Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine whether your relationship with alcohol is verging on unhealthy.
While many Brits enjoy a drink now and then, there are signs that can indicate whether you’re becoming dependant on alcohol.
To help us understand what could be concerning, the NHS has listed nine questions to determine if you’re drinking too much and what you need to do if you are.
The NHS has listed nine questions (Getty Stock Photo)
Each question has multiple choice answers, and each answer correlates to a different score.
At the end of the questionnaire, you’ll be asked to add up your score.
If you’ve scored over a certain threshold, the NHS advise booking an appointment with your GP to discuss.
Each answer has a score (Getty Stock Photo)
Are you drinking too much alcohol?
Here are the nine questions to ask:
How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?How many drinks containing alcohol on a typical day when you are drinking?How often do you have six or more drinks in one occasion?How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?How often during the last year have you needed a drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?How often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because of your drinking?Has a relative, friend, doctor or other health care woerker been concerned about you drinking or suggested you cut down?
The NHS advise that if you’ve scored over eight, to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss.
You can find the questionnaire and more advice here.
The number of people who don’t drink alcohol is increasing (Getty Stock Photo)
While many Brits enjoy a drink now and then, the number of drinkers in the UK is actually declining.
In 2022, 48 percent of adults drank alcohol at least once a week, which was a decline from 54 percent in 2011.
Meanwhile, the percentage of adults who do not drink at all increased from 16 percent to 19 percent.
Men drink more often than women, with eight percent drinking daily compared to five percent of women.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.