Know your limits – be safe over summer

As everyone looks forward to the summer months, the Outer Hebrides Alcohol & Drug Partnership wants to make sure everyone takes care and has an enjoyable time.

There were 1,277 alcohol specific deaths in Scotland in 2023, of those deaths, 416 were women and 861 were men. Ensuring you stay within the recommended low risk drinking guidelines will reduce the risks to your health and wellbeing.

The Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines advise that to protect yourself from harm, it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. Fourteen units is equivalent to six pints of beer or 6 medium glasses of wine or 7 double measures of spirits.

Heavy drinking can lead to hypertension and increased risk of stroke, cirrhosis and liver failure and certain head and neck cancers. Alcohol is linked to casual and unsafe sex that can lead to pregnancy and STIs. To protect yourself from pregnancy and STIs you can request free condoms from your GP surgery.

When attending events or being out with friends, it is easy to forget how many drinks you have had. Although alcohol can relax you, it is a depressant and drinking to excess can leave you feeling stressed and anxious. If you are not drinking water in between drinks, this can cause you to become dehydrated which leads to a hangover the next day, where you will feel awful and may affect you participating in any plans you had for that day. Relationships with family can be affected, where they may have to deal with tension in the home and possible neglect of family members and children.

Alcohol does not have to be key factor in all this. There are options and choices that you can make. Consider reducing the amount you drink and have at least 3 alcohol free days per week. Swap to low or non-alcohol options or lower strength drinks which are more widely available. Choose a smaller measure of wine or spirits and most importantly, pace yourself.

The Scottish Government’s count14.scot website provides a free drinks calculator to work out how many units you would typically drink in a week. Why not give it a try. You might be surprised!

If you feel your drinking is becoming a problem for you or a loved one, please talk to your GP. NHS Inform also provides information on tips to cut down and offers advise where you can get help and support with alcohol Alcohol | NHS inform. You can also find information of alcohol and drug services available in Outer Hebrides on our website – www.outerhebadp.com.