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NUMBER OF PEOPLE ENQUIRING ABOUT PRIORY ALCOHOL TREATMENT SERVICES UP NEARLY 60% IN TWO YEARS

Nearly 60% increase in enquiries about Priory alcohol services since before the pandemic
Public Health England also reported a ‘step change’ in heavy drinking habits coinciding with the start of the pandemic
Lockdown created conditions where some people, who already drank regularly, tipped into dangerous levels of consumption
Priory addiction therapist says people opening up about their drinking can help “smash the stigma” around addiction

New data from The Priory shows a significant increase in the number of people seeking help for their excessive drinking, compared to the pre-pandemic era. The year to September (January to September 2021 inclusive) has seen a 59.7% increase in enquiries to Priory’s private alcohol addiction services compared to the same period in 2019*. The figure reinforces concerns that the pandemic has contributed to much higher levels of problematic alcohol use.

Public Health England (PHE) also reported that between March 2020 and March 2021, there was a 58.6% increase in the proportion of people drinking at higher risk levels [1]. It says its data shows a “step-change around the time the pandemic began” when some people, often those who were already consuming alcohol regularly, increased their intake at a greater rate than would normally have been expected.

Speaking ahead of Alcohol Awareness Week (15-21 November), Priory addiction therapist Dee Johnson says: “I have seen a marked increase, especially in people who, pre-pandemic, were teetering on the brink of their drinking becoming problematic. The pandemic seems to have accelerated it.”

She explains that the pandemic created a unique set of conditions that could tip people into the problematic drinking zone; “From not having to get up early or drive first thing, due to working from home, to wanting a bit of a ‘reward’ in scary times, a process took place where drinking daily very quickly became normalised.”

Dee says that over time “the body starts to change its tolerance levels, and a physical dependency can be created. Two glasses of wine in an evening no longer ‘cut it’, and, before you realise, something has changed it’s a bottle, and so on.”

Alcohol misuse can cause severe short and long-term health problems. The current UK guidelines advise both men and women to keep their alcohol intake below 14 units a week; a pint of 5.2% strength beer contains three units, while a small 125ml glass of wine has 1.5 units.

Increasingly, people are willing to recognise they have an alcohol problem and do something about it. Dee believes that some high-profile individuals opening up about their excess drinking has helped break the stigma surrounding alcoholism in recent years.

“As an addiction expert, I really value the people who are publicly sharing their experiences, and no longer keeping them a shameful and painful secret. The guilt some people feel stems from outdated and inaccurate assumptions about addiction. When people, whether they are famous or not, have the courage and generosity to blow away the myths and misconceptions about alcoholism and addiction, it does start to smash the stigma.”

Dee says there are some societal misconceptions about alcoholism, which mean some people struggle to recognise it in themselves, and feel guilt when they do; “The reality is that mental health issues can affect anyone, and addiction (or Substance Use Disorder) is no different. The person drunk on a park bench, and a smartly dressed alcoholic on their way to work, have the same illness. Although their life circumstances are totally different, the consequences of untreated alcoholism could result in life-limiting or fatal conditions for either of them. So much is hidden in plain sight.

“We still have a long way to go, but the increase in people seeking help, and looking for a safe way to stop suffering, is a really hopeful sign that the stigma around addiction is being altered.”

Anyone concerned about their alcohol intake, should discuss it with their GP, who can refer them to a specialist and other services. Alternatively, Priory provides a free addiction assessment service, which can be performed remotely by telephone or Skype or at a Priory hospital.

Nearly six in 10 Londoners ‘drink to get drunk’ according to new poll

More than half of Londoners who drink alcohol have, or do, ‘drink to get drunk’, according to a new poll – the results of which were reported on by the City’s dedicated news platform, City Matters

The survey shows the extent to which alcohol is consumed to excess – and the widespread disregard of its effects on physical, and mental, health.

The finding is even more worrying because, as the police have pointed out, people who are inebriated are unable to ‘socially distance’ whether they are ‘happy’ or ‘angry’ as a result of their drinking. Drinking heavily also weakens immunity and thus reduces the ability to cope with infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

According to the survey of more than 1,000 adults, conducted by the Priory Group, the addiction and mental health specialists, 58% of those in London say they drink to get drunk – the highest result for regions polled, and above the national average, which is still high at 40%.

