Alcohol Awareness Week 2011

14 - 20 November 2011

People in Woking are being urged to 'rethink their drink' during National Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) which begins on Monday 14 November.

Woking Borough Council is supporting the week which is encouraging people across the country to take stock of how much they are drinking and think about the long-term consequences of alcohol use.

Find out about the important statistics and key facts on alcohol misuse.

Consumption

  • Alcohol consumption has nearly doubled since the 1950s.
  • In 2009 UK consumption of alcohol was 8.4 litres per head.
  • Over 10 million adults in England are now drinking more than the recommended daily limit, with 2.6 million of this total drinking more than twice that.
  • Drink surveys used to measure the public's alcohol consumption tend to underestimate how much people really drink. One study suggests this is by as much as the equivalent of a bottle of wine per week.
  • In 2009, half of 11 to 15 year olds had already had an alcoholic drink (51%).
  • In European studies, UK teenagers are amongst those most likely to report sometimes drinking heavily, being intoxicated and experiencing adverse effects from their drinking.

The costs of alcohol misuse

  • The total cost of alcohol harm is estimated to be between £17.7 billion and £25.1 billion a year.
  • Of this, the cost to the NHS is £2.7 billion per year.
  • Alcohol related crime and disorder is thought to cost the taxpayer between £8 billion to £13 billion each year.
  • The number of alcohol-related deaths in the UK has consistently increased since the early 1990s, rising from the lowest figure of 4,023 in 1992 to the highest of 9,031 in 2008. There were 6,584 deaths directly related to alcohol in 2009.
  • In 2009/2010, there were 1,057,000 alcohol related admissions.

Children and families and domestic abuse

  • It is estimated that 2.6 million children in the UK are living with parents who are drinking hazardously and 705,000 are living with dependent drinkers.
  • More than 100 children, including children as young as five, contact ChildLine every week with worries about their parent's drinking or drug use.
  • Alcohol related domestic violence increases the risks to children; alcohol plays a part in 25% to 33% of known cases of child abuse.
  • Parental alcohol misuse has been identified as a factor in over 50% of child protection cases.

Treatment

  • There are an estimated 1.6 million people now dependent on alcohol in England.
  • Primary Care Trusts spent an average of £600,000 on commissioning alcohol services (2006/2007). This represents a little over 0.1% of a typical PCT's total annual expenditure.

  • Substantial cost savings can be made through evidence based alcohol interventions. The National Treatment Agency found that for every £1 invested in specialist alcohol treatment, £5 is saved on health, welfare and crime costs.

Do you know your units?

  • The number of units in a drink depends on its size and strength, 3 units = 1 pint of strong lager or 1 large glass of wine.
  • It is recommended that people have at least two alcohol-free days a week.

How to cut down?

Top tips

  • Decide on your ultimate goal. Do you want to cut down to a set daily amount? Maybe you want to avoid binge drinking? Or, perhaps you would like to give up alcohol altogether?
  • Pick a day of the next week to start cutting down. Go for a day when you are less likely to be under pressure, so it's easier to avoid alcohol.
  • Keep a drink diary. Writing this on a regular basis will help you to work out how much you're drinking.
  • Work out how you can avoid situations that you know will encourage you to drink. (Go to the cinema instead of the pub.)
  • Pace yourself. Try drinking each drink more slowly or alternating alcoholic drinks with soft or low alcohol ones.
  • Find something else to do while you drink, like playing darts or pool, or dancing. This will take your mind off your drink and help you to slow down.
  • Get out of the habit of drinking because you are stressed or have nothing else to do. Look for other ways to relax such as swimming or walking which will make you feel better and don't involve alcohol.
  • Take stock of your progress and make sure you give yourself credit where it's due for your achievements so far. This will help you keep going to achieve your targets.
  • Try to have at least two alcohol-free days a week. Choose days when you're less likely to be in situations where you would usually drink alcohol. Always give your body a 48-hour break from alcohol if you do drink to much in one session.
  • Don't give up! Changing a habit like drinking takes time and hard work, and sometimes it's difficult to drink less. Focus on what you've achieved so far and reward yourself when you have met your drinking targets. If you do relapse, don't stop, just set a new date to start cutting down again.

For general advice and information www.alcoholconcern.org.uk.

There are many online tools to help people monitor their alcohol consumption. To download the NHS drink tracker application, visit www.nhs.uk and type 'drink tracker' into the search bar or for Drinkaware's free Good Times app, visit www.drinkaware.co.uk.

For further information, visit www.drinking.nhs.uk or call the Surrey Drug Care 24-hour helpline on 01483 300112 (for drugs and alcohol).

Is the social cost of alcohol too high?

What is a drink problem?

Information provided by Alcohol Concern

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