily every day, don\u2019t stop suddenly: talk to a doctor, because withdrawal can be dangerous and is much safer with help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Brief advice from a doctor, medicines such as naltrexone and acamprosate, mutual help and therapy all work, and about three in four people who were once dependent on alcohol no longer are.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4ccedd2e wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-color:#e8dfcf;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:22px;background-color:#fbf6ec;margin-top:56px;margin-bottom:20px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT THIS ARTICLE COVERS &middot; NINE PARTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\">\n<div class=\"eq-toc\"><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 1<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-1\">Why write about drinking<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">2 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>1 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#the-most-familiar-drug\">The most familiar drug<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-this-article-talks-about-drinking\">How this article talks about drinking<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 2<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-2\">What counts as one drink<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">3 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#a-glass-is-not-a-drink\">A glass is not a drink<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-to-count-your-own\">How to count your own<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#why-the-same-drink-hits-people-differently\">Why the same drink hits people differently<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 3<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-3\">One evening, and the morning after<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">6 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>4 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#the-first-drink-and-why-it-feels-so-good\">The first drink, and why it feels so good<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#as-the-evening-goes-on\">As the evening goes on<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-last-drink-isnt-the-peak\">The last drink isn&#8217;t the peak<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-it-does-to-your-sleep\">What it does to your sleep<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-hangover\">The hangover<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#hangxiety\">Hangxiety<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 4<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-4\">The heart, cancer and the changing advice<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">5 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>5 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#what-happened-to-the-glass-of-red\">What happened to the glass of red<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#whats-still-argued-about\">What&#8217;s still argued about<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#alcohol-and-cancer\">Alcohol and cancer<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#if-your-face-goes-red-when-you-drink\">If your face goes red when you drink<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#so-how-much-is-low-risk\">So how much is low risk?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 5<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-5\">Alcohol and your mood<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">5 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>3 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#why-it-feels-like-it-helps\">Why it feels like it helps<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#alcohol-and-low-mood\">Alcohol and low mood<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#drinking-to-cope\">Drinking to cope<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#when-the-morning-after-brings-shame\">When the morning after brings shame<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#when-it-gets-dark\">When it gets dark<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 6<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-6\">When drinking turns dangerous<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">5 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>5 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#mixing-alcohol-with-other-drugs\">Mixing alcohol with other drugs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#alcohol-and-everyday-medicines\">Alcohol and everyday medicines<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#alcohol-poisoning-what-it-looks-like\">Alcohol poisoning: what it looks like<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-to-do\">What to do<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#if-you-drink-heavily-every-day-dont-stop-suddenly\">If you drink heavily every day, don&#8217;t stop suddenly<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 7<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-7\">When drinking becomes a problem<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">5 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>4 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#it-isnt-about-the-number-alone\">It isn&#8217;t about the number alone<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tolerance-needing-more-to-feel-it\">Tolerance: needing more to feel it<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-signs-worth-noticing\">The signs worth noticing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#three-questions-doctors-ask\">Three questions doctors ask<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#cutting-down-what-actually-helps\">Cutting down: what actually helps<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 8<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-8\">What helps<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">6 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>4 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#one-conversation-can-make-a-difference\">One conversation can make a difference<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#medicines-that-help\">Medicines that help<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#mutual-help-aa-smart-and-others\">Mutual help: AA, SMART and others<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#talking-therapy-and-the-whole-picture\">Talking therapy, and the whole picture<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#recovery-is-common\">Recovery is common<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#where-to-find-help\">Where to find help<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><div class=\"flat\"><svg class=\"chev hide\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p hidden><\/p><span class=\"num\">PART 9<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-9\">Everything else you were too afraid to ask<\/a><span class=\"cnt\">2 min<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>1<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part one of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-1\">Why write about drinking<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">The most familiar drug, and how this article talks about it<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-most-familiar-drug\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The most familiar drug<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Most of us met alcohol long before we met the word drug. It&#8217;s at weddings and funerals, in the fridge and on the menu, and it&#8217;s so woven into ordinary life that asking questions about it can feel strange, as if you&#8217;re making a fuss about nothing. <strong class=\"eqb\">But alcohol is a drug.<\/strong> It changes how your brain works within minutes, it can be addictive, and it causes harm on a scale that&#8217;s easy to miss because it&#8217;s so familiar. Worldwide, it causes around 2.6 million deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That doesn&#8217;t mean everyone who drinks is in trouble. Most of the harm comes from heavy drinking, either a lot at once or a lot most days, and most heavy drinkers are not dependent: in one large US survey, about nine in ten people who drink more than is healthy don&#8217;t meet the criteria for dependence. What it does mean is that &#8220;it&#8217;s only a drink&#8221; deserves a second look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"how-this-article-talks-about-drinking\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">How this article talks about drinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This article takes a <em class=\"eqi\">harm reduction<\/em> approach, which means starting from where you actually are. If you don&#8217;t drink, you don&#8217;t need a reason. If you do, the question isn&#8217;t whether you&#8217;re good or bad. It&#8217;s how to keep the risks lower, and how to notice early if drinking starts taking more than it gives back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It also means being clear about uncertainty. Some of what you&#8217;ve heard, including the idea that a glass of red is good for your heart, has changed in the last few years, and part of it is still argued about. Where that&#8217;s the case, this article gives both sides. Whenever it gives a national number, it says whose it is. And the one piece of advice every country&#8217;s guidance shares is simple: <strong class=\"eqb\">less is better, wherever you start from<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part ev\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>2<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part two of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-2\">What counts as one drink<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Standard drinks, and why the answer depends on your country<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"a-glass-is-not-a-drink\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">A glass is not a drink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Say you had two glasses of wine last night. How much alcohol was that? It depends on the glass, on the wine and, more surprisingly, on which country&#8217;s rules you count by. A generous glass of strong wine can hold as much alcohol as two or even three small ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Health advice counts in <em class=\"eqi\">standard drinks<\/em>, a fixed amount of pure alcohol. <strong class=\"eqb\">The trouble is that countries don&#8217;t agree on the size<\/strong>. A UK unit is 8 grams of pure alcohol. The WHO&#8217;s screening questionnaire and Australia use 10 grams. Canada uses about 13.5 grams, the US uses 14, and Japan&#8217;s guidance counts in blocks of 20. So the same medium glass of wine can be a little over one standard drink in the US and more than two units in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The drinks you&#8217;re actually served are often bigger than any of these, too. A standard glass of wine is 150 milliliters by the US definition and just 100 by Australia&#8217;s, and a glass poured at home or in a bar can hold a lot more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"how-to-count-your-own\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">How to count your own<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You can work it out from the label. Multiply the volume in milliliters by the strength, the percentage marked <em class=\"eqi\">ABV<\/em>, then divide by 100 and multiply by 0.8. That gives you grams of pure alcohol. A 330 milliliter bottle of 5% beer, for example, holds about 13 grams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If that feels like homework, the figure below does it for you. Pick a drink, change the size and strength, and see how it counts in different countries. Two things are easy to underestimate: strong craft beers, and <strong class=\"eqb\">a large glass of wine, which can hold three UK units or more<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig al-f al-gl\" id=\"al-gl\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">What&#8217;s in your glass<\/p><p class=\"q\">One drink, counted five different ways<\/p><\/div><p class=\"lab al-dsk\">Pick a drink<\/p><div class=\"al-chips al-dsk\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Pick a drink\"><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"330\" data-abv=\"5\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A small bottle of lager or ale.\"><span class=\"n\">bottle of beer<\/span><span class=\"d\">330 ml, 5%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"355\" data-abv=\"5\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A standard can or bottle of lager or ale.\"><span class=\"n\">can of beer<\/span><span class=\"d\">355 ml, 5%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"500\" data-abv=\"5\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A half-liter of regular-strength beer, a common serve in many countries.\"><span class=\"n\">half-liter of beer<\/span><span class=\"d\">500 ml, 5%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"568\" data-abv=\"4\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A pint of regular-strength beer or lager, as poured in a UK pub.\"><span class=\"n\">UK pint<\/span><span class=\"d\">568 ml, 4%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"440\" data-abv=\"7.5\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A can of IPA or stout at the stronger end, common from craft breweries.\"><span class=\"n\">strong craft beer<\/span><span class=\"d\">440 ml, 7.5%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"355\" data-abv=\"5\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A can of spiked sparkling water. It holds the same alcohol as a regular beer.\"><span class=\"n\">hard seltzer<\/span><span class=\"d\">355 ml, 5%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"125\" data-abv=\"12.5\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"The small glass on a UK pub or restaurant menu.\"><span class=\"n\">small wine<\/span><span class=\"d\">125 ml, 12.5%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"175\" data-abv=\"13\" aria-pressed=\"true\" data-ex=\"A common glass size in pubs and restaurants.\"><span class=\"n\">medium wine<\/span><span class=\"d\">175 ml, 13%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"250\" data-abv=\"13\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"The big pub glass, a third of a bottle.\"><span class=\"n\">large wine<\/span><span class=\"d\">250 ml, 13%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"750\" data-abv=\"13\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A whole 750 ml bottle.\"><span class=\"n\">bottle of wine<\/span><span class=\"d\">750 ml, 13%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"25\" data-abv=\"40\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"One UK pub measure of gin, vodka, whisky or rum. Some pubs pour 35 ml.