Make responsible drinking your ‘goal’ during Cup Final
A group tasked with reducing alcohol-related harm in Warwickshire is asking people to drink sensibly as they enjoy watching football’s Carling Cup Final this weekend.
The Cup Final, which sees Tottenham Hotspur take on Chelsea, will take place on Saturday (24th February) at Wembley.
A multi-agency Alcohol Task Group for Warwickshire is urging football fans to make responsible drinking their ‘goal’ as they watch the two teams battle it out in this major cup final tie.
The group, which includes Warwickshire County Council, the local Primary Care Trusts, local service providers, Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Probation Service and the District and Borough Councils, is behind a joint Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for Warwickshire.
Kit Leck, Manager of Warwickshire County Council’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team, said: “A lot of people like a drink whilst they are watching the football, as they think it helps them relax. We want people to enjoy themselves, but there is a difference between drinking responsibly and drinking excessively.
“Careless drinking can not only cause considerable impairment to people’s health but can also lead to other problems such as crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. Alcohol-related harm costs Warwickshire about £8 million each year.”
The relationship between sporting events and alcohol consumption is also a factor in around a half of all cases of domestic violence, and there are in the region of 12,000 incidents of alcohol-related domestic violence in Warwickshire each year.
Kit Leck concluded: “Each year in Warwickshire there are approximately 200 admissions to Accident & Emergency through injury as a direct result of alcohol, so we would recommend people think before they drink and ensure they don’t get injured, end up in A&E, or even in a police cell.”
Here are some tips for safe drinking while enjoying the Cup Final:
• Pace yourself with water or a soft drink after every alcoholic drink.
• Eat before you start drinking, or at least enjoy snacks or a meal with your drink.
• If you’re going out in the car to watch the football, come to a decision beforehand about who’ll be your “Des” – your designated non-drinking driver.
• Or plan a safe way to get home before you go, using public transport or licensed taxi companies.
For more information, visit Warwickshire’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) website: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/drugs.