Alcohol Awareness

What is the problem ?  

Alcohol is an established part of our society.  Used sensibly it can provide enjoyment and can help us to socialise and relax. It is also contributes significantly to the economy and provides employment for many. But, when misused, alcohol can cause or contribute to many issues which are of concern to society.

Alcohol consumption is a growing area of public health concern. It is estimated that more than 90% of adults regularly drink alcohol and this has been a rising trend over the last 10 years.

Women in particular are drinking more with young women having doubled their consumption in recent years

People who are financially better off are likely to drink on 5 days or more per week but less likely to binge drink than people who are less well off.

What does this mean for Pendle?

There is a rising trend both locally and nationally of people dying from alcohol specific causes.

In Pendle alcohol has a negative impact on health within the Borough.

The health effects of excessive alcohol consumption are well known. What is sometimes forgotten though is that alcohol is high in calories so can also be responsible for weight gain        

How does Pendle compare to other areas of England?

A comparison of 354 Local Authorities showed how Pendle compared for alcohol specific hospital admissions. With 1 being the Authority with the smallest problem this is how Pendle fared:-

 The National Public Health Observatory produces Local Alcohol Profiles for all areas of England . The Alcohol Profile for Pendle shows how Pendle performs in relation to other areas (select Pendle from the drop down list at the top of the page).

What can we do about this situation?

On its own Pendle Council can do very little. However, in partnership with other organisations working alongside Pendle communities we can make a significant difference. We aim to reverse the emerging trend which will mean reducing alcohol consumption. This will, in turn, lead to a reduction in alcohol related hospital admissions and deaths.

How do we aim to do this?

In partnership we have agreed an East Lancashire Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy 2008-2011.

This sets out the broad framework for our alcohol harm reduction work.

We have also included alcohol harm reduction in our Community Safety Partnership Plan. The main aims are to reduce alcohol related antisocial behaviour and crime, but this will also result in improvements to individuals health. This plan is currently being reviewed and updated so please check back soon for the latest information.

To supplement the Community Safety Partnership Plan we are working together to produce a specific action plan for alcohol harm reduction in Pendle. This plan will be available here soon.

As you would expect we aim to help people to understand the extent of their own alcohol consumption (alcohol units) and to reduce the numbers of alcohol related hospital admissions and improve life expectancy and also quality of life for Pendle residents.

What is a 'unit' of alcohol?

The Chief Medical Officer's advice is that men should drink no more than 3-4 units daily and women no more than 2-3 units daily. We should all aim for at least 2 alcohol free days each week.

The advice for pregnant women is to avoid alcohol.

In England over a quarter of the population drink above these guidelines. This increases the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, liver disease, stroke and other diseases. It affects quality of life for both the drinker and for those around them both at home and at work.

'Units' are not very well understood and it is all too easy to exceed the limit. Most of us underestimate how much alcohol we are actually drinking. Today's 'glass of wine' can easily contain 3-4 units and many of the stronger beers contain more units than we might think.

We have become used to much larger measures and the alcohol strength of many drinks these days is higher than before.

It is all about how much is in the glass and the strength of the drink.

There is a simple calculation which will allow you to calculate the alcohol units in any drink.

You can easily check how many units are in your favourite drink and in most popular drinks

How do I know if I should be concerned about my drinking?

The World Health Organisation categorises alcohol consumption which is more than the recommended daily limit as follows:

• Hazardous drinking - people exceeding the recommended guidelines but not yet experiencing harm
• Harmful drinking - people drinking above sensible levels and experiencing harm
• Alcohol Dependence - people drinking above sensible levels and experiencing harm and symptoms of alcohol dependence

Binge drinking - what does this mean?

You fall into the category of a 'binge drinker' if you are:- 

• A man who drinks at least 8 units of alcohol in a single day (recommended maximum for men 3-4 units per day)
• A woman drink at least 6 units alcohol in a single day (recommended maximum for women 2-3 units per day)

Help and advice available

If you are an adult who is concerned about your own drinking or that of someone your live or work with specialist help and advice is available from the:

Community Alcohol Service
Tel: 01282 416655
4 Bull Street, Burnley

For anyone working with young people there is lots of help and advice available on alcohol. Schools and youth clubs may be interested in the Look Out Alcohol website

Help and advice is also available for any young person who thinks they may have a problem with alcohol through  Early Break . Young people can refer themselves to this confidential service - just contact the service if you need more information.

Help yourself

You can help yourself to a copy of Safety in Numbers - our guide to help you stay safe whilst having a night out in Pendle

Why not try out the Units quiz?

Or perhaps it would help to keep a drinks diary for a week to see just how much you are really drinking.

During 2009/2010 Pendle Council is running a series of training sessions for anyone working with others who may at some time need to offer help and support around alcohol use or misuse. Alcohol brief intervention training helps with the confidence and knowledge to help others to identify their own drinking habits and where appropriate to seek help.

Other useful resources and contacts

SMYL

Alcohol is one of the 6 major projects being tackled by the NHS East Lancashire Save a Million Years of Life (SMYL) health improvement programme. Much more information is available from the SMYL website where you will also find sources of further information and help for anyone who may think they have a problem with alcohol

Useful telephone numbers

Pendle Leisure Trust - Healthy Lifestyles Team 01282 661226 / 01282 661555

Local Hotline - Drinkline 0800 678 1110 

National Drinkline number - 0800 917 8282

Alcoholics Anonymous Helpline - help with problem drinking - 0845 769 755

Al-Anon Family Groups for families and friends of alcoholics - 020 7403 0888

Alcohol Concern - the national agency for alcohol misuse - 020 7395 4000

NHS Direct - the national NHS help line which can provide help and advice about alcohol and other health problems 0845 46 47

We need your help

We need to work in partnership with you to make Pendle a safer and healthier place to live and work.

Pendle's Community Safety Partnership would like your views on issues which may be connected to alcohol consumption.  Would you please complete a short questionnaire to tell us what you think?