\"><span class=\"n\">UK single spirit<\/span><span class=\"d\">25 ml, 40%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"50\" data-abv=\"40\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"Two singles in one glass.\"><span class=\"n\">UK double spirit<\/span><span class=\"d\">50 ml, 40%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"44\" data-abv=\"40\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"One US shot (1.5 fluid ounces) of vodka, whisky, gin or tequila.\"><span class=\"n\">US shot<\/span><span class=\"d\">44 ml, 40%<\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" data-ml=\"30\" data-abv=\"58\" aria-pressed=\"false\" data-ex=\"A small pour of whisky bottled at full strength, often 55 to 60%.\"><span class=\"n\">cask-strength whisky<\/span><span class=\"d\">30 ml, 58%<\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"al-mob\"><label class=\"lab\" for=\"al-gl-sel\">Pick a drink<\/label><select class=\"al-sel\" id=\"al-gl-sel\"><option value=\"0\">bottle of beer (330 ml, 5%)<\/option><option value=\"1\">can of beer (355 ml, 5%)<\/option><option value=\"2\">half-liter of beer (500 ml, 5%)<\/option><option value=\"3\">UK pint (568 ml, 4%)<\/option><option value=\"4\">strong craft beer (440 ml, 7.5%)<\/option><option value=\"5\">hard seltzer (355 ml, 5%)<\/option><option value=\"6\">small wine (125 ml, 12.5%)<\/option><option value=\"7\" selected>medium wine (175 ml, 13%)<\/option><option value=\"8\">large wine (250 ml, 13%)<\/option><option value=\"9\">bottle of wine (750 ml, 13%)<\/option><option value=\"10\">UK single spirit (25 ml, 40%)<\/option><option value=\"11\">UK double spirit (50 ml, 40%)<\/option><option value=\"12\">US shot (44 ml, 40%)<\/option><option value=\"13\">cask-strength whisky (30 ml, 58%)<\/option><option value=\"c\" hidden>Your own drink (from the sliders)<\/option><\/select><\/div><p class=\"hint\" id=\"al-gl-ex\" aria-live=\"polite\">A common glass size in pubs and restaurants.<\/p><div class=\"al-szw\"><label class=\"lab\" for=\"al-gl-sz\">Common sizes<\/label><select class=\"al-sel\" id=\"al-gl-sz\"><option value=\"125\">125 ml<\/option><option value=\"175\" selected>175 ml<\/option><option value=\"250\">250 ml<\/option><option value=\"330\">330 ml<\/option><option value=\"500\">500 ml<\/option><option value=\"c\" hidden>Other size (use the slider)<\/option><\/select><\/div><div class=\"sl\"><div><label for=\"al-gl-ml\">Size <output id=\"al-gl-mlv\">175 ml<\/output><\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"al-gl-ml\" min=\"20\" max=\"1000\" step=\"5\" value=\"175\"><\/div><div><label for=\"al-gl-ab\">Strength <output id=\"al-gl-abv\">13%<\/output><\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"al-gl-ab\" min=\"0.5\" max=\"95\" step=\"0.5\" value=\"13\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"res\" aria-live=\"polite\"><p class=\"g\"><b id=\"al-gl-g\">17.9<\/b>grams of pure alcohol<\/p><p class=\"fx\" id=\"al-gl-fx\">175 ml \u00d7 13% \u00d7 0.789 = 17.9 g<\/p><\/div><ul class=\"rl\"><li class=\"uk\"><span class=\"nm\">UK<span>units of 8 g<\/span><\/span><span class=\"tr\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"width:37.4%\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"v\" data-g=\"8\" data-u=\"units\" data-u1=\"unit\">2.2 units<\/span><\/li><li class=\"who\"><span class=\"nm\">WHO screening, Australia<span>standard drinks of 10 g<\/span><\/span><span class=\"tr\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"width:29.9%\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"v\" data-g=\"10\" data-u=\"drinks\" data-u1=\"drink\">1.8 drinks<\/span><\/li><li class=\"ca\"><span class=\"nm\">Canada<span>standard drinks of 13.45 g<\/span><\/span><span class=\"tr\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"width:22.2%\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"v\" data-g=\"13.45\" data-u=\"drinks\" data-u1=\"drink\">1.3 drinks<\/span><\/li><li class=\"us\"><span class=\"nm\">US<span>standard drinks of 14 g<\/span><\/span><span class=\"tr\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"width:21.4%\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"v\" data-g=\"14\" data-u=\"drinks\" data-u1=\"drink\">1.3 drinks<\/span><\/li><li class=\"jp\"><span class=\"nm\">Japan<span>blocks of 20 g<\/span><\/span><span class=\"tr\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"width:15.0%\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"v\" data-g=\"20\" data-u=\"blocks\" data-u1=\"block\">0.9 blocks<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"src\">Standard drink sizes from each country&#8217;s own guidance: the UK NHS, the WHO AUDIT manual, the Australian Government, Canada&#8217;s CCSA and the US NIAAA. Japan&#8217;s drink of about 20 g is from the same manual&#8217;s list of countries.<\/p><figcaption><b>The same glass counts differently depending on whose ruler you use.<\/b> A 175 ml glass of 13% wine holds about 18 grams of alcohol: a little over one US standard drink, but more than two UK units. Health advice is always written in its own country&#8217;s drinks, so check which one it means.<\/figcaption><script>(function(){var f=document.getElementById(\"al-gl\");if(!f){return;}var ml=document.getElementById(\"al-gl-ml\"),ab=document.getElementById(\"al-gl-ab\");var SZ=document.getElementById(\"al-gl-sz\"),PZ=[125,175,250,330,500];var ex=document.getElementById(\"al-gl-ex\"),CU=\"Your own drink. The label gives the strength (ABV) and the size.\";var sel=document.getElementById(\"al-gl-sel\"),bs=f.querySelectorAll(\".al-chips button\"),vs=f.querySelectorAll(\".rl .v\"),bars=f.querySelectorAll(\".rl .tr i\");function r1(n){return (Math.round(n*10)\/10).toFixed(1);}function draw(){var m=+ml.value,a=+ab.value,g=m*a\/100*0.789;document.getElementById(\"al-gl-mlv\").textContent=m+\" ml\";document.getElementById(\"al-gl-abv\").textContent=a+\"%\";SZ.value=(PZ.indexOf(m)>=0)?String(m):\"c\";document.getElementById(\"al-gl-g\").textContent=r1(g);document.getElementById(\"al-gl-fx\").textContent=m+\" ml \u00d7 \"+a+\"% \u00d7 0.789 = \"+r1(g)+\" g\";for(var i=0;i<vs.length;i++){var v=g\/(+vs[i].getAttribute(\"data-g\"));var t=r1(v);vs[i].textContent=t+\" \"+(t===\"1.0\"?vs[i].getAttribute(\"data-u1\"):vs[i].getAttribute(\"data-u\"));bars[i].style.width=Math.min(100,v\/Math.max(6,g\/8)*100)+\"%\";}}function idx(b){for(var k=0;k<bs.length;k++){if(bs[k]===b){return k;}}return 0;}function unpress(){for(var j=0;j<bs.length;j++){bs[j].setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",\"false\");}}for(var i=0;i<bs.length;i++){bs[i].addEventListener(\"click\",function(){unpress();this.setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",\"true\");ex.textContent=this.getAttribute(\"data-ex\");sel.value=String(idx(this));ml.value=this.getAttribute(\"data-ml\");ab.value=this.getAttribute(\"data-abv\");draw();});}function cust(){unpress();sel.value=\"c\";ex.textContent=CU;draw();}sel.addEventListener(\"change\",function(){var b=bs[+sel.value];if(b){b.click();}});SZ.addEventListener(\"change\",function(){if(SZ.value!==\"c\"){ml.value=SZ.value;cust();}});ml.addEventListener(\"input\",cust);ab.addEventListener(\"input\",cust);draw();})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"why-the-same-drink-hits-people-differently\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Why the same drink hits people differently<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Two people can drink the same thing and end up in very different places. Alcohol spreads through the water in your body, and pound for pound, women tend to have less body water than men, so the same drink gives a woman a higher blood alcohol level on average. Body size matters for the same reason. Food slows down how fast alcohol reaches your blood, which is why an empty stomach hits so much harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Your liver clears alcohol at a fairly steady pace, roughly one small drink an hour for an average adult, although people differ a lot. That&#8217;s about 8 grams of pure alcohol, one UK unit: a single measure of spirits or about half a pint of regular beer. It&#8217;s slower than most drinks are poured. A 10-gram standard drink, the size used by Australia and many other countries, takes a little over an hour, and a US standard drink of 14 grams, a 355 ml can of regular beer, takes closer to two hours to clear. Nothing speeds it up, not coffee, not a cold shower, not a glass of water. <strong class=\"eqb\">Only time sobers you up!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-ff{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#fff;border:1.5px dashed #d2a83e;border-radius:18px;padding:20px 24px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-ff .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#f8f0dc;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-ff .mk svg{width:22px;height:22px}.eqp .eq-ff .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-ff .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(14px,calc(10.2px + .62vw),18px);line-height:1.6;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-ff{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px}.eqp .eq-ff .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-ff\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M12 3.5l1.9 5.1 5.1 1.9-5.1 1.9L12 17.5l-1.9-5.1-5.1-1.9 5.1-1.9zM18.5 15.5l.8 2 2 .8-2 .8-.8 2-.8-2-2-.8 2-.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Fun fact<\/p><p class=\"t\">A large 250 ml glass of 13% wine holds about 26 grams of alcohol: about 1.8 standard drinks in the US, 2.6 in Australia and 3.2 units in the UK. Same glass, same wine.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>3<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part three of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-3\">One evening, and the morning after<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What alcohol does in your brain and body, hour by hour<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-first-drink-and-why-it-feels-so-good\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The first drink, and why it feels so good<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The first drink often feels like the best one, and there&#8217;s a reason for that. As your blood alcohol rises, alcohol boosts the brain&#8217;s main calming signal and dampens its main excitatory one, while nudging the reward system that makes things feel good. In other words, many people feel warmer, chattier and less self-conscious. Researchers describe alcohol as having two sides: on the way up it tends to feel stimulating, and on the way down it tends to feel sedating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">People differ a lot here, and it matters. In one long-term study, heavy social drinkers who felt more of the lift and less of the sleepiness went on to <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-1\"><em class=\"eqi\">binge<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-1\"><b>binge<\/b>Drinking a lot in one session. Countries define it differently; the idea is a large amount in a short time rather than a little often.<\/span><\/span> more often over the following two years. <strong class=\"eqb\">Feeling the lift strongly and the sleepiness weakly is a warning sign, not a gift.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"as-the-evening-goes-on\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">As the evening goes on<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">With more drinks, the same brain changes start to cost you. Judgment and reaction time slip, then balance, speech and memory. Past a certain point the brain stops saving new memories altogether, even though you&#8217;re awake, walking and talking. <strong class=\"eqb\">That&#8217;s a <em class=\"eqi\">blackout<\/em>.<\/strong> It can be patchy, with fragments you can piece together later, or complete, with hours that are simply gone. Blackouts are more likely when blood alcohol rises fast, from drinking quickly or on an empty stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Waking up with gaps can be frightening, and the shame can feel worse than the headache. If that&#8217;s happened to you, it doesn&#8217;t make you a bad person. <strong class=\"eqb\">A blackout means you drank faster than your brain could keep up with.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-last-drink-isnt-the-peak\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The last drink isn&#8217;t the peak<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Alcohol keeps arriving after you stop. Alcohol that&#8217;s already in your stomach and gut carries on moving into your blood, so <strong class=\"eqb\">blood alcohol can keep rising after the last drink, even while someone sleeps or has passed out<\/strong>. That&#8217;s why &#8220;let them sleep it off&#8221; can be dangerous, and why part six explains what to do instead. The figure below follows one evening, from the first drink to the next afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig al-f al-ev\" id=\"al-ev\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">One evening, hour by hour<\/p><p class=\"q\">The shape of a night of drinking, not your numbers<\/p><\/div><div class=\"top\"><p class=\"lab\" style=\"margin:0\">Last drink at<\/p><div class=\"ra-seg\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Time of the last drink\"><button type=\"button\" data-l=\"4\" aria-pressed=\"true\">11 pm<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-l=\"6\" aria-pressed=\"false\">1 am<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"plot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"yl\">blood alcohol, shape only<\/span><div class=\"sleep\" id=\"al-ev-sl\" style=\"left:28.00%;width:34.50%\"><span>asleep<\/span><\/div><svg viewBox=\"0 0 1000 200\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\"><path id=\"al-ev-p\" d=\"M0.0 200.0L5.0 195.4L10.0 190.9L15.0 186.4L20.0 182.0L25.0 177.7L30.0 173.4L35.0 169.2L40.0 165.1L45.0 161.1L50.0 157.1L55.0 153.2L60.0 149.4L65.0 145.7L70.0 142.0L75.0 138.4L80.0 134.9L85.0 131.4L90.0 128.1L95.0 124.8L100.0 121.6L105.0 118.5L110.0 115.4L115.0 112.5L120.0 109.6L125.0 106.8L130.0 104.1L135.0 101.5L140.0 98.9L145.0 96.5L150.0 94.1L155.0 91.9L160.0 89.7L165.0 87.6L170.0 85.7L175.0 83.8L180.0 82.0L185.0 80.4L190.0 78.8L195.0 77.4L200.0 76.0L205.0 74.8L210.0 73.7L215.0 72.8L220.0 71.9L225.0 71.3L230.0 70.8L235.0 70.5L240.0 71.4L245.0 73.5L250.0 75.6L255.0 77.6L260.0 79.7L265.0 81.8L270.0 83.9L275.0 85.9L280.0 88.0L285.0 90.1L290.0 92.1L295.0 94.2L300.0 96.3L305.0 98.3L310.0 100.4L315.0 102.5L320.0 104.6L325.0 106.6L330.0 108.7L335.0 110.8L340.0 112.8L345.0 114.9L350.0 117.0L355.0 119.0L360.0 121.1L365.0 123.2L370.0 125.3L375.0 127.3L380.0 129.4L385.0 131.5L390.0 133.5L395.0 135.6L400.0 137.7L405.0 139.7L410.0 141.8L415.0 143.9L420.0 146.0L425.0 148.0L430.0 150.1L435.0 152.2L440.0 154.2L445.0 156.3L450.0 158.4L455.0 160.4L460.0 162.5L465.0 164.6L470.0 166.7L475.0 168.7L480.0 170.8L485.0 172.9L490.0 174.9L495.0 177.0L500.0 179.1L505.0 181.1L510.0 183.2L515.0 185.3L520.0 187.4L525.0 189.4L530.0 191.5L535.0 