For other large cities such as Birmingham and Manchester, the response rates were slightly lower, but still over half, 51% for Birmingham and 52% for Manchester.

Londoners were also among the highest to feel more comfortable in a social situation only if alcohol was involved – with 59% mentioning this.

This was higher than in the North East (51%), and the North West (54%).

Yet image-conscious Londoners are concerned with the way they look, specifically their weight: 61% of those from London said they would cut down on drinking if they knew the calorie content of the drink (vs the national average of 48%).

Priory consultant psychiatrist Dr Niall Campbell, a leading UK addiction expert based at the Priory Hospital in Roehampton, south-west London, said; “Drinking to get drunk is dangerous, and cannot be a worse strategy. It can quickly become habitual, and as drink is a depressant, it will have an effect on your mental as well as physical health. I see it all the time in my patients.

“Alcohol has effects, both short-term and long-term, on almost every single organ of your body and even in small quantities is known to cause certain types of cancer. Drinking, especially heavily, weakens the immune system and therefore reduces your ability to cope with infectious diseases, including Covid-19.”

Dr Campbell added: “While some are now going to bars and pubs to drink, many people are working from home or ‘drinking from home’ as one lawyer put it, and some are slipping into habits of drinking earlier to cope with the stress of lockdown, job insecurity, and concerns about a global recession.

The ‘look yourself in the mirror’ moment

Dr Campbell said: “I see lives devastated by alcohol. You need to look honestly at your weekly alcohol consumption. Keep a drink diary if you don’t know. Familiarise yourself with what a ‘unit’ consists of and what the alcohol unit guidelines are (no more than 14 units a week). It’s not as simple as one drink, one unit. Large wine glasses hold 250ml, which is nearly three units or more in a single glass. Likewise, one pint of strong lager can contain more than three units of alcohol. A 750ml bottle of red, white or rosé wine contains around 10 units. By knowing what you consume, you can make the decision to stop.

I often see people whose drinking levels have crept up on them over several years and who use alcohol to cope with unreasonable work pressures, or life crises such as divorce or bereavement. But drinking is not a coping strategy.

What’s your real motivation for stopping?

Assess alcohol’s true toll on your physical, mental and emotional health. Remind yourself of your worst or most embarrassing hangover. Do you constantly feel lethargic and foggy-headed at work? Do you lose days to hangovers? Do you find it hard to kick-start yourself in the mornings? Thinking about these things will help you decide you really want to change, because the benefits of giving up alcohol are manifold. Now is a good time to give up alcohol. The present situation is a unique opportunity to quit drinking, or at least to cut down considerably, as various social events aren’t possible.

Instead of alcohol?

Low alcohol beer is ok although it can give you a taste for the real stuff. But think of this period of the year as a detox and you might want to give up caffeine at the same time. Get in the habit of drinking at least five glasses of water each day as your body desperately needs water for almost everything it does. Fruit juices are better than caffeinated, artificially sweetened soft drinks.

Think of losing weight

Quitting alcohol is a huge incentive to losing weight and looking better, because there are lots of hidden calories in alcohol. According to a YouGov survey, the average wine drinker in England takes in around 2,000 calories from alcohol every month. Drinking five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200 calories over a year, which is equivalent to eating 221 doughnuts.

So – those other, long-term benefits…

Skin can become was puffy and blotchy as a result of drinking – but this can be reversed. In simple terms, alcohol is toxic to your skin and these toxins make your skin less elastic which can be very ageing. But there are many other benefits to giving up alcohol; your blood sugar will normalise, you will feel much more clear-headed, less depressed and your sleep patterns are likely to improve within a week. Your liver will begin to repair itself in as little as two months. Many people report that their mood or outlook on life seems better. Reducing your weight also brings a lot of other benefits.

You help to reduce further your risk of developing Type II diabetes and you lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

New figures are also showing us that accumulated drinking over a lifetime is taking its toll. Older people are increasingly dying from alcohol abuse as decades of drinking take their toll on the baby-boomer generation. Surely that’s a wake-up call for us all.

