The signs you have a secret alcohol problem - even if you're drinking a 'safe' amount a week: DR MAX PEMBERTON

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/lifestyle/fitness-wellbeing/article-15517931/The-signs-you-secret-alcohol-problem-youre-drinking-safe-week-DR-MAX-PEMBERTON.html

This was an article published on 3rd February, which I found so patronizing to many women that I see and hear about, so much so I had to respond, the Editor of the paper published that response today. See below.

Dear Editor,

I read Dr Max Pemberton’s article on “hidden alcohol problems” with interest, but it reflects a familiar gap between medical advice and lived reality.

At Harrogate Sanctuary, we work predominantly with middle-aged, high-functioning women, professionals, mothers, carers, who already know they are drinking too much. The problem is not ignorance, and it’s rarely denial. It’s that alcohol is deeply normalised, socially reinforced, and emotionally embedded in their daily lives.

Telling this demographic to “cut down” is not guidance, it’s a dead end. Most have tried repeatedly and feel increasingly ashamed when it doesn’t stick. What’s missing from much GP-led commentary is any meaningful exploration of why alcohol has become so important: low self-worth, anxiety, loneliness, perfectionism, grief, and the quiet pressure to keep coping.

These women don’t need labels or lectures. They need an approach that dismantles the psychological reliance on alcohol, rebuilds self-value, and offers a structured, compassionate route forward that goes beyond platitudes.

If we want to address alcohol misuse seriously, especially among those who appear to be “functioning”, we must stop pretending that awareness alone changes behaviour.

Yours sincerely,
Sarah Turner
Founder, Harrogate Sanctuary