193.6L540.0 195.6L545.0 197.7L550.0 199.8L555.0 200.0L560.0 200.0L565.0 200.0L570.0 200.0L575.0 200.0L580.0 200.0L585.0 200.0L590.0 200.0L595.0 200.0L600.0 200.0L605.0 200.0L610.0 200.0L615.0 200.0L620.0 200.0L625.0 200.0L630.0 200.0L635.0 200.0L640.0 200.0L645.0 200.0L650.0 200.0L655.0 200.0L660.0 200.0L665.0 200.0L670.0 200.0L675.0 200.0L680.0 200.0L685.0 200.0L690.0 200.0L695.0 200.0L700.0 200.0L705.0 200.0L710.0 200.0L715.0 200.0L720.0 200.0L725.0 200.0L730.0 200.0L735.0 200.0L740.0 200.0L745.0 200.0L750.0 200.0L755.0 200.0L760.0 200.0L765.0 200.0L770.0 200.0L775.0 200.0L780.0 200.0L785.0 200.0L790.0 200.0L795.0 200.0L800.0 200.0L805.0 200.0L810.0 200.0L815.0 200.0L820.0 200.0L825.0 200.0L830.0 200.0L835.0 200.0L840.0 200.0L845.0 200.0L850.0 200.0L855.0 200.0L860.0 200.0L865.0 200.0L870.0 200.0L875.0 200.0L880.0 200.0L885.0 200.0L890.0 200.0L895.0 200.0L900.0 200.0L905.0 200.0L910.0 200.0L915.0 200.0L920.0 200.0L925.0 200.0L930.0 200.0L935.0 200.0L940.0 200.0L945.0 200.0L950.0 200.0L955.0 200.0L960.0 200.0L965.0 200.0L970.0 200.0L975.0 200.0L980.0 200.0L985.0 200.0L990.0 200.0L995.0 200.0L1000.0 200.0\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#84383f\" stroke-width=\"3\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\"\/><\/svg><div class=\"ld\" id=\"al-ev-ld\" style=\"left:20.00%\"><span>last drink<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mk\" id=\"al-ev-mk\" style=\"left:15.00%\"><i style=\"top:47.067535848519675%\"><\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ax\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"a0\" style=\"left:0.00%\">7 pm<\/span><span class=\"mid\" style=\"left:20.00%\">11 pm<\/span><span class=\"\" style=\"left:40.00%\">3 am<\/span><span class=\"mid\" style=\"left:60.00%\">7 am<\/span><span class=\"mid\" style=\"left:80.00%\">11 am<\/span><span class=\"a1\" style=\"left:100.00%\">3 pm<\/span><\/div><div class=\"rng\"><label for=\"al-ev-r\">Drag through the night<\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"al-ev-r\" min=\"0\" max=\"20\" step=\"0.25\" value=\"3\" aria-valuetext=\"10 pm\"><\/div><div class=\"evn\"><button type=\"button\" id=\"al-ev-pv\" aria-label=\"Previous stage\">Previous<\/button><span class=\"evc\" id=\"al-ev-c\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" id=\"al-ev-nx\" aria-label=\"Next stage\">Next<\/button><\/div><div class=\"card\" aria-live=\"polite\"><p class=\"t\" id=\"al-ev-t\">10 pm<\/p><p class=\"h\" id=\"al-ev-h\">Rising<\/p><p class=\"b\" id=\"al-ev-b\">Each drink adds to the level. Judgment and reaction time slip, then balance, speech and memory. Drinking fast, or on an empty stomach, makes a blackout more likely.<\/p><p class=\"l\" id=\"al-ev-l\">Blood alcohol: rising<\/p><\/div><figcaption><b>The peak comes after the last drink, and a heavy night can still be in your blood the next morning.<\/b> This is an illustration of the shape, not a calculator: how high the line goes, and how long it takes to fall, depends on the person, the drinks and the food. Only time brings it down.<\/figcaption><script>(function(){var f=document.getElementById(\"al-ev\");if(!f){return;}var S=[[\"The first drink\",\"Alcohol boosts the brain\u2019s main calming signal and nudges the reward system. Many people feel warmer, chattier and less self-conscious.\"],[\"Rising\",\"Each drink adds to the level. Judgment and reaction time slip, then balance, speech and memory. Drinking fast, or on an empty stomach, makes a blackout more likely.\"],[\"After the last drink\",\"No more drinks, but alcohol still in the stomach and gut is moving into the blood, so the level is still rising. This is why nobody who has passed out should be left to sleep it off.\"],[\"The way down\",\"As blood alcohol falls, the lift gives way to sleepiness, and often a flat or low mood.\"],[\"First half of the night\",\"Falling asleep can feel easier after a lot of drinks, but REM sleep, the dreaming stage, is delayed and shortened.\"],[\"Second half of the night\",\"Sleep turns lighter and more broken. This is when many people wake at four in the morning.\"],[\"Morning, with alcohol still in the blood\",\"After a heavy night the liver may not have finished. 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The research is less kind. The largest recent review found that <strong class=\"eqb\">about two standard drinks, roughly 10 to 14 grams of alcohol each, already delay and shorten REM sleep<\/strong>, the dreaming stage of the night, and the effect grows with every drink. Falling asleep faster only showed up at around five drinks. The second half of the night also tends to be lighter and more broken, which may be why you wake at four in the morning after a night out. The site&#8217;s <a href=\"\/surprisingly-busy-business-of-sleeping\/#and-then-there-is-rem-sleep\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">article on sleep<\/a> explains what REM sleep does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Nightcaps also stop working: the body gets used to alcohol&#8217;s sleepy effect within a few nights, while the disruption stays. And people who drink more are more likely to have sleep apnea, where breathing stops and starts through the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-hangover\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The hangover<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A hangover is what your body and brain go through as the alcohol leaves: headache, nausea, tiredness, thirst, shakiness, and often low mood or anxiety. It starts as your blood alcohol heads back toward zero. Dehydration is part of it, but a smaller part than most people think. Poor sleep, inflammation, an irritated stomach, and the brain&#8217;s rebound after a night of being dampened all play a role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">No hangover cure has good evidence behind it.<\/strong> A review of every placebo-controlled trial of hangover remedies found only very low-quality evidence for any of them. Nothing makes it go away faster. Only time does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That doesn&#8217;t mean you have to just suffer. If a glass of water, some toast, a shower or a slow morning helps you feel better, do it. Some of that comfort may come from expecting it to help, and that&#8217;s fine: feeling better is still feeling better, as long as whatever you&#8217;re reaching for is safe.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#f8f0dc;border:0;border-left:4px solid #6e5a0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Be mindful<\/p><p class=\"t\">If you reach for a painkiller, choose with care. US advice warns that paracetamol, called acetaminophen in the US, can be toxic to the liver with alcohol, while UK advice says it&#8217;s fine with normal drinking but may not suit someone who binge drinks or is dependent on alcohol. Ibuprofen and aspirin can irritate a stomach that alcohol has already irritated.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"hangxiety\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Hangxiety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Then there&#8217;s the feeling that you&#8217;ve done something terrible, even if you can&#8217;t say what. Your heart is racing, you&#8217;re replaying every conversation, and a message from a friend feels like bad news. People call it <em class=\"eqi\">hangxiety<\/em>, and if you get it, you&#8217;re not imagining it. A recent review of 22 studies found that hangovers go along with more anxiety, stress and low mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Nobody knows exactly why yet. The likeliest explanation is a rebound: alcohol calms the brain, the brain pushes back to stay in balance, and when the alcohol wears off, the push is still there. Poor sleep, gaps in your memory and going over things again and again add to it. One small study found it hit very shy people hardest: they felt slightly calmer while drinking and noticeably more anxious the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Hangxiety is real, and it isn&#8217;t proof that you did something terrible.<\/strong> If it&#8217;s a regular visitor, though, it&#8217;s worth noticing, because it can set up a loop in which the next drink eases the anxiety the last one left behind. Part five comes back to that loop.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#f8f0dc;border:0;border-left:4px solid #6e5a0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Worth remembering<\/p><p class=\"t\">The last drink isn&#8217;t the peak. Blood alcohol can keep rising after someone stops drinking, even while they sleep, so nobody who has passed out should be left alone to sleep it off.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part ev\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>4<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part four of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-4\">The heart, cancer and the changing advice<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What the research said, what it says now, and what&#8217;s still argued about<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"what-happened-to-the-glass-of-red\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">What happened to the glass of red<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">For years, many of us heard that a glass of red wine a day was good for the heart. It came from real studies: people who drank a little seemed to have fewer heart attacks and to live longer than people who didn&#8217;t drink at all. So what changed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Mostly, researchers took a harder look at who the non-drinkers were. That group included people who had stopped drinking because they were already ill, while light drinkers, on average, were healthier to begin with. When studies separated lifelong non-drinkers from former drinkers and accounted for how healthy people were, <strong class=\"eqb\">most of the apparent benefit shrank or disappeared<\/strong>. A large 2023 review of 107 studies found no clear drop in the risk of dying among low-volume drinkers once those problems were corrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Genetic studies point the same way. Some people carry genes that nudge them to drink less, which has nothing to do with their lifestyle and lets researchers compare groups more fairly. In large studies in the UK and China, drinking more because of your genes went with higher blood pressure and more heart disease or stroke, not less. And it&#8217;s the alcohol that causes harm, not the type of drink it comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"whats-still-argued-about\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">What&#8217;s still argued about<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That doesn&#8217;t mean the question is closed. In December 2024, a review by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded, with moderate certainty, that moderate drinkers, up to two US drinks a day for men and one for women, had a lower risk of dying than people who had never drunk. The same review found a higher risk of breast cancer. Critics pointed out that it rested on a small number of studies and left out studies of former drinkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A month later, a second US federal report reached almost the opposite conclusion: no protective effect at low levels, and a lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-caused condition that passes 1 in 1,000 at about seven US drinks a week. A draft was released for comment in January 2025 but never finalized, and its authors published their findings in a scientific journal in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A worldwide analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study, covering 204 countries and territories, modeled the level of drinking with the least health risk and found that it depends on age and place. For people aged 15 to 39 it ranged from none to well under one standard drink a day, while for people over 40 the model&#8217;s risk curve was J-shaped in every region, meaning a very small amount carried a lower overall risk than none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">In the US, the American Heart Association&#8217;s 2025 statement sits in between. At one or two drinks a day, it says, the evidence suggests anything from no extra risk to a possibly lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, but binge drinking, or three or more drinks a day on average, is linked to worse outcomes for every heart condition studied, and nobody knows whether light drinking belongs in a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">What almost nobody disputes is that heavy drinking is bad for the heart, that blood pressure rises steadily with every drink, and that heavy drinking raises the risk of <em class=\"eqi\">atrial fibrillation<\/em>, an irregular heart rhythm, while at about one drink a day the risk is small or still uncertain. In a trial of people who already had it, those who cut out alcohol had fewer episodes. <strong class=\"eqb\">Nobody recommends starting to drink for your health.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"alcohol-and-cancer\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Alcohol and cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is the part many people don&#8217;t know, and where the evidence is clearest. Alcohol causes at least seven kinds of cancer: mouth, throat, voice box, <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-2\"><em class=\"eqi\">esophagus<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-2\"><b>esophagus<\/b>The food pipe: the tube that carries food and drink from your throat to your stomach.<\/span><\/span>, liver, bowel and, in women, breast (the evidence in men is less clear). The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classed alcohol as a definite cause of cancer for decades, in the same group as tobacco and asbestos. That group describes how certain the evidence is, not how large the risk is from each drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Part of the reason is what your body turns alcohol into: <em class=\"eqi\">acetaldehyde<\/em>, which can damage DNA. Alcohol also raises estrogen levels, which matters for breast cancer, and helps harmful chemicals such as those in tobacco smoke get into cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">The cancer risk starts to rise from low levels of drinking, and it grows with every drink.