Alcohol Awareness Week 2017

FRIDAY, 10 NOVEMBER, 2017

PRESS RELEASE EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01, MONDAY, 13 NOVEMBER, 2017

Alcohol Awareness Week 2017

People in Tayside are being asked to think about alcohol and the impact it can have as part of Alcohol Awareness Week (13-19 November).

NHS Tayside and Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADP) are supporting the annual campaign, encouraging people to consider how alcohol can affect us as individuals, our families, communities and society as a whole.

The theme for Alcohol Awareness Week this year is ‘Alcohol and Families’, which aims to start a conversation around problematic alcohol use to help break the cycle of silence and stigma that is all too often experienced by families.

Due to greater availability and the low cost of alcohol, people now consume higher volumes of alcohol in their own homes rather than in pubs, bars and restaurants.

Consultant in Public Health Medicine Dr Emma Fletcher said, “People may not always realise how much they are drinking on a weekly basis. A lot of people in Tayside and across the UK are drinking to harmful levels at home in the evening or over dinner and this can cause huge damage to their bodies and long-term health.

 

“People will see real benefits if they reduce their alcohol consumption. You can take small, simple achievable steps to cut down, such as having at least two alcohol-free days every week and alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water on a night out.

 

“We advise people not to exceed recommended government guidelines – the maximum weekly intake of alcohol is 14 units for both men and women.”

To mark Alcohol Awareness Week, Tayside Council on Alcohol, which is supported by Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership, is hosting an information tent outside its Dundee premises in the Wishart Centre on Constable Road, on Thursday 16 November from 10am to 4pm. Staff will be providing information and advice, as well as alcohol assessment if required.

If you are in the routine of drinking a lot at home, try out these five simple cutting down ideas:

    • Keep track of the alcohol units you’re drinking (no more than 14 units a week spread gradually during the week) by using a unit measuring cup at home

    • Take note of what you are buying – buy lower percentage wine or use smaller glasses for use in the house

    • Dinner only drinking – having alcohol only with your evening meal can help you drink less, but enjoy it more

    • Don’t finish your bottle, leave it for the next time to enjoy

    Don’t keep too much alcohol in the house – only buy as much as you intend to drink in one evening

Contact:

Debbie Huband

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740134

13 November 2017