Avoiding risky drinking

In the three years leading up to 2019, nearly a third of Australians surveyed had reduced their alcohol consumption for health reasons. Despite that, there was been little change in the number of people drinking at risky levels. In 2019, one in four people drank at a risky level. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) study the physical and mental health of the country.  The NHMRC has guidelines for safe alcohol consumption.  Because there is no change in the level of risky drinking, they revised the levels.

The recommended number of standard drinks was reduced from fourteen down to ten standard drinks a week (and not more than four on any one day), in order to reduce the risk of harm. Risky drinking is when a person exceeds those guidelines.

Risky drinking and problematic alcohol consumption still remain a major health problem for many Australians. Large amounts of alcohol are difficult for our bodies to process.  Long-term damage to the body can be severe, and regular drinking above recommended levels can lead to chronic illnesses such as dementia, liver, and heart disease and increased blood pressure.

It can also damage our immune system. With the increasing awareness of reducing the risk of infection during the COVID pandemic, we should be very careful about how much and how often we drink.

Sometimes that is harder to do because of alcohol dependency or addiction.  At Retreat South, we provide individualised program to assist you with dependency and other mental health issues.

For more information and to speak with someone about how Retreat South can help you,  call us on (03) 5568 4155 or contact us here.