Living with Alcohol Problems

What do you have in common with George Best?

Did you overdo it over the festive season? This is the time of the year when it's OK to drink to excess. It's also the time of year when a lot of people come to realise they have a problem with alcohol. Here's the man who should know: Roger Williams. He was, until the footballer's premature death last year, George Best's doctor.Also read 'The day I admitted I was alcoholic' .

Cirrhosis is an irreversible liver condition which can lead to the complete failure of the organ. Without a transplant, as George Best, right, had in 2002, the result is death.

In the last ten years, deaths from cirrhosis have doubled. The rate has increased eight times in men, the increase mainly affecting the 45—55 age group — that is, those still in active working life; indeed, often those at the height of their working or professional lives. It now causes more deaths in men than Parkinson's disease.

Alcohol consumption is on the increase: one in three men drink above the recommended safe levels, according to a 2003 report from the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

Dying unnecessarily is the ultimate disaster. But before then, there is much suffering, with illness and disability. People were shocked to see the pictures of the late George Best released, but he wanted to stop people going down that same path. A quarter of all A&E admissions are related to excessive drinking; injuries and accidents are common.

Alcohol misuse can lead to loss of brain function, terribly painful inflammation of the pancreas — the worst pain that people can experience — awful head and neck cancers, indeed cancers affecting many other organs of the body. And although alcohol may increase sexual desire, performance is decreased — embarrassing for the couple concerned.

And then there are all the social consequences — breakdown of marriage, loss of that better job, disqualification from driving — bankruptcy in health, wealth and outcome.

But if drinking is controlled, much recovery of organ function is possible, although rarely back to normal.

I use the term 'dying unnecessarily' because it is that — unnecessary. If one drinks within safe limits, alcohol can be enjoyed for its release of social tensions and general pleasure. It will bring men no harm if they keep to 24 units (12 pints of beer) a week, or three or four drinks a day with one or two days a week off. It will be even safer if they take alcohol during meals.

Binge drinking — more than six to eight units in a single sitting — is the most harmful. The liver, and indeed many other organs in the body, are flooded with what is essentially a poisonous substance. Such levels of alcohol overwhelm the normal defence mechanisms.

Remember what a unit comprises: a half pint of beer or lager, a single small tot of a spirit or a small glass of wine. Don't be misled by the way wine is served these days in a large glass equivalent to three units.

My recommendation to those who are drinking excessively is to keep a diary, writing down each day how many units they consume. If they're over the safe limits and cannot reduce it over a period of weeks, they should seek help. Alcoholics Anonymous have helped many patients. There is also your GP, and many hospitals have specialist clinics for alcoholism. Prescription drugs can also be helpful. Deal also with the social problems that may be behind the heavy drinking such as divorce, moving house.

I have many, many patients who have successfully dealt with their problem, are remaining in good health and living a happy life. Tackle the problem now — it won't go away.

Professor Roger Williams is the leading liver-disease consultant who gave daily bulletins on Best's health as the footballer fought for his life in Cromwell Hospital, London last November.

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Page created on January 3rd, 2006