Give us your views on introducing minimum unit price on alcohol

The Deputy Health Minister speaks about the health risks, social problems, stigmas and taboos associated with drinking alcohol...

LAST year, more than 11,000 people in Wales had treatment for alcohol-related problems, new figures show.

Worryingly, the number of older people admitted to hospital for alcohol-related conditions continues to rise.

We recently marked Alcohol Awareness Week, which helped highlight the impact alcohol has on society.

It was a good chance to get people talking about the health risks, social problems, stigmas and taboos of drinking, and to challenge stereotypes about who is likely to be drinking too much.

This is very much in line with the debate taking place about our draft legislation at the moment. There is less than a week to go until our consultation on a minimum unit price for alcohol in Wales closes.

Our draft bill proposes introducing a minimum unit price (MUP) of 50p per unit of alcohol. Research carried out for the Welsh Government estimates that the introduction of a 50p MUP in Wales would lead to 50 fewer deaths a year and help prevent 1,400 hospital admissions.

An MUP of 50p is estimated to be worth £882m to the Welsh economy as a result of reducing illness, crime and workplace absence over 20 years.

I’d like to thank the organisations and individuals who have already responded to the consultation.

If you haven’t responded yet, please take the opportunity to give us your views on the proposals.

You can do this via the consultations section of the Welsh Government website. The consultation closes this Friday.

We know that a large proportion of people consistently drink above the safe drinking levels at home, which increases the risk of developing a range of illnesses such as heart and liver disease and cancer.

Alcohol misuse also has an impact on our NHS – it is estimated to cost around £109m every year in hospital admissions alone in Wales.

With Christmas drawing closer, why not challenge yourself and consider cutting down on the amount you drink.

You can find advice about sensible drinking on the Change4Life Wales website at

www.change4lifewales.org.uk.

In the meantime, take a look at these tips:

Keep track of your drinking using the Change4Life drinks checker. Recording exactly what you have consumed during the week will give you a good idea of whether you are drinking within the recommended amounts;

If you usually have a drink when you’ve had a tough day, try doing something else instead. Exercise is an excellent way to relieve stress, or an alcohol-free dinner out is a great feel-good treat, and will be cheaper without alcohol;

If you drink pints, try switching to smaller measures like a half or a small bottle, and check how much alcohol is in your drink. Drinks with a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage have more alcohol and count for more units;

Many medical experts recommend taking regular days off from drinking. Drinking every day increases the risks of illness, and it’s much better to have at least two or three alcohol-free days every week;

Think about challenging yourself and sign up for Dry January and go 31 days without alcohol. It’s aimed at people who consider themselves normal social drinkers and is about having a pause for thought and changing our drinking routines. It’s about taking control of our drinking, and our health.

Sign up online at www.dryjanuary.org.uk – follow the conversation on Twitter @DryJanuary or @ IonawrSych or via Alcohol Concern Cymru on Facebook.