Advice campaign targets '˜high risk' drinkers in Warwickshire

With the summer holidays underway and lighter evenings meaning people getting together with friends or family may be more likely, Warwickshire residents are being asked to consider how much alcohol they are drinking.

Following recent revision of the recommended limits - now 14 units per week for both men and women - and advice that there is no safe limit for drinking alcohol, Warwickshire County Council has launched a campaign to target the number of high risk drinkers within Warwickshire.

Cllr Les Caborn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Health, said: “We want people to enjoy themselves but without putting their health at risk. We’re asking people to consider swapping their alcoholic drink for an alternative – try a mocktail or simply alternate drinks with water. There are no safe levels of drinking alcohol however drinking within the recommended weekly limit will ensure you remain within the low risk category.”

The campaign was launched in Warwick’s Market Square last week.

A bar was set up serving a selection of mocktails and a film crew captured the views of Warwickshire residents with one saying they ‘hadn’t got a clue’ when asked what the alcohol equivalent of a single unit is.

Research published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) in its report Statistics on Alcohol: England 2015, shows that 24.2 per cent of adults are drinking above low risk levels.

This increased risk is defined as consuming between 22 and 50 units of alcohol per week for males, and between 15 and 35 units of alcohol per week for females.

www.warwickshire.gov.uk/alcohol