Alcohol-use disorder
Signs of alcohol-use disorder include:
- regularly drinking more alcohol than you mean to
- difficulty stopping or reducing the amount you drink, even if you want to
- feeling guilty or remorseful after drinking
- people you know being concerned about your drinking
- continuing to drink even when it's causing problems for your health, work or relationships
- craving alcohol, for example, needing a drink when you wake up in the morning
- needing increasing amounts of alcohol to get the same effect
- getting withdrawal symptoms when you stop or reduce drinking
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms
If you stop drinking or cut down, you may get withdrawal symptoms. This is a sign your body is dependent on alcohol. Symptoms include:
- anxiety
- difficulty sleeping
- feeling and being sick (nausea and vomiting)
- a racing heartbeat, sweating and shaking (tremor)
- seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there (hallucinations)
- confusion
- seizures
Withdrawal symptoms begin within 6 to 12 hours of your last drink, and usually last from 3 to 7 days. But some symptoms may last for a few months, especially if you drink heavily.
Important
It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you're dependent on alcohol. If you get withdrawal symptoms, get medical help before you try to stop drinking.
See a GP or an alcohol addiction support service if:
- you're worried about your drinking
- you want help to stop drinking
- you get symptoms like anxiety, difficulty sleeping, sweating or feeling and being sick when you try to stop drinking
- you're worried about someone else's drinking
Check your drinking
If you're worried about your drinking but you’re not sure how serious it is, you can check your drinking on the Alcohol Change UK website.
Call 999 or go to A&E if:
You or someone else has severe withdrawal symptoms after stopping drinking alcohol, such as:
- shaking visibly
- being unusually restless, irritable or upset
- confusion (for example, not knowing what day it is)
- seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
- having a seizure
Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
Bring any medicines you take with you.
If you see a GP or alcohol support service about your alcohol use, they will ask about your drinking and how it's affecting your life. You may be asked to fill in a questionnaire about your symptoms.
You may also be offered blood tests to check if your drinking is affecting your health.
You can get treatment for alcohol-use disorder from your GP or a specialist alcohol addiction service.
The aim of treatment is usually to help you stop drinking completely, especially if you're dependent on alcohol. But if you're not ready to stop yet, or just want to cut down, you'll be supported to reduce your drinking to a safer level.
Treatment for alcohol-use disorder can include:
- talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- medical help for withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking alcohol, either at home or in hospital
- help to prevent relapses (where you start drinking again), such as medicines to reduce alcohol cravings
- support to make positive changes in other areas of your life, such as your relationships
- help accessing other forms of support, for example with employment or housing
Medicines for alcohol-use disorder
Medicines for alcohol-use disorder can help you to avoid drinking. They're usually offered once you've stopped drinking and need help to stay sober.
These medicines can include:
- acamprosate or naltrexone, which help reduce alcohol cravings
- disulfiram, which causes unpleasant effects (such as a headache, feeling sick, high body temperature and heart palpitations) when combined with alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol is very bad for your health. Stopping drinking is the best way to reduce your risk of serious health problems.
Short term risks of drinking too much include:
- serious accidents or injuries while drunk
- alcohol poisoning
Longer term risks include:
- liver damage such as alcohol-related liver disease
- increased risk of many different types of cancer
- high blood pressure and stroke
- heart problems including cardiomyopathy and heart failure
- acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis
- mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression
- alcohol related brain damage
Risks of drinking alcohol when pregnant
If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, it's recommended that you don't drink any alcohol.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. It also puts your baby at risk of long-term problems such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
If you're finding it hard to stop drinking while you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, get help from your GP or an alcohol support service.
There are things you can do to help stop or reduce your drinking.
Get medical help before you stop or reduce drinking if you get withdrawal symptoms.
Do
keep a daily diary of how much you're drinking, or try a drink tracking app
to cut down, try alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks, or choose lower strength (ABV in %) drinks
tell people you're stopping drinking so they can help keep you on track
avoid situations where you know you're likely to drink
find different activities to do when you'd usually drink, such as trying a new hobby
try joining a support group
NHS drink tracking app
Stopping drinking can be difficult. You can get support from your GP or alcohol addiction support services.
There are also charities and peer support groups where you can get support from other people going through the same thing.
Support groups
Organisations offering support for people trying to stop drinking, including helplines and support groups, include:
Support for friends, family and carers
Organisations offering support for friends, family and carers, including helplines and support groups, include:
More information about supporting someone else:
