People in Liverpool are being urged to start 2015 by dropping a shirt or dress size through reducing the amount of alcohol they drink.
Drier January, run by the Public Health team at Liverpool City Council, aims to get people thinking about their alcohol intake in the run-up to the festive season, and commit to drink less through the first month of the New Year.
It is estimated that more than 40,000 adults in Liverpool drink more than they should do – with around 11,000 at a high risk of harm.
They are being encouraged to “Drop a Drink Size” in the new campaign. As well as the other health risks involved in drinking too much alcohol, many people are not aware of the extra calories involved. Three pints of beer, for example, is the equivalent of eating two burgers.
People are being asked to consider:
• The calorie content of their favourite tipple
• Having two alcohol-free days a week
• Alternating alcohol with soft drinks
• Choosing drinks with fewer units
• Not keeping lots of alcohol at home
They are also being asked to sign up to Drier January through the website http://www.fewerunits.co.uk/. which has tips about reducing drinking. Participants will be asked if they want to complete a questionnaire to find out if their drinking falls in line with the Department of Health guidelines which say men should not drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day and women 2-3 units.
And they will be offered the opportunity to attend free physical activity sessions at the city council’s lifestyles.
“Drop and Drink Size” was launched during Alcohol Awareness Week at the Brink when Art and Soul(pictured above) presented a thought-provoking one act play and workshop with health messages about reducing alcohol consumption.
Deputy Mayor and cabinet member for Social Care and Health, Councillor Roz Gladden, said: “This is a really important issue as alcohol misuse is very important health concern in Liverpool.
“Although we have had success in reducing the number of hospital admissions we still rank 13th out of 326 councils in England for alcohol-related reasons.
“As well as the other health issues many people just do not know how many calories there are in drinks. Lots of people want to lose weight but they, perhaps, don’t realise just how many calories they are consuming when they have a drink.
“Signing up to this campaign will help them to really drop a drink size in the New Year