Intercultural Understanding in Ireland
December is here and with it all the parties and celebrations, Christmas, New Year and the inevitable, ongoing consumption of alcohol.
Although the festive period comes but once a year, how much damage can this prolonged bender do to our bodies?
Am I really drinking that much at Christmas?
Before you begin to tackle a problem, you must first understand the scale of the beast. And make no mistake, most of the drinking that is being done around the festive season is certainly defined as bingeing
Binge drinking, when you have six or more drinks at one time, is a serious problem in Ireland. A standard drink is about 10 grams of pure alcohol in Ireland and one standard drink is a half pint of beer OR a small glass of wine OR one pub measure of spirits.
So, although we might only be drinking as much as everyone else around us, the fact remains that we are consuming a lot of alcohol in a short space of time.
There’s no doubt that Ireland has a drinking culture and that there are those of us who drink more than we should. But not everyone in Ireland drinks, even if it seems that many people do.
Drinking too much alcohol can have a serious impact on your health, social life, and finances.
Drinking a lot can lead to feelings of sadness. Many people who are alcohol dependant suffer from depressionand heavy drinkers have a much higher risk of suicide or attempted suicide.
There’s no such thing as a safe amount of alcohol, but if you do drink remember…
Men shouldn’t drink more than 17 standard drinks a week and women shouldn’t drink more than 11 standard drinks a week. Your drinking should be spread over the week. It’s not healthy to drink all your standard drinks in one night and it’s best to aim to have some alcohol free days every week.
Beer has the lowest percentage of alcohol (around 4-5%), then wine at about 12% and finally spirits (whiskey, vodka, gin, etc.) have the highest alcohol content at about 40%.
Size matters. If you’re small then alcohol is going to affect you more. So, if you’re drinking with someone who’s bigger than you, don’t try to drink the same amount. Also, it’s bad luck for women but alcohol affects them faster than men.
If you think you always drink more than the safe recommendations, if you ever feel like you NEED a drink or if others are concerned about how much you drink then you might be dependant on alcohol .
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