Alcohol has been around since the beginning of time and Australia has a culture of drinking. It is embedded in our psyche with celebrations for significant occasions, as a right of passage, after a footy match, five o’clock drinks and the time for relaxation at the end of the day when kids go to sleep. Several of my friends have cellars.
We need community wide understanding that alcohol is another drug and lifestyle choice that affects health from the point of conception to the grave.
The health and public health impacts have been studied and are now well documented.
The harmful use of alcohol has both short-term and long-term health effects, including injury, alcohol dependence, and other chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, cirrhosis of the liver, types of dementia, mental health problems, and various cancers. This also includes breast cancer.
Alcohol is a drug, and I have had patients with underlying anxiety, depression, and complex trauma use alcohol to numb their pain.
Alcohol use during pregnancy is also associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, such as fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol-related birth defects and developmental disorders.
Alcohol is also one of the key drivers for domestic violence.
I have included the Australian guidelines for safe drinking. It is critical to discuss with your general practitioner about your personal risk. Alcohol is toxic for the liver, heart, and brain.
I encourage all my patients with chronic diseases in this area to minimise or stop drinking.
I ask every single patient about their alcohol consumption. There are less of my younger patients regularly drinking. Many have had education at school about the harms of alcohol and other drugs.
