A SPECIALIST in alcohol misuse is urging people to take a break from alcohol and to consider having a dry January to curb their drinking habits.
Warrington-based Dr Phil Cooper, Nurse Consultant in Alcohol and Drug Misuse for 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, has recorded a short vlog (video blog) encouraging staff members, service users and the public to give up alcohol for the month of January for the sake of their health.
This supports the national Dry January campaign run by Alcohol Concern and supported by Public Health England which aims to encourage social drinkers to give up alcohol for a month.
Dr Cooper said: “Signing up to Dry January to give your body a break from alcohol after the Christmas excess is a great thing to do. As well as being good for your health, cutting down on alcohol will improve your sleep and anxiety levels, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll save money too.”
During the vlog, Dr Cooper asks four questions which make up the CAGE alcohol assessment. CAGE is an acronym of the questions and is a widely used screening test for problem drinking and potential alcohol problems.
He said: “If you answer yes to two of these questions then that’s it’s a possible indication that you have a problem with alcohol. Signing up to Alcohol Concern’s Dry January campaign is a step in the right direction.”
To view Dr Cooper’s vlog, visit www.5boroughspartnership.nhs.uk/dry-january. Further encouragement and advice on keeping January alcohol-free can also be found on Twitter @5BoroughsNHS.
Find out more about Dry January at www.dryjanuary.org.uk, follow the campaign on Facebookwww.facebook.com/dryjanuary or Twitter @dryjanuary and use the hashtag #dryjanuary.
