Self-Help: Alcohol
Drinking responsibly:
Knowing your units to keep a "drinks diary" to schedule drink-free days or cutting down on unit intake, could lead to long-term personal and professional benefits. - Download: Self-Help on Alcohol flyer (PDF, 411 KB)
Top Ten examples of benefits of drinking responsibly:
1) You'll begin to notice you'll sleep better
2) Your eyes and skin will seem brighter
3) You'll feel more alert and better able to concentrate at work
4) You'll have more energy when you spend time with family or friends
5) You'll have more money to spend on the other things for happiness
6) You may find you start to lose weight
7) You'll have less headaches
8) You may suffer from less stomach complaints
9) You'll feel more in control
10) You'll help to reduce your risk of serious illness
Alcohol specific to Men:
Sensible drinking limits = no more than 3-4 units a day/21 units a week.
Heavy drinking could impact Behaviour; Fertility; Gout; Skin; or Weight gain.
Alcohol specific to Women:
Sensible drinking limits = no more than 2-3 units a day/14 units a week.
- Also refer to: Women & Alcohol leaflet (PDF, 739 KB)
Heavy drinking could impact Breast cancer; Contraception; Fertility; Period; Personal safety; or Pregnancy (before and after).
- Also refer to: Alcohol & Pregnancy leaflet - AFS (PDF, 1,231 KB)
Alcohol specific to Religion & Belief:
Fasting during key dates and orthodox faith practice may not allow colleagues to drink alcohol, even in the use of food in different religions and beliefs, such as:
- Baha’i
- Christian Orthodox
- Christian - Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)
- Christian - Seventh Day Adventists
- Christian Scientist
- Hindu
- Jain
- Muslim
- Sikh
- Also refer to webpage: Religion or Belief
Alcohol specific to exclusion:
Participation at events or meetings where there is pressure to drink alcohol in order to "fit-in" with the environment, could create barriers to participation by colleagues due to:
- Pregnancy
- Health condition
- Fasting
- Faith requirement
- Refer to webage: Event & Meeting Inclusion
Alcohol specific to Health - High alcohol consumption could negatively impact:
- Blood pressure
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Fertility
- Heart disease
- Immune System
- Liver Disease
- Memory
- Stress: Frequently using alcohol to deal with stress could create erratic sleeping patterns; leading to anxiety; or enhancing depression, also refer to:
- Alcohol & Stress leaflet (PDF, 1,085 KB)
- Occupational Health webpage
- Stress webpage
- Weight:
How many calories are in your drink?
|
Calories in Alcohol |
|||
|
Drink |
Units |
Calories (kcal) |
Food equivalent |
|
White wine (175ml) (11% ABV) |
2 |
130 |
One small bag of crisps |
|
Red wine (175ml) (11% ABV) |
2 |
120 |
One small slice of sponge cake |
|
Lager (pint) (4% ABV) |
2 |
170 |
One small sausage roll |
|
Premium lager (pint) (5% ABV) |
3 |
250 |
One scotch egg |
|
Bitter (pint) (4% ABV) |
3 |
190 |
One glazed ring doughnut |
|
Cider (pint) (5% ABV) |
3 |
200 |
Beans on toast |
|
Cream liqueur (50ml) (17% ABV) |
1 |
160 |
One chicken drumstick |
|
Alcopop (330ml) (5% ABV) |
1.5 |
200 |
A 50g block of medium cheddar cheese |
|
Spirits serving (25ml) (37.5% ABV) |
1 |
55 |
A 25ml serving of single cream |
Source: NHS Choices – your health, your choices
Support & Help Available
University:
- Staff Policy on Alcohol: www.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/policy/hr
- Wellbeing info: www.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/wellbeing
Locally - Fife Alcohol Support Service (FASS):
In partnership with NHS & Fife Council, staff can be referred or access themselves confidential services such as:
- Alcohol diversion
- Employee assistance
- Counselling
- Local support groups across Fife
- Refer to website: www.fassaction.org.uk
- 'Drinks Diary' support- also refer to leaflet Drinks Diary - FASS (PDF, 393 KB)
Nationally - Healthier Scotland (Scottish Government):
Online: Guidance on sensible drinking and impacts on health and well-being, refer to: www.drinksmarter.org 
Drinkline: A free national helpline to talk at anytime in confidence about alcohol, call 0800 7 314 314