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The short-term effects of alcohol are dependent on the amount consumed and can vary enormously from person to person and from one situation to another.

The main effect is on the brain, which can result in:

• Slurred speech
• Loss of coordination
• Unsteadiness when standing or walking
• Impaired attention and judgement
• Loss of inhibition
• Sleep

Each gram of alcohol contains seven calories. If you’re watching your waistline, cutting down on alcohol will help to reduce calorie intake. Alcohol can also weaken your willpower, tempting you to eat more than you planned.

The energy provided by an alcoholic drink depends on the percentage of alcohol it contains, but also on the type of drink it is. For example, a creamy liqueur will have more calories than a clear liqueur. As a rough guide:

• a pint of continental lager is about 215 calories
• a measure of spirit contains around 55 calories, but this doesn’t include calories from the mixer - try to choose low-calorie options
• a standard glass of dry white wine or red wine is about 115 calories, and sweet wine is about 165 calories
• a creamy liqueur contains around 163 calories per 50ml serving, while the same amount of sherry or port contains around 60 calories a glass

The liver breaks down and eliminates alcohol from the body. It takes the liver about one hour to deal with one unit of alcohol (8g).

Alcohol is a drug that has the immediate effect of altering mood. Drinking it makes people feel relaxed, happy and even euphoric, but in fact alcohol is a depressant. It switches off the part of the brain that controls judgement, leading to loss of inhibitions. Drinking even small amounts of alcohol can affect physical coordination.

There are benefits from alcohol: such as physical and mental effects along with social

Reduced anxiety

Reduced stress

Can leave you feeling happy, talkative

increase euphoria

Each year 5,000 to 10,000 people die prematurely from alcohol abuse. The more alcohol a population consumes the more alcohol-related damage will result, and consumption has been increasing steadily in England since the second world war.

Deaths from liver cirrhosis relate closely to heavy drinking. Deaths linked to cirrhosis and related diseases of the liver rose by 121% for men and 68% for women between 1980-82 and 2000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Alcohol is a factor in 20-30% of accidents- Physical

11% of cases alcohol consumption is the main cause of men’s high blood pressure, which is a major factor relating to coronary heart disease and stroke- physical

Teenage pregnancy - 40% of 13-14 year olds were drunk when they first experienced sexual intercourse- physical, social and mental

Up to 30% male admissions and 15% female admissions to general surgical and medical wards have alcohol related problems- physical 

Alcohol is costing NHS around £3 billion a year- social

5% of suicide attempts are linked to heavy drinking- mental

Drinking at this level increases the risks of future health problems:

• You could be 3 – 5 times as likely to get cancer of the mouth, neck and throat.
• You could be 3 – 10 times as likely to develop liver cirrhosis
• You could be twice as likely to suffer from an irregular heartbeat.
• Men are could be 4 times the risk of having high blood pressure; Women are at least twice as likely.
• Women are around 50% as likely to get breast cancer.

Daily recommended drinking levels for a healthy male are 3-4 units of alcohol per day with two alcohol free
days per week.

Daily recommended drinking levels for a healthy female are 2-3 units of alcohol per day