Your Employee and Family Assistance Program is a support service that can help you take the first step toward change.

Alcohol: Use vs. abuse

The occasional drink may actually be good for us. Three to five alcoholic drinks a week has been shown to reduce our risk of developing heart disease and stroke and possibly diabetes. However, regularly drinking too much is not good for our physical or mental health and can lead to many negative consequences, including:

Legal issues
Financial concerns
Relationship difficulties
Work problems

Alcohol and your brain

Alcohol interferes with the communication pathways in our brains, causing memory lapses, changes in behaviour, loss of coordination, mood swings and an inability to think clearly. The more we consume, the greater the impairment. If we drink enough, we can lose control of these functions completely and lose consciousness or even die.

Alcohol abuse can lead to a number of long-term mental health issues, including:

Depression
Anxiety
Learning and memory problems
Dementia

Alcohol and your body

Alcohol abuse can also result in very serious physical issues such as

Liver disease
Certain cancers
Pancreatitis
Heart muscle damage (alcoholic cardiomyopathy) leading to heart failure
Stroke
High blood pressure

When does alcohol use become abuse?

How do you know if you or someone you love is developing a drinking problem? Here are some signs:

Personality changes when drinking
Guilt and shame about drinking or behaviours when drinking
Hiding drinking habits
Drinking to feel better or cope with social situations
Black outs – having no memory of what happened while drinking
Finding it hard to stop after one or two drinks or ending up drunk
Drinking is having a negative impact on work, relationships or finances
People are expressing concerns

If you are struggling with alcohol or are worried about someone you love, reach out for help. Contact us for information, support and local resources.

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