Skip to main content

Alcohol

Commonly known as: alcohol, alcoholism, alcohol dependent, substance misuse, alcohol misuse, alcohol problems

Alcohol

Explore alcohol by scrolling through the page or simply select an option from the drop down if you wish to jump to the relevant section of the page:

The relationship between alcohol and mental wellbeing

People who drink alcohol do so for a range of reasons. Some people drink alcohol because they enjoy it, to celebrate an occasion, unwind, change their mood or manage difficult feelings, such as stress, loneliness or low mood.

Drinking too much alcohol over a long period of time can negatively affect your mental health. Sometimes people who are experiencing poor mental health can turn to drinking alcohol to help them cope. Either way, drinking excess alcohol long term can damage both your physical and mental health.

Drinking alcohol is never completely safe, but if you do drink, by following some simple expert advice, you can reduce the risk of harms to your health from alcohol.

 

Self-help advice

  • Find out more about alcohol, how it affects your mood and how to keep your risks low. See our self-help resources below.
  • To keep the risks of drinking alcohol low it is best not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. This is about six pints of 4% strength beer OR four 250ml glasses of wine a week. If you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week, it is best to spread your drinking out over the week and have some alcohol free days.
  • Visit the Alcohol Change UK website for more information and advice.
  • If you find that you are drinking alcohol to manage difficult feelings, you may find it helpful to get involved in activities going on in your local area instead. Find out what’s going on in your area by visiting our ‘in your area’ page.
  • There are simple things we can all do to help look after our mental health. Some people find that taking part in more positive health behaviours, such as physical activity, can help them manage an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Visit our ‘looking after yourself’ section for more information and advice.
  • Relying on alcohol to manage life’s problems is not a long-term solution. There is free, non-judgemental help and support available for people who are worried about their drinking and/or the drinking of others see our ‘helplines’ section below.
Last updated: 07.03.2023
feedback

Is this page helpful?

Please give us your feedback

Knowing what you found helpful or unhelpful is really important to us. If you have some time, please let us know what you found useful and if there is anything we could improve. Thank you.

Self-help resources to help you understand and manage alcohol problems

Browse our free self-help resources to help manage alcohol problems, approved by experts.

TypeTitleRelated to…Provider
Websites Websites

GDAS Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service

Alcohol mind
Websites Websites

DAN Website & Helpline (24/7) – Free Bilingual Drug & Alcohol Helpline, Text Service and Website

Alcohol mind
Reading Reading

Alcohol and You – NHS Self-help Guide

Alcohol mind
Reading Reading

Alcohol – NHS Easy Read Guide

Alcohol mind
Showing 4 out of 7 results View all

Worried about your drinking or someone’s drinking?

See below for helplines relevant to alcohol. To see our full list of helplines, visit our helplines page or visit your GP.

DAN 247 Bilingual Alcohol Helpline

DAN – 24/7: Wales Drug and Alcohol Helpline

DAN 24/7 is a free and confidential bilingual service. Calls from public telephone boxes are free of charge: calls from a mobile phone may incur a charge from your network.

Dan 24/7 telephone number will NOT appear on your home itemised bill.

Visit DAN 24/7 website ➝
GDAS - Gwent Drug & Alcohol Service

GDAS – Gwent Drug & Alcohol Service

Interventions providers for families, professionals and service users. GDAS operates from a wide variety of local bases throughout Gwent. We also operate within community venues and offer an outreach service.

Visit GDAS website ➝
Showing 2 out of 3 results View all
feedback

Is this page helpful?