With it being Dry January, we spoke with Faye from Changing Lives about the benefits of reducing or stopping drinking alcohol but also what to do if you find yourself dependant and where you can look for support. Changing Lives is a national charity that supports individuals going through a hard time.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00So Changing Lives is a national charity. It was set up over 50 years ago and it started off as a
00:06soup kitchen in Newcastle. We work across the country now, support over 17,000 people every
00:12year and we work with individuals who are facing a lot of challenge. So some of the services we run
00:17range from housing, homelessness services to domestic abuse refuge, sexual exploitation
00:23and recovery, supporting people who are struggling with drug or alcohol use as well as trying to get
00:29people back into employment. So there are undoubtedly so many benefits to either giving
00:35up alcohol or even reducing. There are long-term and short-term benefits. So I think some of the
00:40long-term benefits people don't always see but alcohol use is linked to numerous types of cancer,
00:46high blood pressure, diabetes, it kind of makes some of your health problems worse. But some of
00:52the shorter-term benefits people will see are it can help you lose weight quite rapidly, reduce
00:57blood pressure, particularly with anxiety, lower level anxieties and depression, alcohol is a
01:04present so it exacerbates that. So taking alcohol away can you see people feeling much more positive
01:12in their life. We also get a lot of feedback from people saying that their relationships with
01:17loved ones, like family, even work-related matters can often improve after they've stopped using
01:24alcohol and stopped using that as a coping strategy in their life. It can be really risky for people
01:29who are using alcohol at high levels. If you do find yourself dependent or drinking at higher
01:34rates and taking that alcohol away sees physical reactions in your body then we would never ever
01:41recommend just stopping and I would always seek professional advice. I think every single
01:45local authority is commissioned to deliver drug and alcohol treatment and you can absolutely get
01:50support with that. So I'd say find out your local provider and reach out for support and
01:55they can help you reduce or take the alcohol away in a safe way.