New initiative to tackle drink problem

A New initiative has been launched to help tackle what is claimed to be a "massive" drink problem in Hucknall. The campaign aims to tell drinkers how many units they are consuming so that they can stick to their limits.

The Department of Health's 'Units' campaign is being backed by the National Health Service (NHS).

It follows the Dispatch's exclusive front-page story two weeks ago, which highlighted concerns about excessive drinking in Hucknall, resulting in ill health, time lost at work and anti-social behaviour problems.

The Alcohol Problems Advisory Service (APAS) claim that Hucknall is particularly vulnerable because it is an area of high social deprivation.

In a bid to nip drink-related health problems in the bud, Nottinghamshire Community Health (NCH) are running 20 alcohol-abuse clinics across the county, including one at Hucknall Health Centre on Curtis Street.

The Know Your Limits campaign – the biggest of its kind to date – kicked off its units strand this week.

An announcement by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo will be followed by a series of adverts on TV, radio, billboards and press, depicting the number of units in individual drinks.

Dr David Walker, regional director of public health at NHS East Midlands, described the initiative as a "vital step".

The campaign uses iconic imagery to help people understand how many units are in typical alcoholic drinks.

This will hopefully help them to stay within the recommended daily guidelines of two or three units for women and three to four for men.

The campaign will also warn people about damage they could do to themselves if they regularly drink too much.

Research has shown that unit-awareness seems to get worse with age.

Thirty-two per cent of drinkers aged 18 to 24 surveyed across England correctly said a large glass of wine contains three units, compared to only 18% of drinkers over 55 who got ithe answer right.

The poll revealed that nearly half of adult drinkers in Hucknall and the rest of the East Midlands consume alcohol at least two or three times a week and one in ten drink every day.

Hucknall Today