<\/strong> The WHO says there&#8217;s no amount below which that risk switches off. Most alcohol-related cancers come from heavier drinking, but not all: worldwide, about one in seven alcohol-related cancers in 2020 came from moderate drinking, under 20 grams a day, about two standard drinks of 10 grams each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">In January 2025, the US Surgeon General called alcohol the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, after tobacco and obesity, and said fewer than half of Americans know about the link. For breast cancer, the advisory gives a sense of scale: out of 100 US women who have less than one drink a week, about 11 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. At one drink a day it&#8217;s about 13, and at two drinks a day about 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The good news is that it works in reverse! Cutting down or stopping lowers the risk of some of these cancers over time, with the clearest evidence for cancers of the mouth and esophagus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"if-your-face-goes-red-when-you-drink\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">If your face goes red when you drink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Some people&#8217;s faces go bright red after a small amount of alcohol. It&#8217;s most common in people of East Asian descent, and it usually comes from a gene variant that makes the body slow at clearing acetaldehyde, the harmful substance alcohol breaks down into. <strong class=\"eqb\">If alcohol makes your face flush, your risk of esophageal cancer from drinking is much higher<\/strong> than it would be for someone who doesn&#8217;t flush, even at the same amount. That&#8217;s a good reason to keep drinking light, and a useful thing to mention to your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"so-how-much-is-low-risk\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">So how much is low risk?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is where countries disagree most. The WHO says there&#8217;s no safe level, only less risk with less drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Canada&#8217;s 2023 guidance describes a scale: two standard drinks a week or fewer is low risk, three to six raise the risk of several cancers, seven or more raise the risk of heart disease and stroke significantly, and more than two on one occasion raises the risk of injury and harm. UK advice is to stay under 14 units a week, spread over three or more days. Australian advice is no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four on any one day. The US dropped its daily numbers in January 2026 and now simply advises drinking less for better overall health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Those look very different, but they agree on the direction: <strong class=\"eqb\">any cut lowers your risk<\/strong>. The figure below lets you set a weekly amount and see how each country&#8217;s advice reads it.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig al-f al-gd\" id=\"al-gd\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Where the advice draws the line<\/p><p class=\"q\">One week of drinking, read by five sets of advice<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ctl\"><div class=\"al-dsk\"><p class=\"lab\">Count in<\/p><div class=\"ra-seg\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Count in\"><button type=\"button\" data-g=\"8\" aria-pressed=\"true\">UK units<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-g=\"10\" aria-pressed=\"false\">WHO or Australian drinks<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-g=\"13.45\" aria-pressed=\"false\">Canadian drinks<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-g=\"14\" aria-pressed=\"false\">US drinks<\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"al-mob\"><label class=\"lab\" for=\"al-gd-sel\">Count in<\/label><select class=\"al-sel\" id=\"al-gd-sel\"><option value=\"0\" selected>UK units<\/option><option value=\"1\">WHO or Australian drinks<\/option><option value=\"2\">Canadian drinks<\/option><option value=\"3\">US drinks<\/option><\/select><\/div><div><label class=\"lab\" for=\"al-gd-r\">Drinks in a week<\/label><input type=\"range\" id=\"al-gd-r\" min=\"0\" max=\"40\" step=\"1\" value=\"10\"><\/div><p class=\"amt\" aria-live=\"polite\"><b id=\"al-gd-v\">10<\/b> <span id=\"al-gd-u\">UK units a week<\/span>, which is <span id=\"al-gd-g\">80<\/span> grams of alcohol<\/p><p class=\"sum\" id=\"al-gd-sum\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/p><\/div><ul class=\"rows\"><li><span class=\"c\">World Health Organization<span id=\"al-gd-whon\"><\/span><\/span><div><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-who\">No level of drinking is safe for health. The less you drink, the lower the risk.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"c\">Canada, 2023<span id=\"al-gd-can\"><\/span><\/span><div><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-ca\">Moderate risk: the risk of several cancers rises.<\/p><div class=\"scale\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i><\/i><i><\/i><i><\/i><i><\/i><b id=\"al-gd-cb\" style=\"left:55%\"><\/b><\/div><div class=\"sk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>0<\/span><span><span class=\"lg\">1 to 2<\/span><span class=\"sh\">1-2<\/span><\/span><span><span class=\"lg\">3 to 6<\/span><span class=\"sh\">3-6<\/span><\/span><span><span class=\"lg\">7 or more<\/span><span class=\"sh\">7+<\/span><\/span><\/div><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-ca2\" style=\"margin-top:6px\">Canada&#8217;s guidance ties this band to a lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-caused condition of about 1 in 100.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"c\">UK<span id=\"al-gd-ukn\"><\/span><\/span><div><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-uk\">Within the UK&#8217;s advice of no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"c\">Australia<span id=\"al-gd-aun\"><\/span><\/span><div><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-au\">Within 10 standard drinks a week, as long as no single day goes over four.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"c\">US<span id=\"al-gd-usn\"><\/span><\/span><div><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-us\">No weekly number since January 2026, only: drink less for better overall health.<\/p><p class=\"r\" id=\"al-gd-us2\" style=\"margin-top:6px\"><\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ul><figcaption><b>The numbers differ, partly because each country&#8217;s drink is a different size, but every one of them agrees that less is better.<\/b> The Canada and US lines also show lifetime risk: Canada&#8217;s guidance ties its bands to the chance of dying from an alcohol-caused condition, and a 2026 US study, which modeled that chance from US data, gives the US line its figures. Australia&#8217;s and Canada&#8217;s advice also cap a single day or occasion, at four and two drinks.<\/figcaption><script>(function(){var f=document.getElementById(\"al-gd\");if(!f){return;}var G=8,U=\"UK units\";var r=document.getElementById(\"al-gd-r\"),gs=document.getElementById(\"al-gd-sel\"),bs=f.querySelectorAll(\".ra-seg button\");function r1(n){var x=Math.round(n*10)\/10;return (x===Math.round(x))?String(Math.round(x)):x.toFixed(1);}function set(id,t){document.getElementById(id).textContent=t;}function draw(){var n=+r.value,g=n*G;set(\"al-gd-v\",String(n));set(\"al-gd-u\",U+\" a week\");set(\"al-gd-g\",r1(g));var ca=g\/13.45,uk=g\/8,au=g\/10,us=g\/14;set(\"al-gd-can\",r1(ca)+\" Canadian drinks\");set(\"al-gd-ukn\",r1(uk)+\" UK units\");set(\"al-gd-aun\",r1(au)+\" standard drinks\");set(\"al-gd-usn\",r1(us)+\" US drinks\");set(\"al-gd-whon\",r1(g)+\" g\");var c=\"Not drinking has benefits, such as better health and better sleep.\";var pos=4;if(ca>0.05){c=\"Low risk: you are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences.\";pos=14.3+(ca\/2.5)*14.3;}if(ca>2.5){c=\"Moderate risk: the risk of several cancers, including breast and colon cancer, rises.\";pos=28.6+((ca-2.5)\/4)*28.6;}if(ca>6.5){c=\"Increasingly high risk: the risk of heart disease and stroke rises significantly, and each extra drink adds to it.\";pos=Math.min(98,57.2+((ca-6.5)\/10)*42.8);}var c2=\"\";if(ca>0.05){c2=\"Canada\u2019s guidance ties this band to a lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-caused condition of about 1 in 1,000.\";}if(ca>2.5){c2=\"Canada\u2019s guidance ties this band to a lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-caused condition of about 1 in 100.\";}if(ca>6.5){c2=\"Canada\u2019s guidance rates the lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-caused condition as increasingly high at this level.\";}set(\"al-gd-ca2\",c2);set(\"al-gd-ca\",c);document.getElementById(\"al-gd-cb\").style.left=pos+\"%\";var cs=\"not drinking\";if(ca>0.05){cs=\"low risk\";}if(ca>2.5){cs=\"moderate risk\";}if(ca>6.5){cs=\"high risk\";}set(\"al-gd-sum\",\"UK: \"+(uk<=14?\"within\":\"above\")+\" \u00b7 Australia: \"+(au<=10?\"within\":\"above\")+\" \u00b7 Canada: \"+cs);set(\"al-gd-uk\",uk<=14?\"Within the UK\u2019s advice of no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days.\":\"Above the UK\u2019s advice of no more than 14 units a week.\");set(\"al-gd-au\",au<=10?\"Within 10 standard drinks a week, as long as no single day goes over four.\":\"Above Australia\u2019s advice of no more than 10 standard drinks a week.\");var u2=\"Below about 7 US drinks a week. A 2026 US study found the lifetime risk of an alcohol-caused death passes 1 in 1,000 at about that level.\";if(us>=6.5){u2=\"Around or above 7 US drinks a week, the 2026 US study put the lifetime risk of an alcohol-caused death above 1 in 1,000.\";}if(us>8.5){u2=\"Above 8.5 US drinks a week, the 2026 US study put that lifetime risk above 1 in 100.\";}if(us>=14){u2=\"At 14 US drinks a week, the 2026 US study put that lifetime risk at about 1 in 25 for men.\";}set(\"al-gd-us2\",u2);}for(var i=0;i<bs.length;i++){bs[i].addEventListener(\"click\",function(){for(var j=0;j<bs.length;j++){bs[j].setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",\"false\");}this.setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",\"true\");G=+this.getAttribute(\"data-g\");U=this.textContent;for(var k=0;k<bs.length;k++){if(bs[k]===this){gs.value=String(k);}}draw();});}gs.addEventListener(\"change\",function(){var b=bs[+gs.value];if(b){b.click();}});r.addEventListener(\"input\",draw);draw();})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#f8f0dc;border:0;border-left:4px solid #6e5a0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Worth noting<\/p><p class=\"t\">Nobody recommends starting to drink for your health. Even the American Heart Association, which sees a possible benefit at low levels, says: if you don&#8217;t drink, don&#8217;t start.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>5<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part five of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-5\">Alcohol and your mood<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Anxiety, low mood and drinking to cope<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"why-it-feels-like-it-helps\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Why it feels like it helps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you&#8217;ve ever poured a drink to switch off after a hard day, you already know why people do it. It works, at first. Alcohol takes the edge off worry within minutes, loosens you up in company that makes you nervous, and gives a tired mind a break from itself. None of that is imaginary, and wanting it doesn&#8217;t make you weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The catch is what happens next. The same rebound that brings hangxiety the morning after builds up with regular drinking. Over weeks and months the brain adapts to alcohol being there, so without it you feel more on edge than you did before. <strong class=\"eqb\">The drink that eases anxiety can slowly create some of the anxiety it eases.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"alcohol-and-low-mood\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Alcohol and low mood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Alcohol and depression often travel together. Having either a drinking problem or depression roughly doubles the risk of the other. Researchers still argue about which comes first, and the best current answer is both: low mood can lead to drinking, and heavy drinking can cause low mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There&#8217;s hopeful news hidden in that. <strong class=\"eqb\">Low mood driven by heavy drinking often lifts within a few weeks of stopping.<\/strong> In one classic study of men in treatment, 42 in 100 were clinically depressed when they arrived and only 6 in 100 four weeks later. That&#8217;s why UK guidance advises dealing with the drinking first and checking again after three to four weeks without alcohol, before deciding whether depression needs its own treatment. Your low mood is still real, and you don&#8217;t have to wait alone, but the picture can change more than you&#8217;d expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"drinking-to-cope\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Drinking to cope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Researchers who study why people drink find four main reasons: to be social, to feel good, to fit in, and to cope with feelings you&#8217;d rather not have. Most young people drink mainly for social reasons. Drinking to cope and drinking to feel good are the two most strongly linked to problems later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There&#8217;s a twist here. When researchers asked thousands of people about their mood and their drinking every day, people didn&#8217;t drink more on their bad days. They drank more on their good ones. People who said they drink to cope did drink more overall, just not on the days they felt worst. So <strong class=\"eqb\">drinking to cope may be less about one bad Tuesday and more about a pattern<\/strong>, in which alcohol becomes the way you handle feelings in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If that sounds familiar, it&#8217;s worth asking what the drink is doing for you. It might be the only time you let yourself rest, the only way you can face a room full of people, or the thing that quiets your thoughts at night. Those are real needs, and they deserve better tools than something that leaves you more anxious the next day. <a href=\"\/dopamine-addiction-everyday-habits\/#the-strange-shift-from-pleasure-to-relief\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Dopamine, Addiction and Everyday Habits<\/a> on this site explains how the reward can move from pleasure to relief without you noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"when-the-morning-after-brings-shame\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">When the morning after brings shame<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A heavy night can leave a heavy feeling behind it, the sense that you&#8217;re the kind of person who does this. Shame is uncomfortable enough that numbing it becomes tempting, sometimes with the very thing that caused it, and then the secret gets bigger. <a href=\"\/psychology-of-shame\/#numbing-it\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">The Psychology of Shame<\/a> on this site explains why shame pushes us to hide and numb, and what helps instead. <strong class=\"eqb\">Shame about drinking deserves support, not secrecy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"when-it-gets-dark\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">When it gets dark<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Alcohol can make dark thoughts darker. Heavy drinking over time is linked to a higher risk of suicide, and so is drinking in the hours before a crisis. If thoughts of ending your life are there, <strong class=\"eqb\">please tell someone rather than holding them alone, and try not to drink more while they&#8217;re there<\/strong>. The site&#8217;s <a href=\"\/suicidal-thoughts\/#part-7\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">article on suicidal thoughts<\/a> explains where to turn, in any country.