When does drinking alcohol become a problem?

When you begin waking up with a bit of a headache each Saturday morning? When you begin waking up with a headache every morning? Perhaps it's when you start drinking every morning simply to get out of bed? Or perhaps it's when you once again find yourself waking up in the A&E department with no knowledge of how you ended up there, what day it is, or even what has happened to you for the last week or so?

You don't have to have reached the final example to have a drinking problem. The safe limits for the consumption of alcohol are surprisingly low and many people will frequently exceed these without considering the damage they are doing to their health. What are some possible solutions?

An ideal place to start is by actually keeping a note on the number of units of alcohol that you are actually consuming. If you find yourself to be regularly exceeding the safe limits perhaps it's time that you considered slowing down a little.

An alternative may be to begin substituting alcohol tea . Many people have often notice very little difference when simply switching from an alcoholic beverage to a non alcoholic beverage. If you are having an enjoyable night out with your friends perhaps it is their company and the atmosphere that you are enjoying rather than the alcohol itself.

Your next step may be to stop drinking all together. If you have been drinking heavily for sometime before you consider going 'cold turkey' you should first visit your doctor who will be able to advise you on the best course of action and can assess you to ensure you will not suffer any withdrawal effects. Alcohol withdrawal can be extremely serious and in certain cases can lead to death.

If you are really having problems stopping your doctor may prescribe you some medication of which there are currently several different types. There are ones which may stop you craving alcohol such as Campral, ones which can make you very ill from alcohol such as Antabuse or others which may stop the effects of alcohol such as Naltrexone.

Finally the internet is a great resource with many websites and user groups all dedicated to helping those battling with alcoholism. These sites contain the stories of many people whom have fought and overcome the fight against drink and can provide a great source of inspiration.