NEXT WEEK is Alcohol Awareness Week – and Warrington Borough Council’s public health team and partners will be out-and-about asking the question: “Do you know what 14 units of alcohol is?
Guidelines from the Department of Health’s chief medical officer recommend that men and women who drink regularly should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week – the equivalent of six pints of average strength beer/lager or six glasses of wine (around 175ml).
Pregnant women should not drink at all.
The team will also be delivering so sobering statistics on drink.
*More than 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily limits
*In 2014 there were 8,697 alcohol-related deaths in the UK and men accounted for about 65 per cent of them
*Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 60 medical conditions, including: mouth, throat, stomach, liver and breast cancers, high blood pressure, cirrhosis of the liver; and depression
During Alcohol Awareness Week, the council’s public health team and partners will be
delivering a range of activities and events to encourage people to get to know what 14 units of alcohol is, control their alcohol intake and understand the potential harm caused by alcohol misuse.
They’ll also be launching a campaign – “Drink Less, Enjoy More” – to raise awareness of alcohol related harm and to promote a healthier relationship with alcohol.
Throughout the week the Change, Grow, Live team (CGL) – commissioned by the council to provide drug and alcohol services in the community – will be taking their alcohol awareness information stall and a smoothie bike to a number of local venues.
On Monday November 14 they will be at James Lee House, the YMCA and Verve Place. They’ll be giving advice on units, calories, how to reduce drinking and local support available.
The council’s youth service will be offering a range of activities during the week. The Youth Bus will be based at Chapelford on Monday evening, at Dallam on Wednesday evening and at Whitecross on Thursday evening. In addition, the youth service will be holding some alcohol awareness information sessions for young people at Orford Youth Base on both Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Cllr Pat Wright, the council’s lead member for statutory health and adult social care, said: “The aim of Alcohol Awareness Week is to get people thinking about alcohol – how it affects us as individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. It’s really important to know how much alcohol you are drinking and to make sure you don’t drink more than the lower risk guidelines.
“There’s so much going on during Alcohol Awareness Week to engage people of all ages on this important issue. It’s a great opportunity to promote the advice and support that’s available from local services in Warrington.”
For details of the week’s events see: https://www.warrington.gov.uk/info/201158/public_health/2282/alcohol_awareness
Do you know your alcohol safety limit?
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