The panorama programme on BBC1 the other evening presented by the wonderful Joan Bakewell, ‘Old, Drunk & Disorderly’ made interesting, if somewhat disturbing viewing.

We seem to be well aware these days of the excessive  and all-to-evident drinking amongst the young (as someone whose son will soon be sampling the delights of fresher’s week in Birmingham, this is home territory for me) but perhaps less so of the ever-rising drinking habit in the elderly.

The over-60s appear to be a very vulnerable group, in terms of loneliness, depression and lack of purpose and this can lead to addictive habits such as drinking, in the hope of gaining some comfort and solace. A daily habit of having a glass of wine at ‘that certain time of day’ can soon lead to the consumption of a whole bottle during the evening, as the programme alarmingly reported. And even those who do not consume this much may well be exceeding the government’s recommended limit of units, as Dame Joan herself found, after keeping a drink diary for a month. It seems to be all to easy to drink to excess, and it may well be that elderly people feel that, at this time of life, they can do what they want, and do not feel that they should be dictated to by the nanny state.

However, I think in truth that most people recognise the dangers of drinking too much, and particularly in old age recognise that it can have a disastrous effect on health in so many ways – not just the usual liver disease, stroke, diabetes, heart problems – but also is a major risk factor in hastening the onset of dementia and can cause depression and mental illness.

The problem is, whilst we can recognise that we are drinking too much, it is often difficult to cut down.

As a hypnotherapist, I see a lot of people who are keen to cut down their drinking, and it is important to recognise that the drink is serving some kind of need. Once this fact is realised, then we can work on replacing the drinking habit with another (healthy and life-affirming) habit which will provide comfort and solace, but without the negative consequences on health.  In addition, suggestions given during hypnosis can be very powerful in getting the person to drink really slowly, and be satisfied with just one glass – people often say that they feel so much better and feel the benefit of this, and so they also then go on to have a couple of nights a week (at least) where they are not drinking.

I like a nice glass of something chilled as much as the next person, but I am aware of enjoying it so much more by limiting it.  As in all things, moderation is the key.

If you feel that your drinking habit it spiralling out of control, do contact me on 01449 780352, or 07817158429, or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk to have a chat about how I can help you.

Wendy x