Alcohol and Substance Misuse
Alcohol and Substance Misuse
Alcohol
The recommendation for alcohol intake for women is no more than 2 – 3 units per day and 3 – 4 units per day for men, aim to have at least one or two alcohol-free days each week. If you can keep to these limits there will be no significant risks to your health. This does not mean that you can save up your daily units through the week and binge on the weekend!
Beware - drinking more than the recommended units in one session can be detrimental to your health.
Do you know your units?
Have a think about how many units you think you may drink during the week and then have a look at the information below and see how accurate you are!!
| Type of Alcohol | Units per Serving |
|---|---|
| 330ml bottle of beer | 1.7 |
| 440ml can of super strength lager | 4 |
| Pint of standard beer | 2 |
| 1 pint of regular cider | 2.8 |
| 275ml bottle of strong cider | 2.3 |
| 50ml glass of sherry | 0.9 |
| 275ml bottle of alcopops | 1.4 |
| 35ml of whisky or brandy | 1.4 |
| 35ml of gin/vodka or rum | 1.3 |
| 175ml glass of wine (12% vol) | 2.1 |
| 750ml bottle of wine/champagne (12% vol) | 9 |
(source: Drinkaware)
How did you get on? Do you need to change your drinking habits?
Cutting down on alcohol will also help to reduce your calorie intake, e.g. a standard glass of sweet wine (125ml) is about 165 calories!
Drink Diary - PDF format 422Kb 
Substance Misuse
The term Substance Misuse is used to describe the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescribed or over the counter medication, which are being taken at doses higher than what has been recommended by a doctor or pharmacist.
A drug is a chemical substance that acts on the brain and nervous system, changing a person’s mood, emotion or state of consciousness.
Drugs are often classified by the effect they have.
- Stimulants, such as cocaine, make people feel full of energy
- Depressants (or sedatives) such as heroin, make people feel relaxed
- Hallucinogens, such as LSD, make people see, feel or hear things that are not real
One of the biggest risk of substance misuse is that you can develop an addiction. There are two main types of addiction:
Physical addiction: when there are withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting or cramping, if the supply of the drug is suddenly withdrawn
Psychological addiction: when there is a psychological compulsion or need to regularly use a drug. If the drug is withdrawn, there are no physical symptoms but there may be psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety and irritability.
For help and advice contact the Wales Drug and Alcohol helpline on 0800 633 5588, this is a 24 hour 7 days a week helpline.
Wales Drug & Alcohol Helpline
The Wales Drug & Alcohol helpline service, hosted by North Wales NHS Trust and funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, is a free and bilingual telephone helpline providing a single point of contact for anyone in Wales wanting further information or help relating to drug or alcohol issues.
The helpline will assist individuals, their families and carers to access appropriate local and regional services.
The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Freephone: 0800 6 33 55 s88
Useful Links
In2Change Young Person's Drug and Alcohol Team - PDF format 282Kb Young Person's Drug and Alcohol Team - We provide a free and
confidential service
to young people aged
11-18 years
In2Change Young Person's Guide - PDF format 407Kb
In2Change Parents Guide - PDF format 375Kb
Alcohol Concern - Alcohol concern provides a number of fact sheets on all topics relating to alcohol.
CAIS - Local help for problems caused by the misuse of alcohol and drugs.
Talk to Frank - Information on the dangers of drug abuse.