ALCOHOL AWARENESS WEEK: TIME TO RETHINK YOUR DRINK?

People in Guildford are being urged to ‘rethink your drink’ during Alcohol Awareness Week, (Monday 19– Sunday 25 October).

The Safer Guildford Partnership is supporting the Government’s ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign, which is encouraging people across the country to take stock of how much they are drinking by keeping a drink diary for the week.

Over a quarter of the population in England (10 million adults) drink above the guidelines for lower risk drinking. Of these, 2.6 million adults (8% of men and 6% of women) regularly drink at higher risk levels.

Gail Hughes, Public Health Lead, NHS Surrey, said: “We’re behind the ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign because alcohol is one of the leading causes of health problems in
Guildford. It’s so easy to get into a routine of regular drinking which is above the lower-risk guidelines, without realising you might be putting your health at risk. For example, if a man regularly drinks a couple of pints of beer most days of the
week, he is drinking above the lower-risk guidelines.

She added: “Keeping a drink diary for a week is easy, and can really make you stop and think about whether you ought to be cutting back – and there’s no better time than Alcohol Awareness Week to give it a go.”

Know Your Limits top ten tips to ‘rethink your drink’:

1. 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?

2. 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.

3. Keep a drink diary. Writing this on a regular basis will help you to work out how much you're drinking.

4. Work out how you can avoid situations that you know will encourage you to drink. For example, if you're going out with friends suggest the cinema instead of the pub.

5. Pace yourself. Try drinking each drink more slowly or alternating alcoholic drinks with soft or low alcohol on

6. Find something else to do while you drink, like playing darts or pool, or dancing. This will take your mind off your drinks and help you to slow down.

7. Get out of the habit of drinking because you are stressed or have nothing else to do. Look for other ways to relax: activities like swimming or going for a walk will make you feel better and don't involve alcohol.

8. 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.

9. 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 booze if you do drink too much in one session.

10. 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.

The Chief Medical Officer's guidelines on lower-risk drinking recommend men do not drink more than 3-4 units daily and women do not drink more than 2-3 units daily.

Drinking above these levels can increase your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, liver disease, stroke and other diseases. Drinking above lower-risk guidelines can also impact on your ability to get a good night’s sleep and affect your general day-to-day health.

Remember:
• Alcohol free days allow the liver to recover from heavy drinking – even just having an occasional binge brings its own dangers, such as accidents and injuries
• If a man drinks more than a pint of Stella every day he is over the safe limit
• If a woman drinks more than a large glass of wine every day she is over the safe limit
• If a couple share a bottle of wine (10 units) and he has 2/3 and she has 1/3, he’s drinking over the safe limit and she’s drinking at the upper limit

Men should not drink more than 3-4 units per day; women should not drink more than 2-3 units per day. Drinking double this amount or more on one day is described as ‘high risk’. Drinking at these levels on a continuous basis puts you at higher risk of cancer, heart problems and liver damage.
3 Units 1.6 Units 1 Unit 1.7 Units

PINT CIDER
ABV 5.3% RED WINE (125ml)
ABV 12.5% SAMBUCA SHOT
ABV 42% BOTTLE OF LAGER
ABV 5.2%

If you would like help and advice regarding drinking habits please contact:

Alcoholics Anonymous on tel: 0845 769 7555
Drinkline on tel: 0800 9178282

For further information visit www.nhs.uk/units.