Doncaster health chief and councillor ask people to rethink their drink this January

Councillor Nigel Ball, the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at Doncaster Council, and Nicola McIntosh, Executive Director for People and Organisational Development at Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), have both pledged to not drink alcohol for the entire month.

As part of Dry January, RDaSH, Aspire Drug and Alcohol Service, Doncaster Public Health and a range of other agencies are encouraging people to have a go at not drinking alcohol for a month and reminding people that support is available if they are worried about their own or someone else’s drinking levels

Coun Ball said: “Dry January is an important awareness raising campaign that I encourage everyone to get behind.

“We have a number of dedicated services in Doncaster for people who want help to reduce their alcohol intake and to also support those who access our mental health services due to the negative effects that alcohol can have on people’s emotional health and wellbeing. I would encourage people to think about how much they drink to make a healthy start to 2023 and beyond.”

The NHS recommends that people should not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week (one unit of alcohol is about half a pint of normal-strength lager; or a single measure of spirit, however a small glass of wine contains about 1.5 units of alcohol).

Rupert Suckling, Doncaster Director of Public Health, said “After the often excesses of the Christmas period, a month off alcohol lowers blood pressure, reduces diabetes risk, lowers cholesterol, and reduces levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood. Dry January is an excellent way of learning what your drinking habits are and how to break them, enabling you to cut down longer-term.”

Dry January is Alcohol Change UK’s awareness campaign which encourages people to give their bodies a month-long break from alcohol. To register for Dry January sign up at https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january/sign-up-for-dry-january

For information about lowering drinking habits visit rethinkyourdrinkdoncaster.co.uk.

If someone you know is experiencing drug and alcohol issues and wants to talk in confidence please visit www.aspire.community or ring 01302 730956.