The new charity formed as a merger of Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK has ben announced as Alcohol Change UK. The charity says its vision is 'a world free from serious alcohol harm' and launches its new profile as Alcohol Awareness Week 2018 kicks off.
As part of the launch, the charity has released the Alcohol Change Report, which makes the case for 'change being not only needed, but possible'. The report sets out the charities approach to 'alcohol harm and how we will work with government, public bodies, organisations, charities and individuals to reduce it', and states it has three core values in doing so: 'Truthful: we seek and tell the truth', 'Compassionate: we care deeply about everyone seriously harmed by alcohol, whoever they are', and 'Ambitious: we are optimistic and determined'. Setting out how change happens, the report covers a number of key areas including:
- Improved knowledge
- Better policy and regulation
- Improved drinking behaviours
- Shifted cultural norms
- More and better support and treatment
Announcing the new charity to stakeholders Alcohol Change UK says:
'Alcohol is a part of many of our lives. We use it for celebration, for comfort, to socialise, to wind down, to cope. We treat it differently to other drugs.
Yet in the UK 20 people die every day as a result of alcohol. Alcohol harm – mental health problems, liver disease, seven forms of cancer, economic difficulties, and so much more – can affect any one of us, from any walk of life.
The harm doesn’t end with the individual; each of us who drinks too much is part of a family and a community who feel the effects too, whether through frequent use of emergency services, drink driving, violence or neglect.
We are not anti-alcohol; we are for alcohol change. We are for a future in which people drink as a conscious choice, not a default; where the issues which lead to or exacerbate alcohol problems – like poverty, mental health issues, homelessness – are addressed; and where those of us who drink too much, and our loved ones, have access to high-quality support whenever we need it, without shame or stigma.
The problem is complex, and so the solutions aren’t simple. But we’re ambitious. Driven by our belief that every person deserves to live a full life free from alcohol harm, we create evidence-driven change.'
A new Alcohol Change UK website was launched, with the former Alcohol Concern Twitter handle changed and Alcohol Research UK handle no longer existing. A research hub will cover former Alcohol Research UK functions and is inviting applications for reserachers to carry out six rapid evidence reviews covering alcohol and intimate partner relationships, alcohol on the human brain, criminal justice systems, mental health problems, black and minority ethnic communities and digital interventions. Network Development awards of up to £2,000 are also currently available. Today the charity is supporting the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm looking at the issue of inequality.
Finding its place?
Regular readers will know well of the wide range of organisations and bodies involved in alcohol policy and related agendas who will undoubtedly be keen to see how Alcohol Change UK will seek to achieve its aims. Indeed both the former Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK had undergone a number of significant changes over the last decade, with Alcohol Concern having been faced the withdrawal of government support in around 2012.
Many will view the challenges facing the new charity as many and complex; not just in terms of seeking to reduce alcohol harms but also navigating the politics of alcohol policy and the many often divergent interests involved. Publicly targeted events such as Alcohol Awareness Week and Dry January will be the first significant activities delivered under the new charity, but its role in seeking a wide range of change as well as the development of alcohol research will be seen as key by many supporting its aims.
Across the country, people are experiencing and creating #AlcoholChange. On the blog we’ll be sharing stories of change from people and organisations across the country throughout #AlcoholAwarenessWeek – read them here: https://t.co/zEmhMyKRxG pic.twitter.com/21LRrIJCJW
— Alcohol Change UK (@AlcoholChangeUK) November 19, 2018
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