Alcohol Awareness Week – how much is alcohol affecting you?

This week is Alcohol Awareness Week. The theme this year is “Understanding alcohol harm” and our Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is joining Alcohol Change UK to encourage Borderers to talk about the ways in which alcohol harm affects us, and how this ripples out to our families, friends, communities and broader society.

We want to shine a light on the centre-stage role that alcohol plays in our lives – whether it’s drinking whilst watching our favourite sports, at summer BBQs, or being advertised as we travel to work.

Alcohol can have a huge affect on our wellbeing every day, from the quality of the sleep we’re getting, to our relationships with those we love. Each year, thousands of people experience long-term health problems as a result of the alcohol they drink or die from alcohol-related causes, but this is preventable. We can stop alcohol playing such a prominent role in our lives and in our society.

Dr Sohail Bhatti, our Director of Public Health said: “As chair of the ADP one of my ambitions is to reduce the harm caused by alcohol in the Borders. Many of us are drinking more than the low risk guidance without realising. Alcohol Awareness Week is a great opportunity to reflect on our relationships with alcohol and have honest conversations with those around us to help us make more informed choices about our drinking.”

Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, said: “Many of us don’t realise that consuming alcohol directly harms our health and negatively affects our friends, our partners, our children and our wider society. The reality is that over 10 million of us are drinking alcohol in a way that can cause health problems. Health harms do not just affect the heavy or dependent drinkers that we often think about.

“But because of the centre-stage role that alcohol currently plays in our lives and society – with it being all around us, everywhere we go – it can be hard to cut back. By taking a minute to learn more about the harms of alcohol and by supporting better national regulations to prevent these harms, we can make life better for us all.”

If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s drinking, seek support from Scottish Borders local services.

For further information about our ADP please visit our website here.