The Drinks Are On Me

How do you use alcohol, and how can you spot the signs of a drink problem?

Enjoying a drink or two after a period of intense concentration and exertion feels like a great way to unwind. Alcohol sedates the nervous system and can make us feel more gregarious. Additionally, the relationship between creative professionals and alcohol or substance use is deeply rooted in the unique challenges of the industry. Research by Paul Saintilan highlights several factors that can impact creators and performers:  

• The creative process and its inherent pressures – from conceptualising and composing new works to performing them 
• Managing performance and creative anxiety 
• Balancing emotional challenges with a demanding lifestyle 
• Navigating industry social dynamics and cultural expectations  
• Managing the intersection of public and private identity 

There is a fine line between using alcohol to relax and using it as the main way of managing stress and anxiety. We develop tolerance, so that we need more and more to achieve the same effect. This can creep up on us as we change our self-imposed drinking rules. We say we only drink at weekends but then our weekend starts on a Thursday and ends on a Tuesday … A person may be able to drink without apparent effects on health, relationships or career for many years.

There is no completely safe level of drinking but more than 14 units (women) and 21 units (men) of alcohol can cause short and long term damage to your health. It is recommended that you have several alcohol free days every week. Alcohol misuse – Risks – NHS 

At what point a person’s alcohol use becomes problematic is very subjective. But there are a few sure-fire signs: anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, procrastinating, having a shorter fuse than normal.

The DrinkAware Drinking Check  is a free, confidential tool which requires you to answer up to 10 short questions on your drinking habits and behaviour to understand your level of risk from drinking alcohol. 

It’s always better to work this out for yourself, rather than to be told by others.

Ask yourself:

This questionnaire is based on material from the World Health Organization, commonly known as the AUDIT questionnaire. The more you tick ‘frequently’, the more you need to think about your physical and mental health, your personal and professional relationships – and your finances!

Some ways you can cut down

1. Make a decision to cut down and make a written contract with yourself to try your hardest to do so. Then tell others about that decision.

2. Make a list of all your reasons for cutting down.

3. Keep a weekly drinking diary. Record when and where you drank, how much you drank, and who with. Add up your consumption in units for the week.

4. Identify your most vulnerable times of the day or week and who you are likely to be with. See if there is any pattern to your drinking.

5. Work out a set of drinking rules for yourself and write them down. Examples:

• I will never drink before 8pm
• I will never drink for more than three hours at a time
• I will stop drinking with Tony
• I will stop drinking strong lager

6. Have a daily cut-off point and move to water or soft drinks when you reach it.

7. Slow down. Pace your drinking; if you are going to be in a pub for three hours and you only want to have three pints, that’s one every hour, maybe alternating with alcoholic free drinks. Take smaller sips. Always put your glass down between sips. Occupy yourself (e.g. playing pool!).

8. Reward your successes. If you achieve your goals, buy yourself a treat.

9. Look for alternatives to alcohol. This involves looking at the way you drink. Is it to reduce anxiety or boredom, to increase confidence, or to beat feelings of depression? Do something else about these problems.

10. If you get a craving, delay your drinking for as long as possible. Distract yourself. Challenge your thoughts: ‘I really need a drink.’ ‘No, I don’t need a drink. I want a drink because I feel tense’.

11. Expect a relapse and don’t be devastated by it. Old habits are hard to break. Keep trying.

More resources and support

• Contact BAPAM to find out about available mental health support.
• If you work in music, Music Support is a specialist charity that helps people who work in the music industry who are experiencing substance use, addiction and/or mental health challenges.
• You can use this NHS online directory to find alcohol addiction treatment services in your area: Find alcohol addiction support services – NHS
• Alcohol and drug advice and info from Change Grow Live – a national health and social care charity based in the community. They can help you with challenges including drugs and alcohol, housing, justice, health and wellbeing. 
• Alcoholics Anonymous is a community of people who come together with one aim: to stay sober, and help other alcoholics seeking help to stop drinking.
• Alcohol Change is a leading UK alcohol charity, formed from the merger of Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK.
• Al-Anon provide support if your life is or has been affected by someone else’s drinking.