Alcohol use
Like many in the community, nurses and midwives can sometimes find themselves relying on alcohol more than they'd like. But some nurses and midwives are reluctant to ask for help with their alcohol use because of the stigma of this sensitive health challenge, and the pressure to always be ok.
Talk to us about your alcohol use – our service is confidential, non-judgemental and staffed by nurses and midwives.
Understanding alcohol dependence
Alcohol dependence involves drinking in a way that causes problems with health, relationships or day-to-day life. Dependence isn’t voluntary and for most is not the result of a conscious decision. For many it develops over time and becomes deeply ingrained in a person’s behaviours.
Drinking as a response to stress
No one who drinks intends to have problems with alcohol. For nurses and midwives, work stress, shift work and the demands of life may lead to exhaustion and burnout. Some turn to alcohol to reduce stress and regard it as a reward for working through the demands of the job.
Identify if you have a problem with alcohol
It can be easy to overlook that your ‘couple of drinks’ regularly becomes too many. Wondering if you have a problem is a good step towards addressing it.
There are some signs that you can look out for:
- worrying about when you’ll be able to have your next drink
- consuming alcohol regularly on your own
- trying to hide your drinking from those around you
- worsening relationships with friends or family
- staying out and encouraging friends to keep drinking when they’ve had enough
- sweating or feeling nauseous when you don’t drink alcohol
- being unable to get to sleep without drinking alcohol
- needing to drink more and more alcohol to get drunk
Self-assess your drinking
If you are wondering about your drinking, an online self-assessment tool may help you to reflect and learn more.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) - this short, confidential self-check uses a validated tool to help you understand your current drinking habits and any potential risks. It’s private - no information is stored. Go to Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
Keep a ‘drinking diary’
To start making sense of your relationship with alcohol, keep a ‘drinking diary’. Log the number of drinking or alcohol-free days, your thoughts, feelings and drinking behaviour. This self-monitoring tool helps you can see patterns, issues, connections and track what you want to work towards.
Ask for support
Find your local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Smart Recovery group – they meet in many Australian cities and regional areas. These peer groups support people with alcohol and drug problems who want to stop drinking or using drugs.
Try one of many online resources and apps that help you change your relationship with alcohol. An example is Hello Sunday Morning. Their Daybreak App is free, private and secure. It provides many tools, an online supportive peer community and a drink tracker to help you monitor your intake.
Talk to us about your drinking
Talk to us – our service is free, confidential and led by nurses and midwives.
Guidelines - how many drinks is safe
"Healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day, to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury."
(National Health and Medical Research Council, 2020)
References
- Alcohol consumption among Australian nurses: A cross-sectional national survey study, by A. Searby, 2023, Monash University
- Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol, 2020, National Health and Medical Research Council
- Podcast: Keys to a nurse or midwife thriving in recovery from their alcohol or other drug (AOD) addiction (a personal story), Episode 1, Conversations that Connect, by Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria
See also
-
Occasional drug use can become your norm
Nurse Val tells her story of casual drug use that became a problem and how a colleague sharing their own struggle helped Val to take the first step to better health. -
Alcohol takes away the pain until it doesn’t
Stress, isolation and workplace bullying took RN Terry to a place of alcohol misuse and despair. He tells us how a specialist health service helped him to sobriety and new hope.
- Topics
- Addiction