Bournemouth Drink Aware - Are You?
Hello out there...In
The Zone is helping to promote the Bournemouth Drink Aware campaign......you may have heard about it on the TV and have probably thought that it’s just a bunch of suits telling us how we should behave and stopping people from having fun.....but think about it....
We have all done it...the evening is well planned, the taxis are booked and friends are on the way....to make sure that the evening goes well and that you can keep it cheap you've got some beers in, a bottle of voddie (or two!!) and a bottle of something nasty that someone brought back from holiday a while ago!
And you sit there thinking I can probably get another couple of beers down before the cab gets here...and whilst it may not feel like it at the time it becomes a bit of a race, which you will definitely win...no ne wants to leave their drink behind...and this is where the Drink Aware campaign kicks in:
In a bid to reduce so-called ‘pre-loading’ (a rising phenomenon in which revellers stock up on booze at supermarkets and binge drink before heading into town), Bournemouth 2026 is launching a leaflet campaign urging locals to ‘Get the Balance Right, Drink Responsibly’.
The, campaign, which will be launched in ASDA St Pauls on Friday April 11, follows a conference by Bournemouth 2026 and Poole Partnership in which it was revealed that 65,000 people aged over 16 in Bournemouth and Poole drink at hazardous levels. The conference in January heard that there has been a steep increase in alcohol-related liver disease.
Meanwhile pubs and clubs in Bournemouth Town Centre were suffering a 15 per cent downturn in night-time footfall.
Jon Shipp, Night time economy co-ordinator for
“We’re not trying to stop people having fun but we are trying to take a very balanced approach to ensure they consider the health implications of heavy drinking, the risks to our night time economy of binge drinking at home and the crime and social risks associated with drunkenness.”
The leaflet campaign urges people to visit www.drinkaware.co.uk, a website giving advice on the effects of alcohol, offering a drinking diary that enables you to test if you’re drinking responsibly and giving tips on minimising the health impacts of drinking.
Mark Bones, Manager of ASDA St Pauls added: “ASDA already operates ‘Challenge 25’ – that means anyone purchasing alcohol who looks under the age of 25 is asked for ID. The Drink Aware campaign backs that up – any information we can give to the 60,000 customers who come through our doors each week is a benefit. Many of our shoppers are students and if one or two log onto the Drink Aware website then that’s a success.
“We’ve also stopped selling some of the higher-alcohol content drinks.”
Local branches of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose are also supporting the campaign.
