Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) will be joining over 5,000 community groups across the UK to raise awareness for Alcohol Awareness Week.
Alcohol Awareness Week is a chance for the UK to get thinking about drinking. It is a week of awareness raising, campaigning for change, and more. It is managed and hosted by the charity Alcohol Change UK and runs from 3rd to 9th July 2023.
Chief executive of Alcohol Change UK Dr Richard Piper said: “Drinking regularly or heavily puts us at greater risk of heart disease, liver disease, stroke, increased blood pressure, and cancer, including throat cancer and breast cancer.
“It can cause tensions and disagreements with those around us and put a strain on our finances too. Plus, once drunk, it can make it harder to keep track of how many drinks we have had, putting us at greater risk of more immediate harm.
“But by taking control of our drinking, we can save money, improve our health, have more energy, improve our memory, have better sleep, reduce anxiety, improve our mood, and have better relationships.”
The theme for this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week is ‘the true cost of alcohol’. Dumfries and Galloway ADP would like to encourage people to get involved in the week by talking about how much alcohol costs in the form of health problems, financial worries, relationship breakdown and family difficulties.
During the week, Alcohol Change UK and Dumfries and Galloway ADP will be sharing tips on what to do if you think you are drinking too much alcohol, how to have a conversation with a friend or family member about their drinking, and how to get support if you are affected by a loved one’s drinking.
Dumfries and Galloway ADP, We Are With You, the Specialist Drug and Alcohol Service and Alcohol and Drug Support South West Scotland have arranged local pop up awareness stalls in Dumfries and Galloway during Alcohol Awareness Week to spread awareness, give out harm reduction advice, signpost people to services that can support and engage with the community to have better conversations about alcohol. For the times and places of the pop-up events, please see the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership website at https://dghscp.co.uk/alcohol-drugs-partnership-adp/
Some important harm reduction information:
- To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. 14 units is the equivalent of 6 pints a beer or 6 medium glasses of wine or 7 double measures of spirits
- If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over 3 or more days
- If you have 1 or 2 heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long term illness and from accidents and injuries
- The risk of developing a range of health problems, including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast, increases the more you drink on a regular basis
- If you want to cut down the amount you drink, a good way is to have several drink-free days each week
- If you find yourself struggling with your alcohol intake there are support services in Dumfries and Galloway that can help.
This message from Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership is being echoed and supported by Dumfries and Galloway Local Resilience Partnership in the form of its partners Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Police Scotland, Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership.
Further information on other websites and local drug and alcohol services that can help, along with other more detailed guidance can be found on the Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership website at https://dghscp.co.uk/alcohol-drugs-partnership-adp/