Becoming an undergraduate during a pandemic: Priory expert offers advice

Over the next few weeks, thousands of young people across the country are preparing for that well-established rite of passage – heading to university for the start of the new academic year.

But restrictions caused by COVID-19 will make starting university this year a unique, and potentially difficult, experience; many universities are having to adapt courses to online learning rather than face-to-face lectures while some are requesting students only socialise with those living in their halls of residence.

And studying for a degree already means dealing with the combined stress of academic work, tight finance and much higher levels of debt than in the past. The pandemic, and concerns about a second wave, add another layer of pressure to this mix.

The stresses placed on students can have serious consequences both on their mental health – and their future career; official figures show that two thirds of universities and colleges have seen an increase in the last five years in the proportion of students who ‘drop out’.

And only one in four (27%) of existing students feels that their university provides adequate mental health support, according to the newly-released NatWest Student Living Index 2020.

This is despite efforts made by many universities in recent years to tackle the mental health crisis among students head-on – the pressure to socialise (albeit with social distancing thrown in this year), to live independently in an unfamiliar environment, and to thrive academically.

Every year there are widely reported incidents involving young people and excess alcohol. Others struggle with acute feelings of loneliness, fear they have chosen the wrong course or university, and homesickness.

However, as reported in the Hippocratic Post this week, against this worrying backdrop there are plenty of pragmatic steps undergraduates can take to look after themselves and their mental health as they adjust to student living.

Firstly, starting university can be an exhilarating experience, combining being away from the watchful eyes of parents with being surrounded by like-minded teens. But it may not feel like that for everyone. Priory consultant psychiatrist Dr Andrew Iles says; “Do not feel pressured into drinking alcohol, or at least more than you would like to, and remember that you are your own person. Stepping outside of your comfort zone to please others is never going to work out well.”

University is primarily about studying, not partying, but this brings its own pressures. Students who are used to being at the top of their class may suddenly find themselves surrounded by people of equal or higher ability. Undergraduates should remember that what they are feeling is perfectly normal. “A significant number of my patients are university students and practicing in Oxford means that I am used to seeing people who fear that they are not intelligent enough to keep up with university life,” says Dr Iles. He continues; “Usually this is simply untrue, but it does not stop people experiencing ‘imposter syndrome’.”

And, this new phase of academic life may often be the first-time young people have been required to structure their own reading and learning, and some are not prepared. “Adapting from A levels and other courses like the International Baccalaureate and BTECs, is tough”, says Dr Iles. “The structured learning environment of sixth form and further education colleges is replaced with much greater emphasis on self-directed study and learning objectives may become less well-defined.”

Because there will be a dizzying array of things to do and people to meet, students need to remember that there is only so much a person can get through, and that taking the time to rest and recuperate is very important. “Speak to any established undergraduate and they will tell you that staying up late and the pressure to find new friends is exhausting. Burning the candle at both ends leaves many feeling homesick and isolated”, says Dr Iles.

If students do find the whole experience starts to feel overwhelming, it helps to remember that everyone is in the same situation. Dr Iles reminds new starters that; “You have worked hard to get into university, so try and remember that many people will experience similar problems when they start. However, some people may have greater problems, maybe because of existing mental illness or maybe because they are experiencing a mental health condition for the first time. Should you find yourself in this situation, make sure you tell someone. It is never good to suffer in silence.”

So, it’s good to remind yourself – or friends you might be concerned about – if you’re feeling stressed or anxious, there are people to help, whatever the underlying cause. You can access medical professionals such as GPs, or counsellors, psychologists, welfare advisers, university counselling services or student union representatives. Your GP may also refer you to a psychotherapist or psychiatrist – confidential services that will not affect your job prospects negatively (a common worry).

NUMBER OF PEOPLE ENQUIRING ABOUT PRIORY ALCOHOL TREATMENT SERVICES UP NEARLY 60% IN TWO YEARS

Nearly six in 10 Londoners ‘drink to get drunk’ according to new poll

Becoming an undergraduate during a pandemic: Priory expert offers advice

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