Do YOU drink too much? Answers these 10 questions and find out

Do YOU drink too much? Give honest answers to these 10 questions and find out if it’s time to cut down or seek help

More than half a million people are thought to be alcohol dependent in the UK
It can lead to a higher risk of serious illnesses including cancer and liver damage

Coming to the realisation that you have a drinking problem can sometimes be the hardest part of dealing with the blight of alcohol misuse.

It is thought that more than half a million people in the UK are alcohol dependent, meaning they have a strong and often uncontrollable desire to drink.

This can wreak havoc on the lives of their loved ones, as well as leading to increased risk of cancers, pancreatitis, strokes, heart disease, and liver and kidney damage in drinkers themselves.

But there are concerns that some people dealing with alcoholism are ‘slipping through the net’ due to health workers not recording their drinking habits properly.

Alcoholism can lead to a higher risk of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and liver damage

Revealed: Efforts to stay sober during Dry January frequently hit the rocks because socialising make it harder to abstain, research shows – READ MORE HERE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said that thousands of people every year could be missing out on help and support to curb problem drinking, or a potential referral on specialist services.

It has called on health bodies to ensure people’s drinking habits are correctly recorded to help improve people who need support are offered it.

Logging information properly will also mean that patients are not repeatedly asked about their drinking habits, Nice suggested.

Health professionals should use a validated questionnaire to ensure the information on how much and how often people drink is appropriately logged, according to Nice’s new draft quality standard, which sets out improvements for care of adults with alcohol problems.

Nice said that a ‘large number of people who are dependent on alcohol are not receiving treatment’.

A 2018 study on the GP records of 1.8 million adults across the UK found that half had no information on alcohol consumption data and under 10 per cent had a screening test score.

According to figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, there were an estimated 602,391 adults with alcohol dependency in England in need of specialist treatment in 2018 to 2019.

There were 107,428 people in treatment for alcohol in 2020 to 2021, it added.

Among the tools used to identify potential alcoholism is AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) – a quiz that has been used since 1989 to help screen people for potential alcoholism or other disorders involving drink.

Backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a quick and relatively simple way of judging how much alcohol you consume and whether you might need help with a potential drinking problem.

We have recreated the self-assessment below so you can see how you would score:

How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?

a) Never (zero points)

b) Monthly or less (1 point)

c) 2-4 times per month (2 points)

d) 2-3 times per week (3 points)

e) 4+ times per week (4 points)

How many units of alcohol do you drink on a typical day when you are drinking?

a) 0-2 (zero points)

b) 3-4 (1 point)

c) 5-6 (2 points)

d) 7-9 (3 points)

e) 10+ (4 points)

How often have you had six or more units if female, or eight or more if male, on a single occasion in the last year?

a) Never (zero points)

b) Less than monthly (1 point)

c) Monthly (2 points)

d) Weekly (3 points)