It’s been a dry January, and we are not talking about the weather

As the last few days of January trickle through the hour glass of 2023, I have to know how ‘Dry January’, the month long initiative to get people to stop drinking alcohol, has gone for you? I wonder if you were like J and simply didn’t engage, or my colleague at work who was almost evangelical about doing it and getting everyone else to do so too. My dry January got off to a moist start, mainly because like J, it wasn’t something that appealed to me. But on the 3rd January I had a conversation with Helen that changed my thinking.

Helen is my Clinical Pharmacist. Over the years she has kept an eye on my cholesterol levels. Although I have never met her face2face, all our appointments have been virtual, I feel we have a comfortable relationship with each other. My last appointment was to discuss the blood tests I had done just before Christmas. All were okay except the results for my Liver Function Test (LFT). For readers outside of the health professions, the LFT is used to help to the cause of symptoms such as jaundice and liver disease. It can also be used to screen for liver damage caused by alcohol consumption, certain medications, or being exposed to the hepatitis virus.

So my conversation with Helen usually goes along the lines of ‘still not smoking? No, exercising? Yes, up to 50 miles a week walking, diet? I’m still a vegetarian and eat well, alcohol? Well, I like a couple of glasses of wine each week’ – normally these answers suffice, and we bid each other goodbye. On this occasion, however, Helen softly said, in her non-judgmental and accepting way, ‘your LFT appears to be telling us you might be drinking quite a bit more than a couple of glasses of wine each week’. She also went on to say 'and your bad cholesterol level is now very close to being worryingly high'.

It was my ‘road to Damascus moment’. As it happens, I have once, actually been on the road to Damascus. I was going the other way, towards Capernaum, Tiberias and on to Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of Jesus. However, on this occasion I was in my lounge trying to take in what Helen had said. I have been taking statins for many years. These help prevent heart attacks and strokes, both of which I could do without. So why was I still drinking way too much alcohol and increasing my risk of both these conditions?

Alcohol is hugely addictive. It can lead to all kinds of illnesses, accidents and injury. In 2021, there were nearly 10,000 deaths in the UK directly due to alcohol consumption. The World Health Organisation calculate that there are 1.34 billion people worldwide who consume harmful amounts of alcohol. People over the age of 65 years old, who may well have been drinking alcohol for 40 years or more have an increased risk of poor health and harm from drinking rather modest amounts of alcohol each day. For men this would be 3.19 standard drinks a day (3-4 bottles of beer) and for women 3.51 standard drinks a day (3 small glasses of wine). Thankfully, both seem more than my possible 1 or 2 glass of wine a week. I’m of course joking, as I was probably drinking as much, if not more, than these modest amounts each day. Over the years I have acquired a taste for good red wines, and I have to say drinking wine has become part of my daily routine.  

It seems I am not alone. People aged 55-75 years old are the UK’s biggest drinkers. Those aged 35-55 are the second biggest group. Who continues to drink alcohol and where it’s drunk has also changed. Over the past 20 years, women have started drinking more, and more people drink at home than they do in pubs and restaurants. Cheap alcohol sold in supermarkets has made alcohol more readily available. Younger people are definitely drinking far less than these two groups, or not drinking at all. Which is a good thing.

A very comprehensive research study published in The Lancet, back in July 2022, provides definitive evidence as to the dangers of drinking alcohol. The report notes that alcohol consumption carries significant health risks and no benefits for young people; whereas some older adults may benefit from drinking a small amount of alcohol – yes you can see where this is going.

Having read the paper, and knowing I have 97 bottles of wine, 14 bottles of champagne and a wonderful range of malt whiskeys in the house, the thought of have a glass or two each week is very tempting. Indeed, that paper in The Lancet notes that the recommended alcohol intake for adults remains low at between 0-1.87 standard drinks a day, regardless of geography, age, or gender.

Hmm, it's tempting. Apart from some weight loss, and perhaps a better night’s sleep, I have not noticed anything different health wise. It was no problem to stop drinking alcohol. One day I was, the next I wasn’t. I’ve been out socially, had a couple of meals in restaurants and been very happy to drink non-alcoholic drinks. It’s been lovely to go to places and not have to worry about catching the last train or bus home, or arm wrestling J to see who would be the designated driver. I have become slightly fed up with folk asking why I have stopped drinking and when will the old Tony return. 

For example, last night one of my neighbours popped around with a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, declaring that come Wednesday we should open it and celebrate my alcohol free month ending. I have not yet made up my mind, so dear reader, watch this space. And if you, like me have successfully enjoyed your dry January, well done and many congratulations.