Stage 3

Further AUDIT questions: score 8-15 (increasing risk)

Based on your answers about how much alcohol you consume and whether you have experienced any problems in connection with your drinking, it appears that you may be at increasing risk of experiencing alcohol -related problems if you continue to drink at current levels. This means that you are at higher risk for many of the health and emotional problems than those who drink at a lower level than you.

While many people abstain from alcohol completely, most people who drink do so sensibly. Your responses to the questionnaire indicate that you fall into the hazardous category. Hazardous drinking is a pattern of alcohol use that increases the risk of harmful consequences to the drinker. Your level of drinking presents risks to your health and possible other aspects of your life.

Risk	Your Score	Men	Women	Common effects
Low risk		21standard drinks or fewer per week or up to 4 standard drinks a day	14 standard drinks or fewer per week or up to 3 standard drinks per day	Increased relaxation Alcohol consumption at very low levels can provide a protective effect in middle and older age groups for certain diseases mainly heart disease, stroke and diabetes mellitus. At higher levels of consumption this protective effect is lost and the risk of disease increases. Sociability Alcohol even at low risk-levels of consumption, increases the risk of many major diseases including numerous cancers and gastrointestinal conditions.
Increasing risk-hazardous	Your score indicates you are here.	22-49 standard drinks per week or regular drinking of no more than 4 standard drinks per day	15-35 standard drinks per week or regular drinking of more than 3 standard drinks a day	Less energy Depression/Stress Insomnia Impotence Risk of injury High blood pressure Unsafe sex practices
Higher risk- harmful drinking		50+ standard drinks per week	36+ standard drinks per week	All of the above and: Memory loss Increased risk of liver disease Increased risk of cancer including breast, liver and cancers of the mouth. Possible alcohol dependence Depression Increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Harm to relationships, work, studies, friendships or social life.
High Risk -possible dependence		50+ standard drinks per week	36+ standard drinks per week	A higher risk of all of the above and: Risk of brain damage Increased weight gain and poor physical condition. Risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms

This picture shows the kinds of health problems that are caused by high-risk drinking. The best way to avoid these problems is to cut down on how often and how much you drink so that you reduce your risk, or stop drinking entirely. Many people find it possible to make changes in their drinking.

The benefits of cutting down:

Physical

Reduced risk of injury
Reduced risk of high blood pressure
Reduced risk of cancer
Reduced risks of liver disease
Reduced risks of brain damage
Sleep better
More energy
Lose weight
No hangovers
Improved memory
Better physical shape

Psychological/Social/Financial

Improved mood
Improved relationships
Reduced risk of drink driving
Save money

Improved mood due to

Less stress
Clearer thinking
Better judgement
Meeting more of my own personal standards.

When people successfully change their drinking habits they usually follow a simple plan, if you would like to make changes to your drinking please look at our self help section for tips on goal setting. Please click here for tips and tools that other people have found helpful to cut down or stop drinking entirely. Many people find it reassuring to learn that they can take action on their own to improve their health. If you follow this advice you can reduce your drinking to low risk limits or stop drinking.

Take a few minutes to consider the following:

Should I stop drinking or just cut down?

You should stop drinking if:

You have tried to cut down before and have not been successful, or
You suffer from morning shakes during a heavy drinking period, or
You have high blood pressure, you are pregnant, you have liver disease, or
You are taking medicines that react with alcohol.

You should try to drink at low-risk levels if:

During the last year you have been drinking at low-risk levels most of the time, and
You do not suffer from early morning shakes, and
You would like to drink at low-risk levels

Note that you should choose low-risk drinking only if all three apply to you. If you choose to drink at Low risk levels the weekly guidelines for adults are:

up to 14 standard drinks in a week for women, and
up to 21 standard drinks in a week for men.

View more information on standard drinks.

It is essential to understand how much alcohol is contained in the different drinks you are drinking. Once you do this you can count your drinks and try to stay within low-risk limits.

Drinks should be spaced out over the week, not consumed in one sitting. Drinking more than these levels increases your chance of alcohol related health problems like accidents, injuries, high blood pressure, liver disease, cancer and heart disease. XXX Percentage of people in Ireland never exceed those levels.

Remember, drinks measures are not always the same. What you get in a pub and what you pour for yourself could be very different.

But remember there are times when these low risk guidelines do not apply- for example:

if you're a teenager, it is healthier for teenagers not to drink alcohol
when pregnant or breastfeeding
if you're ill, run-down or taking medication
When driving or operating machinery
If you cannot control your drinking
If you are over 65.

Low risk drinking involves limiting alcohol use to amounts or patterns that are unlikely to cause harm to oneself or others. The risk of harm increases significantly when people consume more than 2-3 standard drinks per day for women and more than 3-4 standard drinks per day for men and more than five days per week.

It may not be easy to reduce your drinking to these limits. If you go over the limits on an occasion, make an effort to learn why you did and plan how not to do it again using the tools on this site. If you always remember how important it is to reduce your alcohol related risk, you can do it. If you are finding it difficult to cut down please revisit this site and look at our links for services and the live helper section.

If you wish to read more information on alcohol please visit our Alcohol Info section. You can also view services in your area or launch the drugs.ie online interactive live helper chat service to speak to someone directly.

Thank you for taking the time to visit the site and share your answers.

<< Back