We all like having a good time with friends, especially over the festive season. This often involves having a drink or two. It is possible to enjoy alcohol safely, but all too often, we can drink too much which can spoil the fun for us and others around us. This is especially true of binge-drinking which can lead to alcohol related harm such as health problems (including injury and Mental Illness), financial difficulties, the loss of job, home, family and friends, even crime.
It doesn’t have to be like this! Detox4Devon is a campaign running across the County in the run up to Christmas, designed to give advice on how to stay safe and have a good time while you are celebrating. We are asking you to abstain from alcohol on 2nd January 2008 and donate the money you save to some of the local charities helping people with drink problems. To make this easier, we are encouraging anyone who can to organise fun events on 2nd January which will be alcohol-free, just to show that you can have a good time without drinking to excess.
So – read on and enjoy yourself!
445 million pints of alcohol are
drunk in Britain each year by under age drinkers
Teenage pregnancy rates in
Britain are highest in Western
Europe – 40% estimated to be
as a result of sex during the
influence of alcohol
1 in 5 adults in Britain regularly
drinks to hazardous levels
Binge drinking leads to weight
gain – as much as 2,000 calories being consumed in one session
Alcohol is a factor in
65% of suicides
44% of calls to Childline are
about parental alcohol misuse
CASE STUDY
Emma is a bright, intelligent 16 year old with a happy family and lots of friends. She does well at school and enjoys life. However, since getting a Saturday job she has started going out on Saturday nights with older girls from the shop she is working in. She is drinking about 8 vodka shots and 6 pints of cider each time – far too much. As a result, Emma has put on weight, is irritable at home, is not concentrating at school and has been the victim of a serious sexual assault while she was drunk. Since coming for help, she has learned to drink sensibly – just one or two drinks at a time and usually with a meal. She is starting to feel better now, her results at school have improved and she is enjoying life more. She can also go out clubbing without getting drunk and knows how to keep herself safe.
CASE STUDY
Roy is 46 years old and works in a warehouse. He works long hours and has an early start each morning. He only drinks at weekends but usually has 8-10 pints of strong lager each night. He is usually a reasonable man, but when he is drunk he becomes aggressive and threatening. Roy has just come for treatment because in the past year he has lost his job because of poor concentration which almost led to a serious accident at work. His wife asked him to leave and he rarely sees his children. He now lives alone in a small bed sit. He has had heart problems this year and is facing major surgery, all linked to his drinking. The hospital referred him for treatment and he is now learning techniques to help him cut down on his drinking. He already feels better and his wife has agreed to let him see his children again. He is going to train as a carpenter, has joined a gym and is beginning to look towards a brighter future.
“This campaign is very timely as too often excessive drinking spoils not only the drinker’s night out but that of friends and passers by. The message that you can have a good time without relying on alcohol would make a good New year’s resolution, as well as a pleasant Detox 4 Devon event on the 2nd January.”
Quote from: Councillor Saxon Spence
