Alcohol

Going out for a drink on sauchiehall Street or at the Union and ending up getting 'smashed' can be a normal part of university lige for some students.  Alcohol is used at some point by the majority of students but is often not recognised as the powerful drug it actually is.  Having a drink or two to unwind or socialise is a normal and healthy part of life, but continual excessive alcohol intake can cause long-term physical and psychological damage.  Alcohol is a depressant, although the effect after the first drink doesn't feel like that.  It dulls the action of the brain, and affects your decision-making and co-ordination.  Within minutes of having a drink, there is alcohol throughout your body. 

There are many different factors that play a role in how drink will affect you:

• Your weight.  The same amount of alcohol has a greater effect on a lighter person than on a heavier person.
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• Your gender.  Women have less water in their bodies, which acts to dilute their alcohol intake, so the effect of the alcohol is greater.
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• Your physical and mental state at the time.  The mood you are in and the physical state you are in will directly affect your tolerance to alcohol.  If you are feeling low or stressed, or run down, alcohol will affect you differently and you may become drunk faster without noticing it.  Be aware of your mental and physical state when you're going out for a drink, and take care of yourself.  It is also worth looking at how much money you're spending on drink each week.  The effects of regular drinking sessions on your pocket can be pretty severe.

Safe Weekly Limits for Drinking

These limits outline what are currently considered to be safe limits.  However, it is important to recognise that these are meant to be spread out over the week, i.e. a couple of drinks a day at most - saving them all up for Friday and saturday night is not a healthy or safe thing to do.

• Men - No more than 21 units a week (and no more than four units in any one day)
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• Women - No more then 14 units a week (and no more than three units in any one day)
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• Pregnant Women - (one or two units), once or twice a week is unlikely to harm your unborn baby.  However, the exact amount that is safe is not known.  So, many women have little or no alcohol when they are pregnant.

The more you drink above these limits, the greater the risk of developing serious problems such as liver disease.  If you feel as if your drinking is affecting yuor studies or yuor personal life you can make an appointment to see either the Welfare Adviser (0141 273 1613, Caroline.Miller@gcal.ac.uk ) or the Mental Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator on 0141 273 1449.