Alcohol Awareness Week is a week of awareness-raising, campaigning for change, and more. This year’s Alcohol Awareness Week takes place from 3-9 July 2023.

What is the week about?  It is a chance for the UK to get thinking about drinking, awareness raising and making changes.  The theme this year is ‘Alcohol and cost’.

Alcohol Change UK, explain that the harm caused by alcohol affects millions of people every year in the form of health problems (such worsened mental and physical health and increased death rates), financial worries (with the increased rise of cost of living), relationship breakdown and family difficulties.  It also impacts and places significant pressure on the NHS, emergency services, police and workplaces.   The total social cost of alcohol to society is estimated to be at least £21 billion each year.  We as individuals spend tens of thousands of pounds on average on alcohol over the course of a lifetime.

For more information and support please contact your line manager, HR Team, Trust’s Alcohol, Drugs and Substance Mis-Use Policy or contact Alcohol Change UK

Many people drink socially and intermittently and could be termed a “casual drinker” this depends on how frequently they drink and the volume consumed at any given time.

Alcohol misuse is when you drink in a way that’s harmful, or when you’re dependent on alcohol. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week.

If you feel that you would benefit from support regarding your alcohol consumption you can arrange a confidential discussion with our manager with support from HR who can explore the appropriate support for you.

A unit of alcohol is 8g or 10ml of pure alcohol, which is about:

• half a pint of lower to normal-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6%)
• a single small shot measure (25ml) of spirits (25ml, ABV 40%)
• A small glass (125ml, ABV 12%) of wine contains about 1.5 units of alcohol.

Lots of people drink from time to time. This Self Assessment Tool can help you evaluate your drinking and consider if you are putting yourself at risk.

To keep your risk of alcohol-related harm low:

• Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis
• If you drink as much as 14 units a week, it’s best to spread this evenly over 3 or more days
• If you’re trying to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it’s a good idea to have several alcohol-free days each week
• If you’re pregnant or trying to become pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum

Go Sober for October: https://www.gosober.org.uk/ 

Macmillan Cancer Support is here to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer in the UK, but we can’t do it without you. So we’re asking you to get involved in Sober October by going alcohol-free for the month of October, to raise money for people with cancer.

By going sober, you’re not just helping others, you’re helping yourself too. Giving up the booze for a month comes with loads of feel-good benefits, but the feeling of raising vital funds for the millions of people with cancer in the UK is the best feeling of all.

Every penny raised will play a vital role in helping Macmillan Cancer Support fund critical services, so we hope to see you take part in Sober October this year, raising a glass (of something non-alcoholic) to help Macmillan continue supporting people living with cancer.

Alternat+ves

We are trained volunteers in Halesowen, and we provide evidence-based training and support to family members.  We also have lived experience and know how difficult and emotionally draining it is on families, as well as services, to provide appropriate help to someone with SUD.   We have volunteered for various organisations including Atlantic House, Scala House, CGL, The Alcohol Teams at City Hospital, Sandwell Hospital and more recently Russells Hall Hospital. We have been trained by SMART Recovery and more recently the Center for Motivation and Change in New York.  Please click on the link below for additional support / information: – 

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Alcohol Change UK is a leading UK alcohol charity, formed from the merger of Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK. 

Alcohol is a part of many of our lives. We use it for celebration, for comfort, to socialise, to wind down, to cope. We treat it differently to other drugs; it’s legal, socially acceptable, even encouraged.

Yet in the UK one person every hour dies as a result of alcohol. Alcohol harm – mental health problems, liver disease, one of seven forms of cancer, economic difficulties, and so much more – can affect any one of us, from any walk of life.

If you’re worried that you or someone you know is drinking too much, there is support available. Click here to access support and advice.

The coronavirus emergency placed great strain on the physical and mental wellbeing of NHS staff – including those working on the NHS frontline and, by association, those close to them. The NHS have commissioned various support offers for health and care staff across a range of areas, there is advice, guidance and support available around drug and alcohol issues for individuals and/or their family members. Early access to appropriate information can help to deal with the issues effectively and reduce/stop the harm.

NHS

• Drugs:  https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/drug-addiction-getting-help/
• Alcohol:  https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/

Phone and email support for families, friends and partners affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol use.

Website:  https://www.drugfam.co.uk/
Helpline:  0300 888 3853
Email: office@drugfam.co.uk