Think about your drinking this Alcohol Awareness Week

This #AlcoholAwarenessWeek (1-7 July) is a chance to get thinking about your drinking – better understand alcohol myths, and make positive changes for your health.

Alcohol is all around us. It’s promoted as we watch our favourite sports, advertised as we travel to work, and placed in our favourite films and TV shows. It’s there when we celebrate, commiserate and when we’re just trying to cope.

It isn’t always easy to open up about our alcohol use. But finding out more about alcohol harm and how it affects us, can help us take better control of our drinking and improve our health and wellbeing. 

The benefits for you

By taking control of your drinking, you can:

• Save money
• Gain back more time
• Improve your health
• Have more energy
• Sleep better
• Reduce anxiety
• Improve mood
• Have better relationships

Find inspiration and top tips for cutting down your drinking from Alcohol Change UK

Also on the Alcohol Change website:

• A new mythbusting hub, to bust some common misconceptions about alcohol
• Interactive tool to understand the impacts of alcohol on your body
• Information about the free Try Dry App that helps you track and set goals
• Low and no alcohol drink reviews

Understanding alcohol harm

Alcohol harm affects far more of us in the UK than we realise. On a daily basis it can affect the quality of the sleep we’re getting, our relationships with those we love, our finances, mood and productivity.

And each year, thousands of people experience long-term health problems as a result of the alcohol they drink.

But this is preventable – by opening up conversations about alcohol harm we are helping to reduce it.

Further information and support

Check out the resources and information from NHS Better Health and Alcohol Change UK

But remember that in some cases stopping drinking suddenly can be dangerous, and if you are concerned that you may be dependent on alcohol it is important to seek advice from your GP or local community alcohol service and get help to reduce your drinking safely.

Y-Smart is the under 18 drug & alcohol service for Devon, which includes the Y-Project supporting those affected by family/carer drug & alcohol use. Call 01271-388162

Together Drug and Alcohol Service is the adult drug & alcohol service for Devon, offering support for those who are dependent on alcohol – call 0800 233 5444