Great Minds: Hamish and Kyle - On the trouble with drinking

In this web series, psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald and Nutters Club co-host Hamish Williams look at mental health and how to navigate some of the more challenging parts of modern life. Today they talk about drinking.

I'm sure this isn't the first time you've read a piece about excessive drinking. It's most probable that it also won't be the last.

Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with having a few drinks, but if I'm being honest with myself, I know that having a large amount of booze isn't good for me on multiple fronts. The question I need to ask myself is when does a few become a few too many?

Technically, the experts tell me, that as a male more than six standard drinks in one sitting and more than 21 in a week is considered binge-drinking. The numbers are less for a female - four in one sitting and 14 in a week.

Let's be clear here, going over this number is no crime but it's good to be aware. The better way to talk about our drinking is the consequences.

"We need to be aware of our physical health when we use alcohol," says psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald. "But it's the impact on our day-to-day life that's a more immediate indication of if your drinking has become problematic."

MacDonald's talking about things like sleeping in and missing appointments or commitments, spending more money on drinks than intended, or feeling detached from friends or family, that are cause for concern. The more severe consequences include having accidents while intoxicated or behaviour that lands you in trouble with others.

Having specific incidents to use as an example is the best place to start if you feel that drinking is becoming an issue for someone important to you. A warning here though: no one is going to like being told they should drink less.

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"Make sure you come at the issue from a place of care, find out if there's anything else going on in their life, before you address the drinking. Share your concerns about the things that happen when they drink. Walk them through the example and let it sit with them to mull over but be sure to tell them explicitly you're not judging them, you just want them to be okay," says MacDonald.

The conversation might not come from someone else, it might be rattling around your own mind right now. In that case the advice is to track your drinking. Notebook, phone, whatever works for you, take the time to see what your drinking look likes and then think about if it's time to try make a change.

It might feel comforting, but a bit less booze might also feel a lot better for yourself and those who care about you.