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#f8f0dc;border:0;border-left:4px solid #6e5a0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Be mindful<\/p><p class=\"t\">If you drink to cope, the relief comes first and the cost comes later. Low mood driven by drinking often eases within a few weeks of stopping.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part ev\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>6<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part six of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-6\">When drinking turns dangerous<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Mixing, alcohol poisoning, and why heavy drinkers shouldn&#8217;t stop suddenly<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"mixing-alcohol-with-other-drugs\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Mixing alcohol with other drugs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><a href=\"\/drugs-101\/#downers-together-the-most-dangerous-mix\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Drugs 101<\/a> on this site explains why drugs that slow the body down are most dangerous together. <strong class=\"eqb\">Alcohol is one of them, and it&#8217;s the one people forget<\/strong>, because it&#8217;s legal and it&#8217;s everywhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:21px;line-height:1.68\">With <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-3\"><em class=\"eqi\">opioids<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-3\"><b>opioids<\/b>A family of drugs that relieve pain and slow breathing, including heroin, fentanyl and painkillers such as codeine, tramadol and oxycodone. With alcohol, the slowing of breathing adds up.<\/span><\/span>, including prescription painkillers, with benzodiazepines such as diazepam or alprazolam, with <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-4\"><em class=\"eqi\">GHB<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-4\"><b>GHB<\/b>A sedative drug, sometimes called G or liquid ecstasy, that slows the body down. With alcohol, people can pass out quickly. Drugs 101 on this site covers it.<\/span><\/span>, or with the nerve-pain medicines pregabalin and gabapentin, alcohol adds to the slowing of breathing. In the US in 2017, alcohol was involved in about one in seven deaths from opioid overdose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Stimulants cause a different problem. Cocaine and ADHD medicines can make you feel less drunk than you are, so it&#8217;s easy to drink past the point where you meant to stop. Energy drinks seem to make you feel more awake while your blood alcohol and your reactions stay just as affected, and they may make you want to keep drinking. Cannabis and alcohol together impair you more than either one alone, which matters most on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"alcohol-and-everyday-medicines\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Alcohol and everyday medicines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you take a regular medicine, check how it gets along with alcohol. Many are fine with the occasional drink, and some aren&#8217;t:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:28px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.682), 20px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>Sleeping pills, anxiety medicines and allergy tablets that make you drowsy add to alcohol&#8217;s sedation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many antidepressants come with advice to avoid or limit alcohol, because it can add to drowsiness and can make low mood worse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is hardest on the liver in people who drink heavily every day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ibuprofen, aspirin and similar painkillers raise the risk of stomach bleeding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some diabetes medicines can cause dangerously low blood sugar with alcohol, and blood thinners such as warfarin can be thrown off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some antibiotics, especially metronidazole, carry a warning to avoid alcohol. How strong that reaction really is has been questioned, but follow the leaflet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This matters more with age, because the body clears alcohol more slowly and people take more medicines. <strong class=\"eqb\">A pharmacist can tell you exactly how your medicine and alcohol mix<\/strong>, and it&#8217;s an ordinary question for them. Please don&#8217;t skip a dose to make room for a drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"alcohol-poisoning-what-it-looks-like\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Alcohol poisoning: what it looks like<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This part is for you if you&#8217;re trying to decide whether to let a friend sleep it off. Alcohol poisoning happens when there&#8217;s so much alcohol in the blood that the parts of the brain controlling breathing, heart rate and temperature start to shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f7ecdf;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#5c1d24;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">SIGNS OF ALCOHOL POISONING<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>confusion or <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-5\"><em class=\"eqi\">stupor<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-5\"><b>stupor<\/b>Being barely conscious: very hard to wake, and responding only briefly to a loud voice or a shake before drifting off again. After drinking, it is a sign of alcohol poisoning.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>vomiting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>seizures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>slow or irregular breathing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>pale, blue-tinged or clammy skin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>low body temperature<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>can&#8217;t stay awake or can&#8217;t be woken<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">On black or brown skin, a blue tinge may be easier to see inside the lips, on the gums and under the fingernails. <strong class=\"eqb\">You don&#8217;t need to wait for every sign before you call!<\/strong> If you&#8217;re unsure, treat it as alcohol poisoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"what-to-do\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">What to do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Call your local emergency number: 112 in the European Union, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US and Canada, 000 in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f7ecdf;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#5c1d24;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHILE YOU WAIT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>Stay with them. <strong class=\"eqb\">Don&#8217;t leave them to sleep it off<\/strong>, because their blood alcohol may still be rising.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If they&#8217;re awake, keep them sitting up. If they&#8217;re drowsy or unconscious, put them on their side in the recovery position, so they can&#8217;t choke if they vomit. <a href=\"\/drugs-101\/#what-to-do-in-order\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Drugs 101<\/a> on this site shows how, step by step. Keep checking that they&#8217;re breathing, and if their breathing stops, tell the call handler, who can talk you through what to do.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep them warm with a jacket or blanket.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If they&#8217;re awake, can swallow and aren&#8217;t being sick, small sips of water are fine. No more alcohol, no food and no coffee.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t put them in a cold shower, and don&#8217;t try to make them sick.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">When help arrives, tell the crew what they drank, roughly how much, and anything else they may have taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"if-you-drink-heavily-every-day-dont-stop-suddenly\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">If you drink heavily every day, don&#8217;t stop suddenly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is the most important safety point in the article. If you drink heavily every day or nearly every day, your brain has adapted to having alcohol around. Take it away suddenly and the brain can swing into overdrive. That&#8217;s alcohol withdrawal, and unlike withdrawal from many other drugs, it can be dangerous in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Early signs usually start within 6 to 24 hours of the last drink: shaking hands, sweating, anxiety, nausea, a racing heart and trouble sleeping. For some people it goes further. Seizures can happen, most often within the first two days. A small number of people develop <em class=\"eqi\">delirium tremens<\/em>, usually two to four days after stopping, with severe confusion, hallucinations, fever and a racing heart. Delirium tremens is a medical emergency, and <strong class=\"eqb\">without treatment it can be fatal<\/strong>. Each round of withdrawal can also make the next one worse, which doctors call <em class=\"eqi\">kindling<\/em>. The figure below lays out the usual timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">If you drink heavily every day, talk to a doctor before you stop!<\/strong> That isn&#8217;t a reason to keep drinking forever, and it isn&#8217;t a reason to grit your teeth through it alone. Most people can withdraw safely at home or through a local service, with medicine that eases the symptoms and prevents the dangerous ones, plus vitamin B1, called <em class=\"eqi\">thiamine<\/em>, to protect the brain. Some people, such as anyone who has had a seizure or delirium tremens before, need a hospital or specialist unit instead. If shaking, hallucinations, severe confusion or a seizure start after stopping, call your emergency number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You might worry that telling a doctor how much you really drink will get you judged. They ask because the answer changes how to keep you safe, and they hear it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Maybe there&#8217;s no doctor you can see, or you can&#8217;t afford one, or you&#8217;d worry about who might find out. You still have somewhere to go: in many places a pharmacist can point you to local services in confidence, and the helplines in part eight are free, don&#8217;t need your name, and can point you to help with stopping safely.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig al-f al-wd\" id=\"al-wd\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Stopping after heavy daily drinking<\/p><p class=\"q\">The first four days after the last drink<\/p><\/div><div class=\"track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class=\"bar b1\"><span style=\"margin-left:6.25%\">Early withdrawal<\/span><div class=\"bt\"><i style=\"left:6.25%;width:18.75%\"><\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bar b2\"><span style=\"margin-left:8.33%\">Seizures can happen<\/span><div class=\"bt\"><i style=\"left:8.33%;width:41.67%\"><\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bar b3\"><span style=\"margin-left:50.00%\">Delirium tremens<\/span><div class=\"bt\"><i style=\"left:50.00%;width:50.00%\"><\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bar b4\"><span style=\"margin-left:0.00%\">With medical help<\/span><div class=\"bt\"><i style=\"left:0.00%;width:100.00%\"><\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ax\"><span class=\"a0\" style=\"left:0.00%\">last drink<\/span><span class=\"mid\" style=\"left:25.00%\">1 day<\/span><span class=\"\" style=\"left:50.00%\">2 days<\/span><span class=\"mid\" style=\"left:75.00%\">3 days<\/span><span class=\"a1\" style=\"left:100.00%\">4 days<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ra-seg\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Pick a stage\" style=\"margin:0 0 14px\"><button type=\"button\" data-k=\"0\" aria-pressed=\"true\">early withdrawal<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-k=\"1\" aria-pressed=\"false\">seizures can happen<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-k=\"2\" aria-pressed=\"false\">delirium tremens<\/button><button type=\"button\" data-k=\"3\" aria-pressed=\"false\">with medical help<\/button><\/div><ol class=\"st\"><li class=\"on\"><p class=\"w\">6 to 24 hours<\/p><p class=\"h\">Early withdrawal<\/p><p class=\"b\">Shaking hands, sweating, anxiety, nausea, a racing heart and trouble sleeping.<\/p><p class=\"d\">This is the time to get medical help, not to wait it out.<\/p><\/li><li class=\"\"><p class=\"w\">up to 48 hours<\/p><p class=\"h\">Seizures can happen<\/p><p class=\"b\">Seizures are most likely in the first two days. Some people also see or hear things that aren&#8217;t there.<\/p><p class=\"d\">A seizure is an emergency: call your local emergency number.<\/p><\/li><li class=\"\"><p class=\"w\">about 2 to 4 days<\/p><p class=\"h\">Delirium tremens<\/p><p class=\"b\">In a small number of people: severe confusion, hallucinations, fever and a racing heart.<\/p><p class=\"d\">A medical emergency that can be fatal without treatment. Call your local emergency number.<\/p><\/li><li class=\"\"><p class=\"w\">from the start<\/p><p class=\"h\">With medical help<\/p><p class=\"b\">A planned withdrawal, often at home or through a local service, with medicine that eases the symptoms and prevents the dangerous ones, plus thiamine, vitamin B1, to protect the brain.<\/p><p class=\"d\">Talk to a doctor before you stop.<\/p><\/li><\/ol><figcaption><b>The most dangerous stage can come days after the last drink, which is why a plan beats willpower.<\/b> Timings vary from person to person and between sources, so these are ranges. With medical help, most people withdraw safely, often at home.<\/figcaption><script>(function(){var f=document.getElementById(\"al-wd\");if(!f){return;}f.className+=\" js\";var bs=f.querySelectorAll(\".ra-seg button\"),li=f.querySelectorAll(\".st li\");for(var i=0;i<bs.length;i++){bs[i].addEventListener(\"click\",function(){var k=+this.getAttribute(\"data-k\");for(var j=0;j<bs.length;j++){bs[j].setAttribute(\"aria-pressed\",j===k?\"true\":\"false\");li[j].className=(j===k)?