Tuesday 05-11-2019 - 14:32

 

Alcohol Awareness Week is a chance to get thinking and talking about alcohol, to motivate change at every level – individual, community and national. This year the theme is Alcohol and me, running from 11-17 November 2019. It’s a week of awareness-raising, campaigning for change, and more.

 

Did you know?

• Before going to university almost half of young people surveyed thought that students got drunk most of the timeⁱ.
• Half of students drink more than once a weekⁱ.
• 60% of students state that drinking helps them relax/socialiseⁱ.

However:

• 21% of students choose not to drinkⁱ.
• 78% of students say that they don’t have to get drunk to have a good night outⁱ.
• 75% of students agree they don't like socialising with people who get very drunk and ruin the night for othersⁱ.

Why not try these simple changes to your drinking behaviour?

• Drink and think in units. Learn how many units are in your alcohol, there are lots of alcohol calculators online to help.
• Pace Yourself! Remember that you don’t have to join in with every round! It can help to only drink the drinks you really enjoy and skip the ones you’re drinking for the sake of it.
• Try drinking low and alcohol free alternatives. Alcohol-free beers, ciders and wines have improved so much in recent years and are now winning awards in place of their full-strength competitors.
• Alcohol free activities: Organise some non-alcohol events with your friends or check out what your university/student union have on offer. Watch a movie, grab a coffee, go trampolining or try roller skating.
• Get home safely: Never walk home alone. Look after each other and check out what your university has organised to get home safely.
• It’s fine to say No. Not everyone drinks alcohol and it is fine to say no.

 

Alcohol Impact is about challenging cultures on campuses which normalise excessive drinking and can sometimes become exclusive to students that don’t wish to take part. It’s about practical things like providing safer transport links, creating alcohol-free social spaces, reducing anti-social behaviour and developing community cohesion with local residents.

 

ⁱNUS Students and Alcohol National Survey 2017 - 2018