‘King Alcohol’…. Friend or Foe?

‘King Alcohol’…. Friend or Foe?

It is the time of year for parties, work social events and general jollity. It gets dark early, the twinkling lights of the pub beckon and all feels, temporarily at least, right with the world. And so, it should be but only if King Alcohol is treated with respect and not abused or misused by overindulgence. Too often this results in impulsive and regrettable behaviour.

There’s nothing like a good glass of wine with food but how many of us can honestly say we are monitoring our units at this time of year (forgotten how much a unit is and who counts anyway after glass number three?) The kids pull faces- ‘Mum’s tipsy and winding up Dad again over his ex-girlfriend (same old rambling narrative every year) – damn- the arguments are starting- let’s get out of here- it’s not funny it’s painful- God I hate Christmas! Is Christmas like this at other people’s houses? Oh…the dog has crept away as well and is following us upstairs. His ears are flattened and his tail is dragging; he is worried what will happen next- he is as worried as we are and in spite of the glittering tree and the presents beneath we wish it were all over for another year’. Does this picture reflect in any way the Christmas ads or the film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?

What should be a pleasant social evening with a few drinks to relax can turn into arguments among friends and family if homage is not paid to King Alcohol by restraint of consumption. Alcohol changes the neurological functioning of the brain making all of us more confident and disinhibited. But taken in excess it also seeps into the darker recesses of emotional distress, triggering resentment, anger and frustration. People then say and do things that they will bitterly regret the next day (as we know from many prominent celebrity cases in the media). King Alcohol then transforms into the guise of a foe, a dangerous drug if consumed to excess. It is a known trigger to violence of any kind and fatal assaults outside pubs and clubs nearly always involve alcohol. The police and medical staff deal with more than their fair share of drunks in the Festive Season and A & E has a very high percentage of people who are there directly or indirectly due to alcohol related incidents.

To conclude, enjoying a drink or drinks in moderation can be relaxing and pleasant but remember this: King Alcohol has far more in common with Dr Faustus (who strikes a pact with the devil to live longer) than Santa Claus and the price you pay for overindulgence the morning after is an indigestible dose of denial, depression, shame and regret that will last for a very long time, sometimes forever. Frankly, I would stick with the chocolates and the cheeseboard!

I have had my say. Merry Christmas!

Blog by Jane Benanti