Booze, the fresher's friend, the undergrad's ally - and while you're away at uni you don't have to worry about acting sober in front of the parents when you stumble home in your new traffic cone hat. But it's not always rosy beyond the beer goggles…

How does alcohol work?
Alcohol navigates its way into your bloodstream within minutes of consumption and begins to depress or slow down different parts of the brain. That's what causes those familiar favourites, blurred vision, loss of coordination, slurred speech etc.
Alcohol can act as both a relaxant and a stimulant - sometimes you might feel drowsy, other times the alcohol will make you more upbeat, talkative and liable to do things you might not consider when sober.

Problems
It's easy for alcohol to become an essential ingredient for a good night out, with regular drinkers finding themselves dependent on the effects. A tolerance can build up if you drink heavily, and increasing amounts are needed in order to feel drunk. If nothing else, this is a popular method of depleting that student loan.
And if you're not worried about your wallet, what about those love-handles? Most alcoholic drinks are high in calories, but low in most nutrients, with some beverages matching the number of calories in a Mars bar. So if you've noticed you and your housemates getting a bit blobby, it's probably down to the boozing - it's one of the main reasons so many students put on weight.

More serious dangers
There are more severe consequences of heavy drinking than 'accidentally' polishing off your flatmate's pot noodle collection. The most common include unsafe sex, accidents or acts of violence. Frequent heavy drinking can lead to memory loss, liver disease and in extreme cases ulcers, heart disease and brain damage. A binge can lead to alcohol poisoning, which is no joke – it can cause coma and death in young healthy people.
Fact : The amount of people who die as a result of alcohol is 50 times greater than the amount of deaths from all illegal drugs put together.

How much is too much?
Government guidelines advise safe limits of 3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 for women (half a pint of normal lager, a small glass of wine or a single whiskey is 1 unit). As a rule, most health experts recommend that adult men drink no more than 21 units per week and women 14 units. In real terms, this means blokes shouldn't exceed 2 pints of lager or 3 glasses of wine a day, while women should avoid going beyond a pint or a couple of glasses.
However, these guidelines and do not always reflect the drinking habits of young people, especially students.

When your drinking becomes a problem

Warning signs to watch out for:

• Drinking larger amounts just to get the same effect.
• Doing things when you're drunk that you go on to seriously regret.
• Missing an appointment because of a hangover.

Serious warning signs that suggest professional help may be needed:

• Boozing in secret.
• Seizing any opportunity to go out (or stay in) drinking.
• Regularly regretting your (often uncharacteristic) behaviour as a result of alcohol.
• Getting into arguments or having accidents because of booze.
• Finding yourself in debt because of the amount you spend on drink.
• Becoming anxious when you can't get access to drink.
• Thinking you need a drink to help deal with certain situations.
• Evading questions or lying about your drinking habits.

More information:

Alcohol Concern
www.alcoholconcern.org.uk
UK national body on alcohol abuse

Al-Anon Family Groups UK and Eire
61 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4YF
Tel: 020 7403 0888 (24hr helpline)
Fax: 020 7378 9910