Alcohol related health damage is not limited to just the liver, UK-based agency Alcohol Concern has warned.
It has become increasingly important for people to be aware that a wider range of medical conditions including high blood pressure and an increased risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack can be linked to alcohol misuse.
Frank Soodeen, press and parliamentary officer for Alcohol Concern, said: "Alcohol is the second biggest cause of high blood pressure after obesity… [while] women who drink heavily are at an increased risk of breast cancer."
A survey carried out by health charity Developing Patient Partnerships revealed that more than a third of men are self-medicating with alcohol to help them deal with stress.
The findings also showed that 34 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women would consider an alcoholic drink to help them feel less stressed.
Mr Soodeen added: "Alcohol is a psychoactive drug, and it’s particularly risky to rely on it to relieve stress because if one is then drinking particularly heavily, it can, in a sense, compound some of the problems that created stress in the first place."
