Alcohol awareness

Ten top tips to responsible drinking

1. you could be over the legal driving limit long after your last drink - even the 'morning after'
2. coffee and cold showers don't sober you up, only time gets alcohol out of your system
3. never leave cooking unattended and put cigarettes out properly - smoking while drinking alcohol is a leading cause of fatal house fires
4. carry a condom and be able to use it properly - sex once without a condom can risk pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
5. never leave your drink unattended
6. binge drinking increases the likelihood of aggression and of being on the receiving end - don’t use alcohol as an excuse - you choose how much you drink and how you behave
7. some over the counter medicines make you drowsy - alcohol increases these effects making it dangerous to drive and leading to falls or even overdose - ask you pharmacist if you have any questions about alcohol and your medication
8. drinking too much can lead to more than a nasty hangover and hazy memories and the risk isn’t just for heavy drinkers – see the interactive map on the Alcohol Concern website, to see the parts of the body affected
9. did you know a glass of wine can have the same calories as four cookies, or that a pint of lager equals a slice of pizza - try this calorie calculator on the drinkaware website to test the content of your drinks
10. Sign up to Change4Life Booze Buster and receive lots of great tips and support to help you choose less booze 

Useful links

1. Change4Life website
2. Substance misuse page
3. Drinkaware website
4. Alcohol Concern website
5. Aspire Drug and Alcohol Services