Alcohol Concern have announced this year's Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) will take place from 13-19 of November on the theme of 'Alcohol and Families'. The charity, which has recently merged with Alcohol Research UK, has partnered with Adfam, a charity that supports families affected by drugs and alcohol.
As with previous years, Alcohol Concern hope AAW will prompt conversations about the impact of alcohol, this year 'to help break the cycle of silence and stigma that is all too often experienced by families'. This may also help people access services or support either directly or via signposting from professionals.
Alcohol Concern will release online resources that will be free to download, including:
- Expert factsheets on various issues associated with alcohol and families
- An easy to understand, visual depiction of the Chief Medical Officers' guidelines for low-risk drinking for print and social media use
- A bank for statistics for you to use
To receive this pack directly to your email, please click here. Alcohol Concern will be sharing information, resources and stories throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #AAW2017. Family members who have been affected by a relative’s drinking and wish to share their story can get in touch with Alcohol Concern at [email protected].
Protecting families and children: more to be done?
Earlier this year a manifesto for action to support 'Children of Alcoholics' (COAs) called upon the Government to take ten key actions including a targeted national strategy, local funding to support alcohol services, a plan to change attitudes and action on price and availability.
In 2014 a report from the Children's Commissioner looked at the number of children affected by parental alcohol misuse and at the help available to them, calling for further action by services and local authorities. An Alcohol Hidden Harm Toolkit was also released to support managers, commissioners and practitioners involved in designing, assessing or improving Alcohol Hidden Harm services for children and families. Many will bee hoping AAW 2017 helps not only raise awareness of the issue, but also prompts further attention and resources for prevention and support.
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