Advice tent for Alcohol Awareness Week

PEOPLE in Tayside are being asked to think about alcohol and the impact it can have as part of Alcohol Awareness Week this week.

NHS Tayside — as well as the Alcohol Partnerships in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross — are supporting the annual campaign, encouraging people to consider how alcohol can affect individuals, families, communities and society as a whole.

The theme for Alcohol Awareness Week this year is “Alcohol and Families”.

It 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.

Tayside’s 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 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 men and women.”

To mark Alcohol Awareness Week, Tayside Council on Alcohol is hosting an information tent outside its Dundee premises in the Wishart Centre on Constable Road, on Thursday, from 10am-4pm, where staff will be on hand to provide information, advice and optional alcohol assessments.