\"on\":\"\";}});}})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#f8f0dc;border:0;border-left:4px solid #6e5a0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Worth noting<\/p><p class=\"t\">A doctor who asks how much you really drink isn&#8217;t judging you. They ask so they can keep you safe, and they hear the answer every day.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>7<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part seven of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-7\">When drinking becomes a problem<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">The signs, the three questions doctors ask, and cutting down<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"it-isnt-about-the-number-alone\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">It isn&#8217;t about the number alone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There&#8217;s no single number of drinks that turns someone into &#8220;an alcoholic&#8221;, and many doctors no longer use the word. <strong class=\"eqb\">What matters is your relationship with alcohol, not a magic number<\/strong>, and whether drinking has started to take more from your life than it adds. It&#8217;s a spectrum, and most people who drink more than is healthy are nowhere near the severe end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The WHO&#8217;s classification describes steps along the way. Hazardous drinking is a pattern that raises your risk of harm before any harm has happened. A harmful pattern is one that has already damaged your physical or mental health, or led to harm to someone else. Dependence is when alcohol has taken a firm hold: control is harder, drinking comes before other things, and it carries on despite the harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"tolerance-needing-more-to-feel-it\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Tolerance: needing more to feel it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you drink regularly, you&#8217;ve probably noticed that the same amount does less than it used to. That&#8217;s <em class=\"eqi\">tolerance<\/em>. Your brain adapts to having alcohol around, and in heavy drinkers the liver gets somewhat faster at clearing it. Tolerance can even become tied to places, so the same drinks can hit harder somewhere unfamiliar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">People sometimes take pride in holding their drink. It&#8217;s worth seeing it the other way around. Being able to drink a lot without feeling it doesn&#8217;t protect your liver, your heart or your brain, because the alcohol is still reaching them, and doctors count needing more to get the same effect as one of the signs of an alcohol problem. <strong class=\"eqb\">Needing more to feel it is a sign to notice, not a strength.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-signs-worth-noticing\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The signs worth noticing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Doctors in many countries diagnose an alcohol use disorder with a list of eleven signs from the US diagnostic manual. <a href=\"\/drugs-101\/#when-use-becomes-a-problem\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Drugs 101<\/a> on this site has a private, interactive version of that list, and the signs apply to alcohol in exactly the same way. They fall into four groups: losing control over how much and how often you drink, drinking crowding out the rest of your life, carrying on even though it&#8217;s causing harm, and your body adapting, with tolerance and withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Only a clinician can diagnose an alcohol use disorder, but <strong class=\"eqb\">you don&#8217;t need a diagnosis to decide that something needs to change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"three-questions-doctors-ask\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Three questions doctors ask<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Almost anywhere in the world, a doctor who asks about drinking is likely to use some version of the <em class=\"eqi\">AUDIT<\/em>, a questionnaire developed for the WHO. Its first three questions, often used on their own as the AUDIT-C, are simple. How often do you have a drink containing alcohol? How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking? How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Each answer is scored, and a higher total means the doctor will want to talk more. The cut-off differs between countries, partly because a drink differs. US clinics commonly use four or more for men and three or more for women, while England&#8217;s version counts in units and uses five or more. <strong class=\"eqb\">A screening score says &#8220;let&#8217;s talk&#8221;, not &#8220;you have a disorder&#8221;.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The figure below lets you answer them privately. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, and it won&#8217;t give you a label; it shows which answers doctors pay most attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:48px\"><figure class=\"ra-fig al-f al-au\" id=\"al-au\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Three questions doctors ask<\/p><p class=\"q\">Answer privately. Nothing you choose is saved or sent.<\/p><\/div><form onsubmit=\"return false\"><fieldset><legend><span>Question 1<\/span>How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?<\/legend><div class=\"op\"><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-0\" value=\"0\">never<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-0\" value=\"1\">monthly or less<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-0\" value=\"2\">2 to 4 times a month<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-0\" value=\"3\">2 to 3 times a week<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-0\" value=\"4\">4 or more times a week<\/label><\/div><\/fieldset><fieldset><legend><span>Question 2<\/span>How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?<\/legend><div class=\"op\"><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-1\" value=\"0\">1 or 2<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-1\" value=\"1\">3 or 4<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-1\" value=\"2\">5 or 6<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-1\" value=\"3\">7 to 9<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-1\" value=\"4\">10 or more<\/label><\/div><\/fieldset><fieldset><legend><span>Question 3<\/span>How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?<\/legend><div class=\"op\"><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-2\" value=\"0\">never<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-2\" value=\"1\">less than monthly<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-2\" value=\"2\">monthly<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-2\" value=\"3\">weekly<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"al-au-2\" value=\"4\">daily or almost daily<\/label><\/div><\/fieldset><\/form><div class=\"out\" aria-live=\"polite\"><p class=\"m\" id=\"al-au-m\">Answer all three to see what doctors would make of answers like yours.<\/p><p class=\"m2\" id=\"al-au-m2\"><\/p><p class=\"nt\">A drink here means a standard drink where you live, which part two explains. Cut-offs differ between countries, partly because a drink differs in size, so this check uses the lowest cut-off in common use.<\/p><\/div><figcaption><b>This check shows no score and gives no label.<\/b> These are the first three questions of the AUDIT questionnaire. It only says whether answers like yours are where doctors usually want to talk more.<\/figcaption><script>(function(){var f=document.getElementById(\"al-au\");if(!f){return;}function val(i){var r=f.querySelectorAll(\"input[name=al-au-\"+i+\"]\");for(var j=0;j<r.length;j++){if(r[j].checked){return +r[j].value;}}return -1;}function draw(){var a=val(0),b=val(1),c=val(2);var m=document.getElementById(\"al-au-m\"),m2=document.getElementById(\"al-au-m2\");if(a===0){m.textContent=\"If you don\u2019t drink, there\u2019s nothing here to score. Not drinking is the lowest-risk choice.\";m2.textContent=\"\";return;}if(a<0){return;}if(b<0){return;}if(c<0){return;}var t=a+b+c;if(t>=3){m.textContent=\"Answers like these are where doctors using this questionnaire would usually want to talk more.\";var x=\"It isn\u2019t a diagnosis. It\u2019s a reason for a conversation, and part eight lists places to start.\";if(c>=2){x=\"Having six or more drinks on one occasion monthly or more often is the answer doctors pay most attention to. \"+x;}m2.textContent=x;}else{m.textContent=\"These answers are below the cut-offs doctors commonly use.\";m2.textContent=\"Less is still better, and a low score doesn\u2019t rule out a problem if drinking is causing you trouble.\";}}var ins=f.querySelectorAll(\"input\");for(var i=0;i<ins.length;i++){ins[i].addEventListener(\"change\",draw);}})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"cutting-down-what-actually-helps\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Cutting down: what actually helps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Maybe you&#8217;re not worried about dependence at all. You&#8217;d simply like to drink a bit less, feel better on Saturday mornings and sleep properly. That&#8217;s a good goal on its own, and these steps can help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f7ecdf;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#5c1d24;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">THINGS THAT HELP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>Decide how much you&#8217;ll drink before you start, while your head is clear, and tell someone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Count in standard drinks, not glasses. The calculator in part two helps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eat before and while you drink, and alternate with water or a soft drink.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose smaller servings: a small bottle instead of a pint or a half-liter, a small glass of wine instead of a large one. When pubs and bars in England stopped selling their largest glass of wine, they sold less wine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep several alcohol-free days each week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Swap strong beers and wines for lower-strength ones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notice what comes just before the urge: the time, the place, the feeling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track it. In trials, apps and websites that helped people follow their drinking led to about 23 grams less alcohol a week on average, roughly three UK units.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Deciding how much you&#8217;ll drink before you start is one of the simplest things that helps.<\/strong> A break can help too. People in the UK who signed up for a month off, such as Dry January, were drinking less six months later, even if they didn&#8217;t finish the month. They were volunteers, so it doesn&#8217;t prove the month off caused the change, but very few drank more afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you drink heavily every day, cutting down sharply can bring on withdrawal too, so talk to a doctor first.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part ev\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>8<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part eight of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><i class=\"\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-8\">What helps<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">From one conversation to medicines and mutual help<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"one-conversation-can-make-a-difference\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">One conversation can make a difference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Help with drinking isn&#8217;t only rehab, and for most people it starts much smaller. <strong class=\"eqb\">A short, honest conversation with a doctor helps people drink less.<\/strong> In trials, a brief talk with a doctor or nurse about how much you drink, what it&#8217;s doing and what you&#8217;d like to change led people to drink less a year later. The effect is modest, about 20 grams of alcohol a week, or two 10-gram standard drinks, but it&#8217;s real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"medicines-that-help\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Medicines that help<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Most people who could benefit from a medicine for drinking never receive one. Worldwide, in every country with data, no more than 14 in 100 people with an alcohol use disorder are in contact with treatment services of any kind, and in some it is fewer than 1 in 100. In the US in 2024, only about 1 in 40 people with an alcohol use disorder received a medicine for it. <strong class=\"eqb\">There are medicines that help with drinking, and it&#8217;s fine to ask for one.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The two with the strongest evidence are naltrexone and acamprosate. Naltrexone lowers the chance of going back to heavy drinking, and acamprosate helps people who have stopped to stay stopped. A large 2023 review supports both as first choices, alongside counseling. Naltrexone doesn&#8217;t mix with opioids, including opioid painkillers, and taking more opioids to push past it can cause an overdose, so your doctor needs to know about any you take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You don&#8217;t always have to stop drinking first. In Europe, a related medicine, nalmefene, is licensed to help people with alcohol dependence cut down, taken on days when they expect to drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You may have read about weight-loss injections such as semaglutide. The early results are promising: three small <span class=\"gl\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"gd-6\"><em class=\"eqi\">randomized trials<\/em><span class=\"gd\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"gd-6\"><b>randomized trials<\/b>Studies that put people into groups by chance, one getting the treatment and one not, so any difference can be put down to the treatment.<\/span><\/span> in 2025 and 2026 found fewer heavy drinking days, or less drinking on the days people drank, although not every measure improved. It isn&#8217;t approved for alcohol problems yet, and larger trials are under way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"mutual-help-aa-smart-and-others\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Mutual help: AA, SMART and others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, has better evidence than many people think, and it isn&#8217;t the only option.