Christmas is upon us yet again and it is wise to consider our personal choices in terms of how we plan to drink over the holiday season. The month of December is a peak time for catching up with friends, for office parties and family gatherings. 'Tis the season to be jolly . . . but not too jolly, urges Marion Rackard
Many of us possess an internal guide which helps us to decide how much and how often we will drink. Depending on our age, this may be based on awareness and choices about immediate and long-term bodily impact.
The appropriateness of a particular setting, personal strengths and vulnerabilities are also determinants. Ultimately, how much we choose to drink is a personal decision which can be influenced by external circumstances, such as the availability of alcohol, peer and social pressure, the "buzz" of the Christmas season and the release of tension after a hard year's work.
Our culture of tolerance and acceptance of drinking to get drunk in this country easily facilitates a decision to imbibe without stopping. Many people plan and co-ordinate their drinking sprees without giving much thought to the harmful consequences of their actions either to themselves or to others.
The drug-induced euphoria leads many to the "I don't care" point where our normal judgments and reactions are replaced by out-of-control drunkenness, leaving us capable of saying or doing something that is hurtful to others, or indeed to ourselves. This can be particularly embarrassing if we have crossed a boundary with a work colleague at the Christmas party.
Alcohol is a big part of our social lives and it can also be responsible for a lot of harm to both drinkers and those around them. In a 2002 survey 11.5 per cent of Irish men reported getting into a fight because of alcohol (the European average was 3.6 per cent). These fights can be more common at Christmas time.
In the same survey 12.4 per cent of people said their work or studies were harmed by alcohol (the European average was 4.7 per cent).
There are numerous other indicators of which we are only too aware that point to a serious alcohol problem in Ireland.
Just this month, Dr John Crowe, gastroenterologist at the Mater hospital's Centre for Liver Disease, said the unit has seen a significant increase in the number of men and women in their 30s and 40s presenting with cirrhosis of the liver.
Once alcohol starts to regularly interfere in any area of our lives, it is a problem. The consequences are long-term and serious unless we consider or are encouraged or facilitated to reflect on personal decisions about how much and how often we drink, and particularly the meaning that alcohol has in our lives. Such decision-making begins from the time we start to drink in our teens and 20s.
Alcohol is a mood-altering drug which influences all drinkers, particularly young people. Any drinker can develop a very intimate and powerful relationship with booze. Many people drink fast and for immediate effect prior to going out for a night's socialising.
Alcohol does the magic trick each time, helping the body to relax and lifting the mood. The problem is that over time more and more alcohol is required to achieve the same effect, raising tolerance levels and increasing the risk of harm to self and others.
That is why a simple yet crucial test for everyone, especially at this time of year, is the question: can I take it or leave it? Can I go to a social occasion and not be bothered to drink alcohol?
The alcohol industry last year spent €65 million on advertising, influencing all of us, particularly young people, and attempting to convince us of the glamour and fun to be had by drinking. The negative outcomes of harmful/dependent drinking are never portrayed in this advertising. They are portrayed in the A&E departments of our hospitals and in the hidden distress of families and deaths on our roads.
We are all faced with the reality of our own lives and the consequences of our decisions.
Further evidence of harm and reduced capacity to self-care is shown in the high level of sexually transmitted infections, which continues to rise and in 2002 was the highest for any year on record.
Everyone enjoys the extra socialising that comes with Christmas. However, it is easy to get carried away and have a few too many, undoing any good intentions we had of doing things in moderation.
This Christmas, let us all be aware of the excesses of the season. Looking after our children, our families and those close to us is especially important at this time of year as we celebrate the holiday season together. Perhaps the best solution is to have one too few, rather than one too many.
Marion Rackard is executive director of Alcohol Action Ireland