Health Prompts

How is her/his drinking affecting your Health?

Someone drinking constantly or on a regular basis can take its toll on both the physical and mental health of others.  How is it affecting you or others who live with you?

Some examples might be

High levels of anxiety are often associated with living with a problem drinker.  The unpredictability of whether or not they will drink and whether or not they will get drunk and what they will do.  Living with that sort of pressure can lead to anxiety and may even lead the partner of the drinker to asking their family doctor for sedatives.

You may find that your level of anxiety is high, that you can’t sleep or eat.

Alternately you may find that you are depressed and that you are tired and sleepy much of the time and/or that you are eating for comfort.  So your weight may be dropping or increasing rapidly.

You may feel worn out, especially if you have taken on extra work to cope

You may have high levels of anxiety, irritability, mood swings all of which can be linked to the uncertainty inherent in living with a drinker.

Your self esteem is probably suffering and you feel indecisive and unsure of yourself.

Finally your levels of concentration and attention are probably suffering.

However it is not just your mental health that may suffer, the problems can also be physical.

You may find that you have more colds, infections rashes and that generally you don’t feel well.

Or you may find that you do not recover from seasonal illnesses as easily or quickly as you once did.

Your blood pressure may be raised and you may have occasional and worrying chest pains or breathlessness.

You may feel cramps and pains in your body or twitches and pins and needles in your limbs.

You may feel sluggish and have difficulty doing things that were once easily achieved.

Finally you may have sexual difficulties such as erectile dysfunction or loss of desire.

The drinking may be having an effect on the children’s health

You may find that they are anxious, nervous, withdrawn

They may have started bedwetting

Their education may be affected

Their mood, and general behaviour may be deteriorating and they may be withdrawn