New alcohol resource for people who want to drink less
In our new alcohol resource, we use the drinking habits of fictional characters Lucy, Danny, Warren, Anna, and Billy to guide people through the steps need to reduce their alcohol use.
Our updated and redesigned resource, Drink Less Alcohol - Six Steps to Changing your Drinking Habits, can support people who want to control their alcohol use and reduce the amount they are drinking.
Alcohol consumption has increased during lockdown. Now that things are starting to return to normal and many people have to return to work, many people will have a post-lockdown resolution to drink less alcohol.
According to a report on alcohol consumption during lockdown, published by Drinkaware, certain groups of people have adopted new drinking patterns, which "may become ingrained and hard to break."
Based on a study by Opinium, the report has highlighted the change in drinking habits during lockdown.
The research revealed that around two in five people on furlough and a third of parents with at least one child under 18 are drinking more alcohol since the start of lockdown. These drinking levels are higher than the general population, where a fifth of people has increased their lockdown drinking.
A combination of boredom and anxiety have prompted people to pour themselves a drink earlier in the day and drink on more days than they usually would.
Drinkaware Chief Executive Elaine Hindal said: "Our latest research clearly shows certain groups of people are displaying worrying new drinking patterns during this very challenging time. She added, "Drinking more, whether out of boredom or anxiety, can lead to devastating health consequences, both mental and physical, as well as an increased tolerance for alcohol, which can lead to alcohol dependence."
In the Drink Less Alcohol, 24-page, A6 resource, we use the drinking habits of fictional characters Lucy, Danny, Warren, Anna, and Billy to guide people through the steps need to reduce their alcohol use.
Based on the cycle of change, we follow the characters as they contemplate their drinking habits, how it affects them and the people around them, and how they will make long-term sustainable changes to their relationship with alcohol.
The final section of the booklet poses the question "should you cut down or stop," and then takes drinkers through six steps they can take to reach their goals.
The resource can be used in a brief advice setting or given to clients to encourage them to consider their drinking habits and support them to make changes.
