Hitting the bottle: your quick guide to alcohol addiction

Hitting the bottle: your quick guide to alcohol addiction

01 October 2026

Last reviewed: 01 October 2026

Alcohol is humanity's oldest and most widely used recreational drug, with the earliest evidence of intentionally fermented beverages dating back to 6000-7000 BCE.

From beer-brewing monks, whose medieval ale was often a safer option than contaminated water supplies, to enslaved workers on sugarcane plantations who mixed molasses with water to make rum in the 1600s, our centuries-old relationship with alcohol has brought us both pleasure and pain.

Today, for example, an estimated 16.4 million adults across the UK drink at levels that pose a risk to their health and wellbeing. Some of them drink every day; others mainly binge at weekends or use alcohol to cope with mental health struggles such as stress or insomnia.

Alcohol consumption also tends to peak at certain times of the year, such as on your summer holiday or in the run-up to Christmas. The fun of the festive season often comes with a drink in hand.

Here, we explain the risks involved in alcohol addiction, or alcohol use disorder, highlight the signs you may need to make a change, and offer some tips on how to cut down - and resist peer pressure to drink, even in a party atmosphere.

Did you know?

Alcohol dependency is the leading risk factor for early mortality, ill health and disability among 15 to 49-year-olds in England.

Do you have a problem?

Whatever your relationship with alcohol, the key is what happens because of your drinking. Do you find it hard to take a break for a day or two? Or regularly wake up regretting a night on the booze? You don't have to reach crisis point to do something about it.

Noticing that your drinking has become a habit you would like to change is a perfectly good reason to take steps to control your consumption. According to the NHS, signs you may need to review your relationship with alcohol include:

  • You often drink more, or for longer, than you planned
  • You've tried to cut down and found it harder than expected
  • You think about alcohol a lot or get strong cravings
  • You need more than before to get the same effect
  • You're skipping activities, missing work or struggling with responsibilities because of drinking
  • You keep drinking even though it's affecting your health, mood or relationships
  • You feel shaky, sweaty, anxious, sick or unable to sleep when alcohol wears off

What drinking too much does to you

Alcohol is a grade 1 carcinogen and a key risk factor in the development of long-term conditions including high blood pressure, liver disease, stroke and several forms of cancer.

Long-term misuse can also result in mental health problems, such as depression, and can even cause permanent brain damage. In the short term, meanwhile, alcohol impairs judgement and coordination, increasing your chance of accidents, impulsive decisions, and conflict.

Binge drinking carries the risk of alcohol poisoning, not to mention the related effects, including shame, relationship breakdown, financial problems, and simply not being there for your loved ones.

Know your numbers

To keep health risks low, the UK Chief Medical Officers recommend drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol per week for both men and women.

Alcohol units explained

  • 1 Pint of Beer/Lager/Cider (473ml, 4%): 2/2.3 units
  • 1 Medium Glass of Wine (175ml, 13%): 2 units
  • 1 Single Shot of Spirits (25ml, 40%): 1 unit

Tips for cutting down

While cutting out alcohol completely is the only option for some people, many of us simply want to avoid things getting out of hand. The good news is that just having a few drink-free days a week, or swapping to lower-strength drinks, can make a big difference.

And small changes are often easier to implement and maintain, than a totally new lifestyle.

Here are 10 ways to drink less:

  1. Keep a drink diary to help you spot patterns and triggers or try a tracking app such as 'NHS Drink Free Days'.
  2. Choose drinks that are lower in alcohol. Lighter beers, for example, are often under 4%.
  3. Think of other ways to spend time with friends, such as hiking or going to the cinema.
  4. Set an alcohol budget for a night out - then only carry the cash you need or set up an alert on your card.
  5. Only drink with your meal, or alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a soft drink to stay in control.
  6. Change your routine - if wine at home or drinks after work are automatic, replace that moment with something else, such as a tasty soft drink or a jog round the block.
  7. Consider different ways to tackle stress. Exercise is a great stress reliever, and a new hobby or DIY project can be a good way to occupy your mind.
  8. Tell people you're stopping drinking so they can help to keep you on track.
  9. Avoid situations where you know you're likely to drink.
  10. Join a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART Recovery.

You can also call Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 for free, confidential advice about your own drinking or someone else's.

Can't quit? Help is at hand

Talk to your GP if you find it impossible to rein your drinking in to a safe level. They can prescribe a range of treatments to help.

These include:

  • Talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Medications such as Acamprosate or Naltrexone, which help reduce alcohol cravings, and Disulfiram, which causes unpleasant effects (such as nausea and heart palpitations) when combined with alcohol.

Health warning

Remember that while stopping drinking completely might be your goal, it can be dangerous to go suddenly from heavy drinking to no drinking at all.

That's why the NHS recommends speaking to a GP or alcohol service before cutting down sharply, especially if you experience withdrawal symptoms such as shaking, sweating, anxiety, nausea, poor sleep or a racing heart.

5 rules for the festive season

It's easy to assume peer pressure is a teenage thing, but plenty of adults feel it too - especially in boozy social situations, such as the Christmas party season.

  1. Set your parameters. Decide how many alcohol-free days you'll have and what your limit is for an event, then stick to it.
  2. Replace your usual tipple with a soft drink or a low-alcohol alternative. Mocktails feel celebratory despite being alcohol free.
  3. Be ready with reasons people understand. Driving to events takes the pressure off, while you can also blame an early start or a health kick. You don't have to go into detail.
  4. Change the subject. A quick redirect "How's that project going?" or an exit plan if the pressure gets too much can protect your boundaries.
  5. Head home early. It's fine to call it a night if the atmosphere becomes too focused on drinking or you start to feel pressured to drink more than you want.

About the author

Jessica Bown is a freelance writer and journalist.