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Topics: Christmas, Alcohol, Mental Health, Health
Gregory Robinson
Topics: Christmas, Alcohol, Mental Health, Health
A doctor has explained why three types of people should avoid drinking alcohol.
With Christmas fast approaching, people may be considering drinking more booze during the festive period, perhaps as a way to survive through work parties or awkward family reunions.
And according to a new study by the charity Drinkaware, 64 per cent of UK drinkers intend to drink more alcohol over the Christmas period than they normally do.
However, in a message shared on social media, Dr. Alex George has warned against drinking for three types of people.
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He captioned the post: “Alcohol is so engrained in our society, and especially the festive period.
"I’m all for having fun and embracing Christmas, but when I paused to notice how often I was drinking during this time of year, it shocked me. It’s everywhere — at every social or work event, and every family get-together.”
Addressing his two million followers, the former Love Island contestant said: “First of all if you have ADHD, drinking alcohol if you have ADHD is like pouring petrol on a fire it makes the impulsivity worse, a lot of the symptoms we don’t want are heightened and it numbs all the good things.”
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (often referred to as ADHD) is a type of neurodiversity that affects people’s behaviour, the NHS explains, as people with ADHD may have trouble concentrating and can seem restless. They may also act on impulse.
Research on the link between alcohol use and ADHD has suggested that people with ADHD may experience alcohol’s ‘detrimental effects’ after consuming less alcohol compared with people without ADHD.
The second type of person who should consider avoiding booze is those with low mood or depression because it is a depressant, as Dr George says: “If you drink a couple of nights a week over a period of weeks and months that can cause depression in your brain. It suppresses the brain’s good energy and good feelings.”
Depressants affect the central nervous system. Alcohol is one, and it can disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain and affect your feelings, thoughts and behaviour, Mentalhealth.org.uk explains.
Alcohol affects the part of the brain that controls inhibition, which may initially make you feel more relaxed, more anxious and more confident than you do when you’re sober. However, these effects quickly wear off, and the chemical changes in the brain can soon lead to feelings such as anger, depression or anxiety.
The more you drink, the greater your tolerance to alcohol becomes, which means you may feel the need to drink more alcohol to get the same feeling.
Charity Drinkaware says reducing or stopping drinking can improve your mood and mental health.
Finally, the third type of person mentioned by Dr. Alex is those who feel ‘stuck’ when trying to achieve your goals and aspirations in life.
He said: “Alcohol can block us from being the person that we could be and realising our true potential. Give it a try for six months and you might just see a difference. It made a difference for me.”
If you're worried that you're drinking too much, there's support available. Find out about your options. Drinkline, a free, confidential helpline for people who are concerned about their drinking, or someone else's. Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).