Raise a glass to ‘toast’ new Alcohol Strategy
Not wine or beer, but water and orange juice were the drinks of choice to ‘toast’ a new Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for Warwickshire this week at an event at Warwick’s Shire Hall.
The Strategy has been produced in response to the increasing number of people who are drinking alcohol above safe limits.
It is the work of a multi-agency group including Warwickshire County Council, the local Primary Care Trusts, local service providers, Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Probation Service and the District and Borough Councils.
Warwickshire spends in excess of £8 million on the consequences of alcohol misuse each year, in both human cost as well as the burden placed on public services in treating alcohol-related harm and responding to alcohol-related crime.
According to figures published in the strategy, people living in the south of Warwickshire are more likely to drink alcohol - but the north of the county has the highest rates of binge-drinking.
Around 1,700 people in Warwickshire are estimated to be dependant drinkers, while just over 13,900 are classed as harmful drinkers and more than 55,000 as hazardous.
William Brown, Warwickshire County Council’s Strategic Director for Community Protection, said: “The association between alcohol-related aggression, street drinkers, binge-drinking and loutish conduct, and the commonly accepted practice of drinking to wind down, relax and have fun is complex and requires investigation.
“The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy will make sure that communities and partnership agencies have a combined focus on reducing the harm caused by alcohol, making Warwickshire an even safer place to live, work and visit.”
The Strategy highlights priority areas for development in the county, including improving the quality and quantity of alcohol education.
Work to reduce alcohol-related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour through improved town planning and management, will also be among the Strategy’s priorities.
In Warwickshire, some 375,000 people – more than three quarters of the population – are estimated to drink alcohol.
William Brown concluded: “Through dedicated, long-term partnership working, these issues can be successfully tackled.”
For more information, and to download a copy of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for Warwickshire, follow the link below.