EAST MIDLANDS ALCOHOL HARM REDUCTION NETWORK
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National policy context
Safe. Sensible. Social.
The Government is stepping up a gear to reduce the harm caused by alcohol misuse but individuals must also take responsibility for their own drinking habits.
Action is outlined in Safe. Sensible. Social. which was published in June 2007 by the Home Office, Department of Health, Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. It aims to:
- make full and better use of existing laws and licensing powers and to bear down on irresponsibly managed bars and pubs and off-licenses
- ensure everyone has the information they need to estimate how much they drink
It focuses action on three groups at most risk:
- 18-24 year old binge drinkers
- Young people under 18 who drink alcohol
- Harmful drinkers whose drinking is damaging their health, often without them realising it
New action includes:
- More help for people who want to drink less
- Investing at least £6 million in public information campaigns to promote sensible drinking
- New clear drinking guidance for parents and young people
- An independent review of alcohol pricing and promotion
- Compulsory local alcohol strategies in every area
- Toughened enforcement of under-age sales laws for retailers
- Toughened criminal justice interventions for drunken behaviour, including exploring ways when appropriate to charge perpetrators for the advice they receive
The Government will also consult further on the need for legislation to make sensible drinking advice on alcohol labelling compulsory; and work with an expert panel on the physical effects of alcohol on young people.
Government guidelines
Consumption |
Sensible daily consumption on no more than 5 days per week |
Sensible weekly consumption |
Binge drinking |
Hazardous drinking |
Harmful drinking |
Men |
3-4 units |
< 21 units |
8 or more units in a day |
22-50 units per week |
> 50 units per week |
Women |
2-3 units |
< 14 units |
6 or more units in a day |
15-35 units per week |
> 35 units per week |
Progress on the priority actions (Annex B) is outlined in the presentation below:
Safe. Sensible. Social. Alcohol strategy. Local implementation toolkit
This toolkit is a resource to help local teams develop strategies to address alcohol-related crime, ill health and other harm in line with Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy.
It is written specifically to help alcohol leads and others within local authorities, primary care trusts (PCTs), children’s services and delivery partnerships such as Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) – the people most likely to be responsible for developing and delivering alcohol strategies locally. It will also be useful to individual agencies tackling alcohol misuse.
The toolkit is based on the Local Alcohol Strategy Toolkit produced by London Drug and Alcohol Network and Alcohol Concern in 2004 (see www.localalcoholstrategies.org.uk). It provides a step-by-step process on how to develop a local alcohol strategy, and suggests a range of activities to help with the three key strategic areas of health, community safety and children and young people.
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