<\/strong> A 2020 Cochrane review, one of the most rigorous kinds of research summary, found that structured programs that help people get involved with AA led to more people staying completely sober than other established treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and it rated that evidence as high certainty. For other outcomes, such as how much people drank, AA did about as well as the alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If the spiritual side of AA doesn&#8217;t suit you, that&#8217;s fine. SMART Recovery takes a practical approach built on the skills of cognitive behavioral therapy, and LifeRing and Women for Sobriety exist too. The research on them is thinner, but one US study that followed members of all four found that people in the alternatives did about as well as people in twelve-step groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Many meetings are online now, which makes it easier to try one privately and see how it feels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And if it&#8217;s someone you love who drinks, there&#8217;s help for you too. Al-Anon runs groups for family and friends. An approach called <em class=\"eqi\">community reinforcement and family training<\/em>, or CRAFT, teaches family members how to encourage a reluctant loved one toward help, and in trials it got more people into treatment than the approaches it was compared with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"talking-therapy-and-the-whole-picture\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Talking therapy, and the whole picture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Therapy helps too. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which works on the thoughts, situations and habits around drinking, does better than no treatment and can be combined with medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If anxiety, depression or trauma are part of why you drink, they belong in the same conversation from the start. A good clinician will help with both, even if some decisions, such as starting an antidepressant, wait until a few weeks without alcohol have shown what&#8217;s left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Goals can differ, too. For some people, stopping completely, with medical help if they&#8217;ve been drinking heavily, is the clearest and safest path, and people who have been dependent tend to do best when they aim to stop altogether. For others, drinking much less is a realistic place to start. <strong class=\"eqb\">Drinking less, not only stopping, brings real health gains<\/strong>: moving down even one level of risk has been linked with lower blood pressure, healthier livers and a better quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"recovery-is-common\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Recovery is common<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It&#8217;s easy to believe that people with serious drinking problems rarely get better. The research says otherwise. <strong class=\"eqb\">Most people who were once dependent on alcohol are not anymore.<\/strong> In a large US survey, three in four people who had once been dependent no longer were, although some still had symptoms, and only about one in four had ever had treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Plenty of people change on their own, and plenty more change with help. Both count!! If you&#8217;ve tried before and gone back to drinking, it doesn&#8217;t erase what you learned the last time, and it happens to many people who later make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"where-to-find-help\" style=\"color:#36302b;margin-top:72px;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Where to find help<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A doctor or nurse is usually a good first step. In many countries what you tell them stays confidential, with a few exceptions such as a serious risk to you or someone else, and you can ask how that works before you share anything. If you&#8217;d rather talk to someone else first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd3116f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f7ecdf;border-radius:18px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:30px;padding:24px 28px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#5c1d24;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12.5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHO TO CALL<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.568), 19px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li>You can find crisis lines by country on <a href=\"\/crisis-helplines\/\" style=\"color:#7d2a33;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1.5px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">our helplines page<\/a>, and some can point you to a specialist alcohol line.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the UK, Drinkline is free on 0300 123 1110.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free, confidential and open day and night on 1-800-662-4357.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Australia, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline is on 1800 250 015.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Canada has no single national line, and Health Canada lists the services available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery both list meetings around the world, including online.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">If you&#8217;re worried about someone else&#8217;s drinking, these lines are for you too.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp .eq-kp{display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px 16px;align-items:start;background:#f8f0dc;border:0;border-left:4px solid #6e5a0c;border-radius:4px 18px 18px 4px;padding:20px 26px;margin:6px 0 34px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:1\/3;width:40px;height:40px;border-radius:50%;background:#fff;color:#6e5a0c;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center}.eqp .eq-kp .mk svg{width:21px;height:21px}.eqp .eq-kp .k{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6e5a0c;margin:2px 0 4px}.eqp .eq-kp .t{font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:clamp(15px,calc(10.6px + .72vw),19px);font-weight:500;line-height:1.55;color:#2a2622;margin:0}@media(max-width:560px){.eqp .eq-kp{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);padding:18px 20px}.eqp .eq-kp .mk{grid-row:auto;width:34px;height:34px}}<\/style><aside class=\"eq-kp\"><span class=\"mk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><path d=\"M6.5 3.5h11a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v15.6a.5.5 0 0 1-.78.42L12 16.4l-5.72 4.12a.5.5 0 0 1-.78-.42V4.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><p class=\"k\">Worth remembering<\/p><p class=\"t\">Medicines for alcohol problems work, and most people who could use them never receive one. It&#8217;s fine to ask.<\/p><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:92px;margin-bottom:34px\"><div class=\"ra-part\"><div class=\"cs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><b>9<\/b><\/div><div class=\"tx\"><div class=\"meta\"><p class=\"lb\">Part nine of nine<\/p><span class=\"tk\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"past\"><\/i><i class=\"now\"><\/i><\/span><\/div><h2 id=\"part-9\">Everything else you were too afraid to ask<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">The questions people type into a search bar instead of asking a doctor<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Some questions feel too small, or too awkward, to ask a doctor. These are short answers to the ones that come up most.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:20px\"><div class=\"ra-faq\" id=\"ra-faq\"><div class=\"all\"><button type=\"button\" id=\"ra-fa\">Open all<\/button><\/div><details id=\"q-1\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><span>Is red wine healthier than other drinks?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>No. Whatever the drink, <strong class=\"eqb\">the risks come from the alcohol in it<\/strong>, which is why health advice counts grams of alcohol rather than glasses of wine or pints of beer. A glass of red with dinner isn&#8217;t medicine. It&#8217;s simply a drink.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-2\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><span>Does beer before wine make a hangover worse?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>It doesn&#8217;t seem to! In a trial where volunteers drank beer then wine, wine then beer, or only one of the two, <strong class=\"eqb\">neither the order nor the mix made any difference<\/strong> to how bad they felt the next day. What mattered most was how drunk they got and whether they were sick.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-3\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><span>Am I okay to drive the next morning?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>Not necessarily. Your liver clears alcohol at its own steady pace, so <strong class=\"eqb\">after a heavy night you can still be over the limit when you wake up<\/strong>, however you feel, and coffee and a shower won&#8217;t change that. Legal limits differ between countries. If you drank a lot, leave the car.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-4\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><span>Is any amount okay in pregnancy?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p>The advice is consistent across countries. The UK&#8217;s Chief Medical Officers say the safest approach is not to drink at all, Canada&#8217;s guidance says <strong class=\"eqb\">there&#8217;s no known safe amount while pregnant or trying to get pregnant<\/strong>, and US guidelines say to avoid alcohol completely during pregnancy. If you drank before you knew you were pregnant, try not to panic, and talk to your doctor or midwife about it.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details id=\"q-5\"><summary><span class=\"qb\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 42\"><path d=\"M23 3C11.4 3 4 9.8 4 18.2c0 4.8 2.5 9 6.5 11.7L8.6 38l8.8-4.4c1.8.4 3.6.6 5.6.6 11.6 0 19-6.8 19-15.2S34.6 3 23 3z\"\/><\/svg><i class=\"q\">?<\/i><i class=\"x\">!<\/i><\/span><span>My friend drinks way more than me and seems fine. Are they okay?<\/span><span class=\"pl\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\"><path d=\"M6 1.5v9M1.5 6h9\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/summary><div class=\"an\"><p><strong class=\"eqb\">Holding your drink isn&#8217;t the same as being okay.<\/strong> A high tolerance means the brain has adapted, and the alcohol is still reaching the liver, the heart and the brain. If you&#8217;re worried about a friend, pick a quiet, sober moment, talk about what you&#8217;ve noticed rather than using labels, and let them know you&#8217;re around. The helplines in part eight can help you too.<\/p><\/div><\/details><script>(function(){var b=document.getElementById(\"ra-fa\");if(!b){return;}var d=document.querySelectorAll(\"#ra-faq details\");b.addEventListener(\"click\",function(){var open=b.textContent===\"Open all\";for(var i=0;i<d.length;i++){d[i].open=open;}b.textContent=open?\"Close all\":\"Open all\";});})();\/*>*\/<\/script><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f86ed65e wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f4efe6;border-color:#e2d9ca;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:46px;margin-bottom:46px;padding:34px 38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#241f1b;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT THE RESEARCH SUPPORTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The strongest evidence here is on five points. Alcohol causes at least seven kinds of cancer, and the risk rises with the amount. Heavy drinking harms the heart, and blood pressure rises steadily with intake. Blood alcohol can keep rising after the last drink. Stopping suddenly after heavy daily drinking can cause dangerous withdrawal, and medical care makes it much safer. And brief advice from a doctor, the medicines naltrexone and acamprosate, and programs that link people to Alcoholics Anonymous all help people drink less or stop.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7c590e6f wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#f8efdc;border-color:#e9d8b6;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:46px;padding:34px 38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#241f1b;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORTH BEING CLEAR ABOUT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#2a2622;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Whether light drinking has any benefit for the heart is still argued about. The two sides mostly disagree about how to correct for the differences between people who drink and people who don&#8217;t, and no long-term randomized trial exists to settle it. Much of what we know comes from people reporting their own drinking, which tends to underestimate it. Hangxiety, drinking motives and the newest medicines rest on smaller or newer studies. And guidance changes, as the US advice did in January 2026. Treat the numbers here as a guide, and check with a local service where you can.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-50ae14a5 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbf6ec;border-color:#e8dfcf;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:34px;margin-bottom:44px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">REFERENCES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.17), 15.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.neuron.2017.10.032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Abrahao, K. 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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/OLQ.0000000000002276\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Orire, I., Sagoe, M., Muzny, C. A., &amp; Kissinger, P. J. (2026). Revisiting the disulfiram-like reaction between alcohol and oral metronidazole. <em>Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 53<\/em>(4), 205-208.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.lana.2026.101510\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Peltier, M. R., Chander, G., Jones, H. E., Chang, G., &amp; McKee, S. A. (2026). Less than what? Response to alcohol consumption recommendations in the 2025-2030 dietary guidelines for Americans. <em>The Lancet Regional Health &#45; Americas, 60<\/em>, Article 101510.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2174\/1874473711003020068\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Penning, R., van Nuland, M., Fliervoet, L. A. L., Olivier, B., &amp; Verster, J. C. (2010). The pathology of alcohol hangover. <em>Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 3<\/em>(2), 68-75.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1161\/CIR.0000000000001341\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Piano, M. R., Marcus, G. M., Aycock, D. M., Buckman, J., Hwang, C.-L., Larsson, S. C., Mukamal, K. J., &amp; Roerecke, M. (2025). Alcohol use and cardiovascular disease: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. <em>Circulation, 152<\/em>(1), e7-e21.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S0033291719000667\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Polimanti, R., Peterson, R. E., Ong, J.-S., MacGregor, S., Edwards, A. C., Clarke, T.