Get involved in the Dry January® challenge and see the health benefits of going alcohol-free for a month.
ABOUT dry January® and love your liver month
Having overindulged in too many glasses of bubbly over Christmas and New Year’s, your liver could be in need of a few weeks’ rest. That’s why it’s no wonder that the first month of the year marks both Dry January® and the British Liver Trust’s Love Your Liver Month.
Dry January® is the one-month campaign run by Alcohol Change UK inspiring people across the UK to go alcohol-free for the month of January and reset their relationship with alcohol for the longer-term. Regularly drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol can take a toll on the liver leading to alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) and even liver cancer. With alcohol consumption being the most common cause of liver disease in the UK and accounting for 6 in 10 cases of liver disease, Dry January® is the perfect opportunity to take the first steps to cut down on alcohol and start taking care of your liver. Are you going to join thousands of others this January and take up the challenge to give up alcohol? You can sign up here and get access to free motivational emails and get daily tips, inspiring stories, and expert advice to help you stay dry this January.
Since its launch (...) Dry January® has provided a brilliant opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people to take a break from drinking and have a total reset. It helps you break habits you’ve fallen into and make long-term changes for the better.
THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON LIVER
The liver has an incredible ability to replace damaged tissue with new cells and it's the only organ in the body with the ability to regenerate. However, the liver isn’t invincible and regularly drinking over the recommended limit can harm it beyond the point of repair and lead to a liver disease or liver cancer. That’s why it’s so important to reduce alcohol intake or avoid alcohol altogether to improve the health of your liver – before long-lasting damage can occur.
Many people may think that you have to be an alcoholic to develop liver disease, but this is a myth. You don’t have to be addicted to alcohol to develop alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD). In fact, ARLD is common in the UK and the number of people with this condition has been increasing over the last few decades. There are several stages of alcohol-related liver disease with cirrhosis, the most serious stage of liver disease, usually taking many years to develop.
1. Alcohol-related fatty liver
Drinking over 4 units of alcohol per day will lead to some build-up of fat in the liver. Although liver breaks down alcohol, some of the by-products are toxic and harmful. If you stop drinking alcohol completely for a longer period of time (months or years) your liver can recover.
2. Alcohol-related hepatitis
This stage of alcohol-related liver disease is very serious, and it is estimated that about a third of heavy drinkers with alcohol-related fatty liver will start to develop it. It usually occurs after years of excessive drinking, however it can develop very suddenly and severely, even after you’ve stopped drinking. It usually follows weeks and months of heavy drinking, however it can also happen due to binge drinking (consuming a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time). This is called acute alcohol-related hepatitis and can result in liver failure and death.
3. Cirrhosis
This is the most serious stage of alcohol-related liver damage, when the liver has a lot of severe scarring (fibrosis). Cirrhosis is generally not reversible, however stopping drinking alcohol immediately can prevent further damage and increase life expectancy. British Liver Trust estimates that up to 1 in every 5 heavy drinkers will develop cirrhosis and around 700 people have to have a liver transplant each year to survive. Sadly, every year over 4,000 people in the UK die from cirrhosis. You can find out more about cirrhosis here.
ARLD does not usually cause any symptoms until the liver has been severely damaged, therefore it is frequently diagnosed during tests for other conditions, or at a stage of advanced liver damage. When this happens, symptoms can include:
nausea
weight loss
loss of appetite
confusion or drowsiness
yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin (jaundice)
vomiting blood or passing blood in the stools
swelling in the stomach caused by a build-up of fluid (ascites)
abdominal pains over the liver area
If your doctor suspects that you may have any form of liver disease, they'll usually arrange a blood test to check the condition of your liver. Blood tests can detect if you have low levels of certain substances, for example serum albumin, which would suggest that your liver is not functioning properly. A blood test may also look for signs of abnormal blood clotting, which can indicate significant liver damage. If your liver function test suggest ARLD, you might need further tests to measure how scarred your liver has become. This could include scans such as transient elastography (e.g. FibroScan), ultrasound, MRI, CT, endoscopy, and biopsy.
