Alcohol Awareness Week 2024 (1st – 7th July)

It’s Alcohol Awareness Week and Forward is proudly supporting the national campaign which aims to raise awareness of the dangers associated with alcohol use.

This national awareness week, coordinated by Alcohol Change UK, aims to improve knowledge and understanding of alcohol harms, whilst also de-stigmatising alcohol addiction.

Alcohol, a drug which is classified as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, can cause harms in all sorts of ways; the NHS identifying dangerous long-term conditions including liver disease, bowel cancer and stroke are all connected to persistent and high-level alcohol use.

There are also the short-term dangers when drinking alcohol in large quantities; accidental injury from being drunk, and the likelihood of indulging in risky behaviours such as drink-driving, unprotected sex and violent behavior, are other ways we can be putting our health at risk.

For this reason, it is important to get a sese of your alcohol intake and this unit calculator is a good way to start to assess your weekly habits and drinking that can lead to serious harm.

From all of our work, we know that excessive alcohol use doesn’t just affect people on the margins of society, but also those in well-paid professions and careers. Alcohol addiction does not stigmatise and it can affect anyone regardless of their social background, wealth or ethnicity.

There are also a number of myths associated with alcohol – including how we all possess the same ability to control our alcohol consumption. At Forward, we know this is one of the biggest myths and alcoholism (a strong, often uncontrollable, desire to drink) is often rooted firmly in addiction. We know that alcohol addiction can – for many – not be treated alone and require specialist support.

Since 1991, Forward has been providing community and prison-based alcohol and drug support services. Our lead national campaign, Taking Action on Addiction, chose the theme ‘Everybody Knows Somebody’ for the 2023 Addiction Awareness Week to highlight the pervasiveness of addiction in society – affecting users, families and friends in ways that hadn’t really been captured before.

For Alcohol Awareness Week, Forward is on a tour of East Kent. We encourage anyone to come and say hello, and have a chat with one of our friendly team at the following city/town centre spots:

• Monday 1^st July – Margate
• Tuesday 2^nd July – Dover
• Wednesday 3^rd July – Sittingbourne
• Thursday 4^th July – Ashford
• Friday 5^th July – Canterbury

If you are currently experiencing issues related to alcohol you can work with us in one of the following ways:

• ReachOut online chat – free, confidential online advice (weekdays, 9am-5pm)
• Find a service in your local area – list of services