Sponsored Editorial

“Alcohol misuse comes with many costs, and for some it destroys lives,” is the warning to Kent residents, as this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week focuses on the cost to individuals, families and wider society.

Health and work problems, money worries, relationship breakdowns, plus wider pressures on the NHS, Police and other public services, are among the well-documented harms and the costs caused by excess alcohol. All of these themes are highlighted in Alcohol Awareness Week (3 to 9 July), run by Alcohol Change UK.

Kent County Council (KCC) and a range of partners are encouraging residents to ‘Know Your Score’ this Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) by taking a simple online quiz to see if the amount you are drinking is costing you and your loved ones harm.

Using the ‘Know Your Score’ interactive online test you can gauge how drinking could be affecting you. Depending on the score, you’ll be offered appropriate advice about where to find help by different experts and health professionals in a short video – and you can go from there.

“We know the pandemic and cost of living are resulting in more people drinking at home, where it’s easy to lose track of how many units you are consuming,” explains KCC Public Health Consultant Jess Mookherjee.

“Many people also drink to get rid of depression, not realising that alcohol can make depression worse.

“Due to the nature of alcohol addiction – it is not easy to predict who this will happen to, and given the numbers involved, it could be someone close to you. But Alcohol Awareness Week is a great chance to reset your relationship with alcohol.”

Figures show the majority of people in the UK, nearly 80%, drink sensibly, within safe limits. However despite these costs, over 300,000 people in Kent consume more than the recommended 14 units of alcohol a week.

Financially, people can spend tens of thousands of pounds on alcohol over the course of a lifetime, while the total bill of alcohol harm to the UK is estimated to be at least £21 billion a year.

Anyone in need of treatment and support for alcohol addiction, or help to support a loved one in treatment or recovery, is also being reminded of the services available – so no one need be ashamed to reach out, or feel they must face the challenge alone.

Jess adds: “Though anyone can be impacted, journeys into addiction are often made by the most disadvantaged so, guided by our new Drug and Alcohol Strategy, we will work with all our partners to tackle the wider factors that affect health, such as stress and work insecurity, that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable residents.”

Change or recovery may feel out of reach but last year alone, Kent’s support services helped over 5,000 people cut down their drinking or break the cycle of alcoholism.

Sue, from Tunbridge Wells, sought help from One You Kent, the free healthy lifestyle service commissioned by KCC that can help you reduce your drinking.

“I managed to drastically reduce my intake of alcohol,” commented the 76-year-old.

“I was drinking most evenings, two or three glasses of wine or gin and tonics. More at weekends. The good thing is I still enjoy a drink but confine it to a Friday and Saturday evening, and then only in moderation. I don’t miss it either.”

KCC also commissions specialist treatment providers. Forward Trust runs the East Kent Community Drug and Alcohol Service while Change Grow Live (CGL) delivers the West Kent Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing Service.

“Our team offers a fully confidential and non-judgemental service to anyone looking to access information and advice on drugs and alcohol; as well as providing treatment options, personalised support, both one-to-one and group sessions and mentoring,” adds Jane Scott from CGL.

If you suspect you are a dependent drinker you should never stop drinking without seeing a nurse or doctor as in some cases it costs lives. Specialist services can help you stop safety. If you, or a loved one, need more specialist help, search ‘alcohol support’ here.

For help and advice about small changes you can make to improve your health and wellbeing, and find more support in your area regarding your lifestyle, see www.oneyoukent.org.uk