Pharmacist Support

Registered Charity Number: 1158974
Parsonage, Manchester

Did you know that one in ten of us drink too much?

Date Posted: 29 Nov 2011

From binge drinking to alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse is a huge problem in the UK.November 14 – 20 marks Alcohol Awareness Week and with Christmas just around the corner the team at Pharmacist Support thought it would be a good time to raise awareness of the issue. 

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about addiction - what it is, who it effects and how to get help and support.  Last year the Charity assisted 36 pharmacists and their families struggling with addiction issues. Through our partnership with Action on Addiction (one of the country’s leading addiction support specialists) we provide a 24/7 dedicated confidential helpline for those looking for information or to take their first step to conquering an addiction.  
 
For more information visit our Health Support Programme webpage, download our factsheet or call our confidential freephone helpline on 0808 168 5132
 
Hints, tips and tools
Action on Addiction recommend the following sensible drinking tips:
  • Drink in moderation
  • Be mindful that you drink more when standing up. Remember to pace yourself.
  • Have at least two drink-free nights a week
  • Drink one soft drink with every alcoholic drink
  • Eat before starting to drink
  • Dilute your drink with mixers
  • Stick to the recommended weekly and daily units.
 
Use the NHS alcohol unit calculator to see how many units there are in a drink:
 
The charity Alcohol Concern also has a poster on their websitehttp://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/alcohol-concern-in-action/campaigning/alcohol-awareness-week that you can print out which shows the number of units in a drink.  For example, did you know that a large 250ml glass of wine contains about 3.3 units of alcohol – that’s more than or equal to the NHS recommended daily limits for women (2-3) and men (3-4).
 
See these tips from the NHS for cutting down your alcohol consumption:
 
Visit the Drink Aware Trust website for some useful information, tips and tools: