Adrian Chiles given shocking results after liver test
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It was while the presenter was making documentary Drinkers Like Me, that he realised he has been consuming “up to 100 units of alcohol a week” before then being told he had already done irreplaceable damage to his liver. Having dramatically cut down on the units of alcohol he is consuming on a weekly basis, Chiles has shared his experience in order to try and help others. As part of this the presenter most recently spoke at Alcohol – Sharing the Truth, an online event organised by bereaved mum Jane Mackenzie. Mackenzie set up her charity, Share Shrewsbury, in memory of her daughter Amy Liebich, who died aged 37 after struggling with alcohol addiction.
During the event, Chiles recalled how he had his first drink at a cousin’s birthday party aged 12, but remained unaware of his dependency on alcohol until his documentary in 2018.
The 55-year-old said: “For me, the action plan was making the film. It literally took the making of the TV programme for me to come to terms with that [his alcohol use].”
He elaborated to say that because he wasn’t drinking during the day or “waking up in shop doorways or park benches”, he wasn’t what others might call a “problem drinker”.
But when cameras followed the presenter on a day supporting West Bromwich Albion, before later attending his friend’s 40th birthday party. The extent of Chile’s problems were clear to see.
At the time it was worked out that he had consumed 36 units of alcohol that day, nearly three times the recommended safe weekly intake. When asked what would happen if he would carry on drinking as he was, doctors warned Chiles that we would eventually develop “liver failure”.
“It is never too late to stop drinking alcohol,” doctors told him. “The short answer is that you cannot carry on like this. You are at risk of disease progression, disease progression to cirrhosis, cirrhosis to end stage liver, liver disease and liver failure… and death.”
Realising that he needed to cut down on his alcohol intake before he caused serious damage to his health, Chiles began tracking his intake in units via an app on his phone. After having success with these apps, he now believes that pubs should display calories and units on pumps, cans and bottles to make people more aware.
He continued to say: “There’s no reason you shouldn’t see how many calories or how many units are in it.
“The information is out there but you’ve got to want to get it. The [alcohol] industry as a whole does not publicise it very well.”
Writing in a column for a newspaper, Chiles proudly announced how far he had come, having cut down on the amount he drinks and announcing that he is writing a book about what he has learnt.
He said: “I’m pleased to say, I have managed to cut down my drinking considerably. I now tend to drink between 15 and 30 units a week, which isn’t perfect, but is a fraction of what I used to put away. It’s been hard at times, but I’ve got there.
“The lightbulb moment for me came when I asked myself how many of those drinks I’d really needed, wanted and/or enjoyed. I saw it was only around a third of them.
“The rest of the time, I now realised, I was drinking for the sake of drinking, due to social pressure, insecurity or, most often, because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Madness.
“Some days, and even weeks, I don’t do so well, but I’ve learnt not to berate myself and give up trying. I just refocus and get things back on track.”
Drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short space of time can harm your health both in the short-term and the long-term. Of course, the long-term effects of alcohol drinking are far more serious, and can put individuals at risk of the following:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Liver disease
- Liver cancer
- Bowel cancer
- Mouth cancer
- Breast cancer
- Pancreatitis.
But the shorter-term effects should not be underestimated. The NHS explains that people who binge drink (drink heavily over a short period of time) are more likely to behave recklessly and are at greater risk of being in an accident.
Severely dependent drinkers are often able to tolerate very high levels of alcohol in amounts that would dangerously affect or even kill some people. But even if you do not feel the effects of alcohol, it does not mean that it is not causing harm to your body and mind.
Becoming self-aware of an alcohol problem is the first step in getting help and cutting down. The NHS notes that you or someone you know could be misusing alcohol if:
- You feel you should cut down on your drinking
- Other people have been criticising your drinking
- You feel guilty or bad about your drinking
- You need a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover.
In order to treat alcohol dependence, some individuals may benefit from counselling or self-help groups where talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) practices are put into action. There are also two main medications to help people stop drinking:
- Chlordiazapoxide (Librium) – to help stop withdrawal symptoms
- Acamprosate and naltrexone – to reduce any urges you may have to drink.
Like Chiles, many individuals also benefit from keeping a drinking diary to take note of all the drinks they have had at one given time and how many units they have consumed. This aims to give individuals an idea of how much alcohol they are drinking, the situations in which they drink, and how they could start to cut down.
For help and support, contact Drinkline national alcohol helpline on 0300 123 1110 or visit Alcohol Change UK.
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