MANAGING ALCOHOL MISUSE in the workplace
Many people may occasionally drink outside of work and this doesn't impact their performance or sickness absence record in any way. However, if a person’s health is affected by excessive drinking, or they come to work hungover or while under the influence of alcohol, then it becomes a workplace issue. The effects of alcohol misuse have harmful implications on the health and safety of all staff. Alcohol misuse can cause several workplace problems such as sickness absence, presenteeism and poor performance, conduct issues, as well as accidents or near-misses.
"Lost productivity due to alcohol use costs the UK economy more than £7 billion annually, and an estimated 167,000 working years are lost to alcohol every year."
Having robust arrangements in place to manage alcohol misuse in the workplace can significantly improve business performance and create a strong and supportive culture to ensure the health and safety of all employees. There are a few key measures that you could put in place:
ORGANISE ALCOHOL awareness activities
As an employer, you are in a strong position to open up conversations about alcohol-related harm and offer proactive educational sessions and training for all staff. By providing evidence-based information and resources about alcohol and its effects, you can empower employees to make more informed decisions regarding their alcohol consumption and encourage responsible drinking practices to reduce alcohol-related harm. You could share relevant resources via Intranet, e-mail and notice boards, invite keynote speakers to share their personal stories and experience with alcohol, or book our Alcohol Awareness Webinar to help your staff understand health risks associated with alcohol and encourage responsible drinking habits to minimize harm.
Health at work: Alcohol Awareness toolkit from British Heart Foundation can give you some ideas, tools and advice to organise successful alcohol awareness initiatives in your workplace. Also, if you have decided to support the Dry January® challenge at work, you can find some tips on how to get started here.
Here's also the list of some resources that you could share with your staff:
PROVIDE TRAINING for line managers
Regular training in identifying and managing alcohol issues is recommended for line managers as a matter of good practice. They should be able to monitor signs that may indicate underlying alcohol issues, such as absenteeism, performance problems, work relationships and behaviour at work. Line managers should also know how to have difficult conversations with employees who disclose an alcohol issue and how to deal with an incident relating to alcohol. Moreover, they should be aware of the support available for those suffering from alcohol addiction so that they can signpost them to get help.
HAVE A CLEAR ALCOHOL POLICY IN PLACE
It's crucial that your workplace has a clear alcohol policy in place to prevent and effectively manage alcohol misuse at work. A workplace alcohol policy should be tailored to reflect the individual needs and circumstances of a workplace. It should outline processes for dealing with any cases when someone is believed to be under the influence of alcohol while at work. If your business allows alcohol consumption in certain situations, for example for client hospitality, you should set out definite boundaries and provide clarification for your staff on how much is allowed while working.
Also, the policy should outline under what circumstances disciplinary action may be taken. This might include where help is refused by an employee, when performance is consistently poor due to alcohol abuse, or where an employee comes to work under the influence of alcohol and puts others at risk of harm. If alcohol testing is done in your workplace, this should be covered in the policy, defining its goals, screening methods used, tolerance levels, details of employee participation in screening, as well as how screening outcomes will be managed and the repercussions of not participating.
Whilst the policy should cover disciplinary action, it should prioritise genuine support for employees and their wellbeing. There should be a strong focus on a supportive approach to create an environment where people feel confident and unafraid to seek help. The policy should outline how staff can get assistance both within the organisation and, if necessary, outside. It should also make it clear whether the absence for treatment and rehabilitation will be regarded as normal sickness absence.
The policy should be communicated effectively to all employees and it's paramount that line managers understand the policy fully and are properly trained to deal with staff that misuse alcohol.
CHANGE workplace drinking culture
Some workplaces may unknowingly encourage drinking, whether through informal socialising or workplace events where alcohol is often made available to employees for free.
