The theme of this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week, which runs from 15-21 November, is alcohol and relationships.
More than 4,000 charities, public health teams, GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies and workplaces have signed up the awareness-raising campaign, which is coordinated by Alcohol Change UK.
‘Many of us associate alcohol and socialising, and alcohol can become a big part of our connections and interactions with those around us,’ says Alcohol Change UK. ‘But when our own or a loved one’s drinking starts to negatively affect our relationships, or stands in the way of us taking action on our own drinking, it can have a huge impact on our lives.’
A YouGov survey commissioned by Adfam for its new Overlooked report estimates that around 5.5m people in England and Wales are negatively affected by a loved one’s drinking, drug taking or gambling (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/one-in-ten), with more than a third of people saying they’d been affected for a decade or more.
The pandemic had also made things worse for many people, the survey found, with 12 per cent of respondents saying it had caused their loved one to relapse. ‘Many of us have found ourselves drinking more to deal with feelings of loneliness and isolation,’ says Alcohol Change UK. ‘As we leave lockdown and return to normal life there will be new pressures too – pressures to drink, “sober shaming”, and pressures we put on ourselves to get back to “normal” socialising.’
Previous weeks have focused on issues like mental and physical health, families, and change.
For more information or to sign up click here