Alcohol Awareness Month

It is no secret that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health. It can also lead to all manner of complications or encounters on a night out, as it only takes one comment to be taken the wrong way for things to turn sour. In America April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and this year it comes with the motto ‘Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow’. We think that the UK also needs an alcohol awareness month; while we currently have a week each year a month would allow everyone to learn more about how to enjoy alcohol in a responsible manner. Plenty of research has been carried out on the habits and effects of drinking alcohol, and although the amount of alcohol being consumed appears to be falling there are still hundreds of thousands of alcohol-related injuries and illnesses being reported each year. In 2006 31% of men questioned drank more than 21 units of alcohol a week, but in 2009 that number had dropped to 26%. So, although these stats are moving in the right direction some will suggest that these numbers are still too high. Throughout April we’re going to be posting a number of articles about alcohol, some serious, some slightly tongue in cheek, all with the same aim: to educate and inform everyone about enjoying alcohol in a responsible manner. There are some good organisations out there that can help anyone who feels they may have a drinking problem, with the NHS being a good place to start. It’s not about giving up drink all together; it’s about being able to drink responsibly.