-K., Frank, J., Gerring, Z., Gillespie, N. A., Lind, P. A., Maes, H. H., Martin, N. G., Mbarek, H., Medland, S. E., Streit, F., Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Agrawal, A., Edenberg, H. J., Kendler, K. S., . . . Derks, E. M. (2019). Evidence of causal effect of major depression on alcohol dependence: Findings from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. <em>Psychological Medicine, 49<\/em>(7), 1218-1226.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/add.15786\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Roberts, E., Smith, R., Hotopf, M., &amp; Drummond, C. (2022). The efficacy and tolerability of pharmacologically active interventions for alcohol-induced hangover symptomatology: A systematic review of the evidence from randomised placebo-controlled trials. <em>Addiction, 117<\/em>(8), 2157-2167.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11584549\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Roehrs, T., &amp; Roth, T. (2001). Sleep, sleepiness, and alcohol use. <em>Alcohol Research &amp; Health, 25<\/em>(2), 101-109.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1360-0443.2010.03016.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Roozen, H. G., De Waart, R., &amp; Van Der Kroft, P. (2010). Community reinforcement and family training: An effective option to engage treatment-resistant substance-abusing individuals in treatment. <em>Addiction, 105<\/em>(10), 1729-1738.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/dar.70052\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Rothman, R., Hayley, A. C., Aitken, B., &amp; Downey, L. A. (2026). A systematic review of the impact of the alcohol hangover upon negative affect. <em>Drug and Alcohol Review, 45<\/em>(1), Article e70052.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S1470-2045(21)00279-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Rumgay, H., Shield, K., Charvat, H., Ferrari, P., Sornpaisarn, B., Obot, I., Islami, F., Lemmens, V. E. P. P., Rehm, J., &amp; Soerjomataram, I. (2021). Global burden of cancer in 2020 attributable to alcohol consumption: A population-based study. <em>The Lancet Oncology, 22<\/em>(8), 1071-1080.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1176\/appi.ajp.20260003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Schacht, J. P., Sakai, J. T., Raymond, K., &amp; Shelton, R. (2026). Oral semaglutide for alcohol use disorder: A randomized clinical trial. <em>American Journal of Psychiatry, 183<\/em>(9), 636-645.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.0963-7214.2005.00384.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Siegel, S. (2005). Drug tolerance, drug addiction, and drug anticipation. <em>Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14<\/em>(6), 296-300.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.sleep.2017.12.005\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Simou, E., Britton, J., &amp; Leonardi-Bee, J. (2018). Alcohol and the risk of sleep apnoea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. <em>Sleep Medicine, 42<\/em>, 38-46.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/02698811251399593\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Sinclair, J. M. A., Kalk, N. J., Kaar, S. J., Agabio, R., Arunogiri, S., Bisaga, A., Chesney, E., Daly, C., Dewhurst, J., Freeman, T. P., Ghosh, A., Hemrage, S., Leggio, L., Lingford-Hughes, A., Matheson, C., McKetin, R., Paterson, L. M., Roberts, E., Robson, D., . . . Welch, S. (2026). Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the pharmacological management of substance dependence: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. <em>Journal of Psychopharmacology, 40<\/em>(2), 227-272.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/smartrecovery.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">SMART Recovery International. (n.d.). <em>Find a meeting<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.35946\/arcr.v34.4.06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Smith, J. P., &amp; Randall, C. L. (2012). Anxiety and alcohol use disorders: Comorbidity and treatment considerations. <em>Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 34<\/em>(4), 414-431.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15288\/jsad.25-00075\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Stockwell, T., Priore, I., &amp; Kei Im, P. (2025). The U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine were economical with the truth about alcohol and health. <em>Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 86<\/em>(4), 651-656.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/find-help\/helplines\/national-helpline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US). (n.d.). <em>SAMHSA&#8217;s National Helpline<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2020.2361\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Tori, M. E., Larochelle, M. R., &amp; Naimi, T. S. (2020). Alcohol or benzodiazepine co-involvement with opioid overdose deaths in the United States, 1999-2017. <em>JAMA Network Open, 3<\/em>(4), Article e202361.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.realfood.gov\/DGA.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">U.S. Department of Agriculture &amp; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2026). <em>Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm9030823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Verster, J. C., Scholey, A., van de Loo, A. J. A. E., Benson, S., &amp; Stock, A.-K. (2020). Updating the definition of the alcohol hangover. <em>Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9<\/em>(3), Article 823.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/NEJMoa1817591\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Voskoboinik, A., Kalman, J. M., De Silva, A., Nicholls, T., Costello, B., Nanayakkara, S., Prabhu, S., Stub, D., Azzopardi, S., Vizi, D., Wong, G., Nalliah, C., Sugumar, H., Wong, M., Kotschet, E., Kaye, D., Taylor, A. J., &amp; Kistler, P. M. (2020). Alcohol abstinence in drinkers with atrial fibrillation. <em>New England Journal of Medicine, 382<\/em>(1), 20-28.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/acer.13897\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Witkiewitz, K., Kranzler, H. R., Hallgren, K. A., O&#8217;Malley, S. S., Falk, D. E., Litten, R. Z., Hasin, D. S., Mann, K. F., &amp; Anton, R. F. (2018). Drinking risk level reductions associated with improvements in physical health and quality of life among individuals with alcohol use disorder. <em>Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 42<\/em>(12), 2453-2465.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.who.int\/media\/docs\/default-source\/mental-health\/mhgap\/alcohol-use-disorders\/treatment-of-alcohol-withdrawal-delirium.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">World Health Organization. (2012). <em>Treatment of alcohol withdrawal delirium<\/em> [mhGAP evidence profile].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/alcohol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">World Health Organization. (2024a). <em>Alcohol<\/em> [Fact sheet].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240096745\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">World Health Organization. (2024b). <em>Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders<\/em>.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/icd.who.int\/browse\/2026-01\/mms\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">World Health Organization. (2026). <em>International classification of diseases for mortality and morbidity statistics<\/em> (11th rev., 2026-01): 6C40 Disorders due to use of alcohol; QE10 Hazardous alcohol use.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/europe\/news\/item\/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. (2023, January 4). <em>No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health<\/em> [News release].<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jsat.2018.02.004\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Zemore, S. E., Lui, C., Mericle, A., Hemberg, J., &amp; Kaskutas, L. A. (2018). A longitudinal study of the comparative efficacy of Women for Sobriety, LifeRing, SMART Recovery, and 12-step groups for those with AUD. <em>Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 88<\/em>, 18-26.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Zhao, J., Stockwell, T., Naimi, T., Churchill, S., Clay, J., &amp; Sherk, A. (2023). Association between daily alcohol intake and risk of all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analyses. <em>JAMA Network Open, 6<\/em>(3), Article e236185.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#6b6259;margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">BOOKS FROM OUR SHELF<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#524a42;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.17), 15.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.guilford.com\/books\/Over-the-Influence\/Denning-Little\/9781462526796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-color:#dcb7b4\">Denning, P., &amp; Little, J. (2017). <em>Over the influence: The harm reduction guide to controlling your drug and alcohol use<\/em> (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-lastrev\" style=\"margin:34px 0 0;font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;,sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.5;color:#6b6259\">Last reviewed October 2026<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>.eqp{--rc-accent:#862f38;--rc-band:#f8eaec;--rc-hover:#f2dbde;--rc-bg:#fbf6ec}.eqp .eq-rc-btn{display:none}.eqp .eq-rc{position:relative}.eqp .eq-rc li[hidden]{display:block;margin:0;padding:0;height:0;line-height:0;font-size:0}.eqp .eq-rc li.rc-off{display:none}.eqp .eq-rc.is-collapsed::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;height:76px;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,transparent,var(--rc-bg) 94%);pointer-events:none}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;gap:8px;box-sizing:border-box;min-width:260px;min-height:48px;margin:22px 0 0;padding:12px 26px;background:var(--rc-band);color:var(--rc-accent);border:1.5px solid var(--rc-accent);border-radius:9px;font-family:\"Work Sans\",system-ui,sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:normal;text-transform:none;text-decoration:none;text-align:center;box-shadow:none;cursor:pointer;-webkit-appearance:none;appearance:none;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn:hover{background:var(--rc-hover);color:var(--rc-accent)}.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn:focus-visible{outline:3px solid var(--rc-accent);outline-offset:3px}.eqp .eq-rc-chev{flex:0 0 auto;width:8px;height:8px;margin-top:-4px;border-right:2px solid currentColor;border-bottom:2px solid currentColor;transform:rotate(45deg);transition:transform .2s ease}.eqp .eq-rc-btn[aria-expanded=\"true\"] .eq-rc-chev{margin-top:4px;transform:rotate(-135deg)}@media (max-width:640px){.eqp .eq-rc ~ .eq-rc-btn{display:flex;width:100%;min-width:0;margin:18px 0 0;padding:12px 10px}}@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.eqp .eq-rc-chev{transition:none}}@media print{.eqp .eq-rc-btn{display:none!important}.eqp .eq-rc::after{display:none!important}.eqp .eq-rc li[hidden]{display:list-item!important;content-visibility:visible!important;height:auto!important;font-size:inherit!important;line-height:inherit!important}.eqp .eq-rc li.rc-off{display:list-item!important}}<\/style>\n<style id=\"eq-sweep-3351\">\n\/* Sweep 3351 (20 Oct 2026): design items D1 to D6. 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Don\u2019t start, stop or change a prescribed medicine because of anything written here; talk to whoever prescribed it. Psychological support is intended to work alongside appropriate medical care, never to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:44px\"><a class=\"ra-next\" href=\"\/drugs-101\/\"><span class=\"eyb\">Read next<\/span><span class=\"ti\">Drugs 101<\/span><span class=\"wy\">The companion to this article: what other drugs do, which mixes cause the most emergencies, and what to do if a friend won\u2019t wake up.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A therapist taking notes on a clipboard during a session\" class=\"wp-image-230\" style=\"width:100%;height:340px;object-fit:cover;object-position:center 40%;border-radius:22px 22px 0 0;display:block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\n<div hidden data-eq-related=\"3151,2503,3089\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background eq-ondark has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f761ea3b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#36302b;border-radius:0px 0px 22px 22px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:80px;padding:52px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#dcd3c5;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORKING WITH THIS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"changing-your-relationship-with-alcohol\" style=\"color:#ffffff;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(16.293px, 1.018rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.989), 25px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Changing your relationship with alcohol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family eq-ondark wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#f3ede2;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.398), 17.5px);line-height:1.7\">Therapy here is for anyone who wants to take a closer look at their drinking: a sense that it has crept up, a habit of reaching for a glass when things get hard, or a plan to cut down that keeps slipping. We work on the drinking and on what sits underneath it, at your pace, and alongside any medical care you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/individual-session\/\" style=\"border-radius:9px;color:#2a2622;background-color:#fbf6ec;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:700\">Book a session<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button footer_b\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/contact\/\" style=\"border-color:#dcd3c5;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:9px;color:#ffffff;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:600\">Get in touch<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why a therapist would write about drinking without telling you to stop, what counts as one drink, what alcohol does over an evening and the morning after, what changed on the heart and cancer, how drinking tangles with anxiety and low mood, when it turns dangerous, how to tell it has become a problem, what actually helps, and the questions people usually only ask a search bar<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":284,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-body-and-mind","category-too-afraid-to-ask"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3351"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4771,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3351\/revisions\/4771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}