This week is alcohol awareness week, and Oldham Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) are encouraging residents to use this opportunity to reflect on their drinking patterns, and seek help if needed.
Susan Johal from Oldham DAAT explains; ‘Every day now there seems to be another big story about binge drinking, alcohol-related violence or drink-related deaths in the national media. It is all too easy to imagine that these problems only exist in other places, in the same way that one imagines that drink-related illnesses only happen to ‘other people’
According to the latest figures in 2005/06 1,234 men and 650 women from Oldham entered hospital for an alcohol-related reason. Of those, 110 were under the age of eighteen.
Fortunately we are below the regional average when it comes to binge drinking. Its worth noting that not only does alcohol impact on your health but if you’re drinking more than you should then you’ll also be consuming extra calories for example you would have to cycle for over an hour to burn the calories in a pint and a packet of crisps.
‘During Awareness Week I’d like to suggest that we all take a moment to reflect on how much we drink. There’s no doubt that for most of us, moderate drinking can greatly add to the quality of our lives. However, there’s also a need to guard against getting into risky habits, particularly if we socialise lots, or regularly buy alcohol to drink at home. For information, the government’s recommended limits for safe drinking are 2-3 units per day for women and 3-4 units per day for men. Sticking to those limits gives us the best likelihood of a lifetime of risk free drinking. ‘
In Oldham we have some excellent services for people suffering from alcohol problems, and also offer extended support for families and children whose lives are affected by alcohol misuse. For more information contact Oldham DAAT on 0161 621 9101.
