What are you drinking?

As a new, hard-hitting TV campaign aims to warn adults of the unseen health damage caused by excessive drinking, NHS Hull is investing £50,000 to reduce drink-related harm across the city. 

The latest £6m Know Your Limits alcohol campaign launches today with a series of TV, press and outdoor adverts showing the harm that the regular consumption of more than two drinks a day can cause to the body. 

At the same time, the city’s primary care trust is taking preventative action to reduce the emotional and physical harm caused by alcohol misuse. 

Paul Laing is NHS Hull’s Public Health Lead for Alcohol. He says: 

“The NHS is beginning to focus its efforts on prevention and keeping people healthy as well as treating the sick. If we can encourage people to drink more sensibly and tackle the causes of drink-related harm before they happen, this is not only beneficial for the people involved, but will also save the NHS thousands of pounds in healthcare and treatment costs further down the line. 

“For example, in 2001, drink driving offences in England and Wales cost £108m, including £31m on healthcare alone. 

“Much of this new funding is being used to pay for extra police patrols to carry out preventative activity with regards to drink driving. 

“We have also recently provided a number of the pubs and clubs in Hull with a supply of ‘unbreakable glasses’ which also show just how little one unit can be. These will not shatter even with force and are therefore an effective deterrent against ‘glassings’, which can severely injure a person physically as well as leaving lasting emotional trauma.” 

High-profile campaign materials will also be used to highlight the impact that alcohol can have on a person’s health. 

Paul continues: 

“The damage caused by regularly drinking more than the recommended guidelines – 2-3 units daily for women and 3-4 units daily for men, with at least two alcohol-free days a week – often goes unseen and therefore unnoticed. 

“A unit really isn’t very much and the worry is that people seriously underestimate just how much alcohol they are consuming on a regular basis. As drinking too much can lead to numerous serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, liver disease and stroke, it is imperative that we do all we can to ensure the message gets through: know your limits.”