Raising a glass to celebrate a project wrap-up or company's important milestones and having cocktails at the work Christmas party is considered the norm by many people. The research from Easy Offices found that 84 per cent of work-related social events currently involve alcohol. However, making alcohol the primary way for celebrations may promote an unhealthy drinking culture. It can create peer pressure to consume alcohol and may also alienate those employees who don't drink due to health or disability reasons, pregnancy, religious beliefs, being a designated driver or simply that they don’t want to.
As an employer, you may want to reimagine your approach to organising work-related social events and consider alternatives to alcohol. By doing it, you can foster inclusivity and create an environment where all employees feel included, valued, and safe.
"Employers really should be thinking about how to engage their employees without having events or activities that are centred around alcohol. There are plenty of team events that don’t revolve around alcohol and that will engage employees; such as activity-based or food-oriented events."
Consider workplace alcohol screening
Workplace alcohol screening can be an important part of any HSE program and it is especially crucial in safety-critical employment roles, for example when employees are using machinery, electrical equipment and ladders, driving or operating heavy equipment. It's important to emphasise that testing should be used and presented as a supportive tool to help identify any employee who might cause harm to themselves or others. Alcohol screening can also act as a deterrent to the misuse of alcohol in the workplace and can increase corporate responsibility.
If you decide to introduce workplace alcohol screening, this should be covered in your alcohol policy and employees must consent to it. You should think carefully about what you want to achieve with the screening and what you will do with the information it gives you. If you would like to consider alcohol screening at your workplace, get in touch with us and we will help you organise this through our Drug & Alcohol Screening Service.
Support employees with alcohol addiction
Provide resources and support for employees struggling with alcohol addiction. Accessible information about different treatment options, support groups or counselling services in the local area, and allowing time off work to attend therapy can make a huge difference in the lives of those affected by alcohol addiction.
If an employee has issues with alcohol, they could start with making an appointment with their GP who may suggest different types of assessment and support options available to them, such as local community alcohol services or free local support groups. The alcohol addiction support services can be also found on the NHS website.
There are also many organisations and charities that provide support and help not only to those addicted to alcohol but also to people who are affected by someone else’s drinking.
Drinkchat from DrinkAware
Drinkchat is a free service for anyone who is looking for information or advice about their own, or someone else’s alcohol use. Their trained advisors are on hand between 9am and 2pm every weekday to give people confidential advice through an online chat service.
Drinkline from DrinkAware
Drinkline is a free, confidential helpline for anyone who is concerned about their drinking, or someone else's. Helpline: 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm)
AA is a free self-help group. Its programme involves getting sober with the help of regular support groups. Apart from AA meetings, they also offer free national helpline.
The groups offer support to the families and friends of people who are addicted to alcohol, whether they're still drinking or not. They offer free helpline and meetings both in-person and online.
Offers free and confidential advice on alcohol via online chat. It also has an online tool to find alcohol services in the local area.
Adfam is a national charity working with families affected by drugs and alcohol. It operates an online message board and local support groups.
Is a charity which offers a national network of meetings and online training programmes with comprehensive teaching materials and manuals.
Supporting people to get professional help can be valuable for both the employer and the employee. The organisation can hopefully retain talented and valuable member of staff, and
the individual still has a job after seeking treatment and professional support.
Managing drug and alcohol misuse at work report from CIPD will provide you with an overview of current employer practice in preventing and managing drug and alcohol misuse at work. The report also offers recommendations for HR and line managers on how to provide support for employees.
Business in the Community’s (BITC) Drugs, alcohol and tobacco: a toolkit for employers can give you some further information on how to support employees to make healthier choices concerning alcohol. The toolkit also includes an adaptable framework for alcohol policy and case studies from a range of organisations.
Beyond the basic responsibility of employers to look after their staff and ensure safety for all, there are real benefits of addressing alcohol misuse in the workplace and offering support to those employees who have alcohol-related problems. Taking a proactive approach and creating supportive environment can result in a reduction in the risk of safeguarding incidents and accidents at work, significant enhancements in productivity, as well as improvements in staff's physical and mental wellbeing.
Source: