EPISODE 31 - ALCOHOL: IMPACTS ON HEALTH (& DURING PERINATAL PERIOD)

EPISODE 31 – ALCOHOL AND THE PERINATAL PERIOD

Since 7000 B.C in China, humans have been drinking alcohol! It’s been generally a socially and culturally accepted ‘crutch’ or tool to help us feel better or to celebrate with family and friends.

Some quick statistics from Australia;

• In 2016 Australians spent $666 billion on general living costs, $14.9 billion was on alcohol vs $1.6 billion on tea and coffee (https://moneysmart.gov.au/australian-spending-habits

 

• The ABS data released on 21.3.22; 1 in 4 Australians aged 18 years and over exceeded the Australian Alcohol Guidelines in 2020-21

 

• Men were more likely to exceed the Guidelines than women (33.6% vs 18.5%)

 

• Those living in Inner and Outer Regional and remote areas were more likely to exceed the Guidelines than those living in Major Cities.

What are we covering today?

• EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL, HOW IT WORKS (biochemistry, short-term & long-term effects, and what an alcohol emergency looks like)

 

• WHAT ARE THE NHMRC ALCOHOL GUIDELINES: National Health and Medical Research Council

 

• WHAT IS A STANDARD DRINK?

 

• ALCOHOL AND SLEEP RELATIONSHIP

 

• MEDICATION SAFETY AND INTERACTIONS (As a pharmacist, medication safety and drug interactions are hugely important topics with alcohol! Hearing or watching people combine seemingly ‘benign’ over the counter medications with alcohol is always a trigger point for me!

 

• PREGNANCY AND ALCOHOL

 

• BREASTFEEDING AND ALCOHOL

 

• MOTHERHOOD/PARENTHOOD AND ALCOHOL

 

• AMA; EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL

 

• WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE CONCERNED WITH YOUR DRINKING OR A LOVED ONE?

In terms of my own experience, I have shared on a number of podcasts, how inflammatory alcohol is for me personally, and how much my body speaks to me to reduce, if not eliminate it from my lifestyle. My body tends to become swollen, inflamed in my fingers/face/legs and feet, as well as my tonsils always becoming inflamed, with it taking a good 5-7 days to return to ‘normal’.

I do however, enjoy the relaxation aspect that it brings me, which is why I have not been able to ‘cut it out’ completely from my menu! I do try to drink higher quality wines with fewer preservatives and trialling one ‘type’ at a time; but I still haven’t quite worked it out! My ‘Google’ research has suggested that red wines, vodka and gin are the least inflammatory; but haven’t worked out my secret recipe or solution here!

So, I bring up alcohol from a MENTAL HEALTH space and also from the PERINATAL period space, because it is quite a complex and intricate balance between understanding;

+ the biochemical impacts that it has on our system

+ as well as safely considering all the aspects that need to be thought of when drinking

So I wanted to launch into each topic in some detail to help SHINE THE LIGHT on one of the most commonly used substances across the globe!

1. EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL, HOW IT WORKS (biochemistry, short-term & long-term effects, and what an alcohol emergency looks like)

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

CNS depressant chemical; one of the oldest and most commonly used recreational drug. Slows down the processes in your brain and CNS, and can initially make you feel less inhibited and RELAXED.

However, your body can get ‘used to this’, so enter the ‘fight or flight’ mode without alcohol in your body or as it wears off, and it can create a vicious cycle of needing alcohol to FEEL relaxed, but not having it in your system creates this heightened CNS.

Tolerance can occur, which means that you need more alcohol to exert the same effect.; which puts you at a greater risk of alcohol dependence.

In terms of MENTAL HEALTH and the impact that alcohol can have, on the www.drinkaware.co.uk website, they have this statement;

‘if you drink more than the UK Chief medical officers low risk drinking guidelines, it can have a negative effect on your brain chemistry and lead to worse mental health.

It also states that ‘binge drinking is found to have more likely to have symptoms of depression, with people who reported regular hangovers as most at risk.’ (with binge drinking being more than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for men, or 6 for women in the UK).

It continues to state that cutting out alcohol completely for just 4 weeks makes a clear difference in how they feel.

Alcohol is a CNS depressant and works in the brain primarily by;

• Small amount of