As St Valentine’s night draws near thousands of couples in Oldham will be celebrating with a romantic night out. And the message from local alcohol campaigners is clear: ‘Have a great night, have a drink but don’t go over the top and ruin a special evening.’
Susan Johal, from Oldham Drug and Alcohol Action Team comments: ‘Most people enjoy alcohol at sensible levels as a great way to relax and have an enjoyable evening. But for some, drink can be a highly destructive influence on a relationship, resulting in verbal and sometimes physical abuse.”
According to government statistics marriages where there are alcohol problems are twice as likely to end in divorce. Annually there are 360,000 of domestic violence which are linked to alcohol misuse. Between 780,000 and 1.3m children are affected by parental alcohol problems. And although more traditionally associated with men, higher levels of alcohol consumption by women have also been rising over the past few years.
Between 1992-2002 the percentage of women aged 16 or over having drunk over 14 units of alcohol in the previous week rose from 12% to !7%. The figure for men (drinking over 21 units) was steady at 27%.
The message comes from the latest phase of the Governments harm reduction strategy, Know Your Limits. The campaign is primarily targets 18-24 year olds to prompt consideration of the risks associated with excessive drinking. It is also hoped that other ‘at risk’ groups will benefit from a renewed focus on alcohol including pregnant and pre pregnant women, plus those adults who may unknowingly be drinking at levels which are dangerous to their health.
Further information can be found at www.knowyourlimits.gov.uk
The following Alcohol services are available for young people and adults in Oldham:
Oasis, Oldham alcohol substance intervention service provides information for parents and young people in Oldham call 0161 621 9600
ADS Addictions & Dependency Solutions’ 0161 624 9595
Oldham Family Crisis Group (0161 628 4991)
For more information contact Nyree Hood, Marketing and Communications Officer, 0161 621 9395
