Most of us enjoy consuming alcohol on a casual basis, say, while dining out with friends, while others enjoy a more regular amount with an evening meal or business meetings throughout the week. Consumption varies for each person. Alcohol is widely used and enjoyed throughout the world. There is no right or wrong amount of alcohol to consume; however, there are guidelines that allow us to monitor alcohol use, preventing increased health risk.

For expatriates living abroad, there is often little information promoted on safe alcohol use. There is a risk of losing sight of safe practices and of forgetting the impact that alcohol can have on your health. Depending on where you live, there are world standards of alcohol use relevant to your nationality. Some countries are yet to develop guidelines, though they many have standards for alcohol use. The following website highlights suggestions made by many government organisations in various countries.

The webpage [www.drinkingandyou.com/site/uk/biggy.htm] offers some recommendations.

An example for an Australian’s recommended alcohol use includes:

Men: Four standard drinks a day and two alcohol-free days a week
Women: Two standard drinks a day and two alcohol-free days per week
Note: One standard drink is equal to 10g of alcohol. It is advised that drinks should not be saved up and used on one day.

What this guideline can mean is that if alcohol over this amount is consumed, there may be an increased risk to your health. It is easy to say something like “I’m only young it won’t hurt now”, but Europe has the highest alcohol consumption of all regions in the world, according to the World Health Organisation. It is twice as high as the world average. Alcohol is the third leading risk factor of death and injury in the European region. Globally, alcohol use accounts for more than 1.8 million deaths and four per cent of the disease burden.

There are currently many developments set to address the high level of alcohol use within Europe, but at an individual level we can monitor health standards by being aware of our own alcohol consumption, avoiding joining the long list of casualties.

International Consolidated Therapies can assist with information and counselling should you feel your alcohol consumption is not managed well. We take into account family history, cultural influences, lifestyle and a general holistic approach.

This regular column is aimed at providing useful information to its readers on strategies to develop positive emotions, build enhancing relationships and develop a sense of self while living abroad. Information provided is general and shouldn’t be considered a replacement for counselling. Should you wish to discuss further any concern please contact:

International Consolidated Therapies, Specialists in Corporate & Personal Counselling
Kambanite Complex Sofia
Tel: +359 (0) 88 766 0915; e-mail: ictcounselling@hotmail.com, website: www.ictcounselling.com