Drinking alcohol involves risks, and the risks are higher if you drink excessively on a single occasion or drink higher amounts regularly over time. 

One drink too many can leave you feeling out of control – slurring your words, losing your balance and vomiting.

Alcohol can make you mouthy, argumentative and aggressive. There’s no way of knowing beforehand if you’re going to turn into a nasty drunk but some people do find that heavy drinking affects them in ways they don’t like. Alcohol can also make you take risks that you normally wouldn’t take.

You’re more likely to take part in risky behaviours that you wouldn’t when you’re sober (e.g. acts of antisocial behaviour, gang involvement, violence, theft and unwanted sexual activity including unprotected sex(.

Alcohol contributes to all kinds of problems in Britain, from violent crime to domestic violence to car-related deaths to missing work and unemployment.

Drinking above the lower-risk guidelines for regular drinking persistently over time causes illnesses such as high blood pressure, liver damage, stomach cancer, breast cancer and heart disease.

Too much on a single occasion (binge drinking) can lead to alcohol poisoning which could put you in a coma or even kill you.