Rotherham Alcohol Services

Transcription

1 Rotherham Alcohol Services RDaSH Rotherham Drug and Alcohol Services Services

2 What do we do? Rotherham Alcohol Services operates by self-referral by ringing us on , or through your GP surgery. We are a group of professionals with nursing and social work qualifications with extensive knowledge of alcohol and its impact on an individual. We provide each service user with an evidence-based service, with each person given the opportunity to contribute towards their care plan. Our team will work with other health professionals and agencies to provide the help and support that is required by each person. We will aim to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times. Some interventions may require only one session, but other more intense and complex needs may take longer. The services we offer include: Advice and information Support Relapse prevention Onward referral and liaison Community detoxification Solution-focused brief interventions Family support Comprehensive assessment Harm reduction advice and information. 2 Rotherham Alcohol Services

3 We understand that talking about alcohol problems may sometimes be difficult, but with the right support we can help people identify their needs and make changes. What are the benefits of cutting down on your alcohol intake? Health Many of us use alcohol to unwind after a long or stressful day. We may also use alcohol as a coping mechanism, for personal reasons such as divorce, bereavement, or work-related problems. However, regularly drinking over the guidelines may make you less able to deal with stress especially if your body is still dealing with last night s alcohol intake. Drinking can affect your sleep. Although it can help some people fall asleep quickly, it can disrupt your sleep patterns and stop you from sleeping deeply. So cutting down on alcohol should help you feel more rested when you wake up. Drinking large amounts of alcohol in one go, or binge drinking, can result in confusion, blurred vision, poor muscle control, nausea, vomiting, coma and even death. Regularly drinking alcohol can also cause longer term conditions such as liver disease and the following cancers. Throat Bowel Breast 3

4 Liver Mouth Oesophagus Weight When you drink alcohol, you re consuming calories too, so regularly drinking more than the recommended limit will have an impact on your waistline. For example: Drinking five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200kcal over a year, equivalent to eating 221 doughnuts. Many women don t realise that two large glasses of white wine not only puts them over the recommended daily limit for regular alcohol consumption, but also provides them with nearly 20% of their recommended daily calorie intake. Fertility and pregnancy Drinking between one and five alcoholic drinks a week can affect a woman s ability to conceive and drinking alcohol excessively can also affect the quality of a man s sperm. The Chief Medical Officers for the UK recommend that if you re pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, and the more you drink the greater the risk. When you have a drink the alcohol passes from your bloodstream through the placenta directly into your unborn baby s blood. The risks to your baby s 4 Rotherham Alcohol Services

5 health grow the more you drink. Drinking heavily throughout pregnancy can cause your baby to develop a serious condition called foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children with FAS have: Poor growth Facial abnormalities Learning and behavioural problems. Looks A heavy night on the booze will leave you feeling dehydrated and that includes your skin. If you re drinking around 10 medium (175ml) glasses of wine per week you can expect your skin to be red and more prone to deep wrinkles. Alcohol also contributes to your face looking bloated and puffy. Behaviour Drinking just one glass of wine or one pint of lager (approximately two units) affects your behaviour and your ability to drive, so drinking even more will seriously affect your judgement and decision-making ability. You may behave in ways that put you and those around you in danger. As you carry on drinking your sex drive my increase, but by four glasses of wine or four pints of lager, you will become more confused and less capable. Excess alcohol can actually cause impotence. You may behave irrationally or aggressively when you re drunk. Memory loss can be a problem during drinking and in the long term for regular heavy drinkers. 5

6 Wallet Whether you re drinking cocktails, or cans of beer at home, you probably don t stop to think about how much your drinking is costing you on a monthly basis. If the average price of an alcoholic drink is 2.50, and you re drinking 10 or these over a week, that s you re effectively flushing down the toilet. Over a month that s 100 now just think what you could do with that! And over a year it s 1,200 you could treat yourself to a nice holiday! Handy tips Have your first alcoholic drink after starting to eat Quench your thirst with non-alcoholic drinks Avoid salty snacks when drinking alcohol Switch to low alcohol beer/lager Take smaller sips Plan activities and tasks at those times you usually drink When bored or stressed, have a workout (or any other physical activity that suits you) instead of drinking Explore interests, such as the cinema or exercise Avoid going to the pub after work Avoid or limit the time spent with heavy drinking friends Think about other things you have tried that may work Remember nobody is perfect; if you don t succeed the first time, try again. 6 Rotherham Alcohol Services 7

7 How to contact us If you would like to see a key worker at your GP practice to talk about changing your level of drinking and how you could achieve results, please discuss this with your GP or practice nurse. You can arrange an appointment at the practice reception desk to see a member of the primary care alcohol service. Alternatively, if you want to contact us for advice/information or for an appointment, please ring us on Or call in to see us at: Carnson House Moorgate road Rotherham S602FN We value your comments If you have any suggestions or concerns, please speak to any member of staff or the practice manager. Alternatively you can speak or write to us at the above address

8 This information is correct at the time of publishing Last Reviewed: March 2016 get approved We are a smokefree organisation. Please provide a smoke free environment for your healthcare provider. Print Services DP8014/03.16