Alcohol is the most readily available drug to society, and as such has long been used and abused. If it were to be invented today the likelihood is that it would be banned and criminalized. According to Professor David Nutt, an English neuropsychopharmacologist specializing in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, ‘alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack when the overall dangers to the individual and society are considered’.

Dependency on alcohol can sneak up on you without ever having realised there was a problem. A habit that is hard to break, it becomes all-consuming.

A few harmless drinks or a few too many?

Rewarding yourself with a few drinks at the end of a hard day has become somewhat of a norm. Whether in a social situation or even once home alone, the draw to have a drink or few in order to relax and unwind can quickly become a habit that creates a false sense of security and an ultimate escape from reality.