New campaign promotes safe drinking at home

The campaign aims to promote messages and awareness of how many units of alcohol are recommended by the NHS for men and women. Men should not regularly drink more than three-four units of alcohol a day. Women should not regularly drink more than two-three units a day with 'regularly' meaning drinking this amount every day or most days of the week.

John Forde, Acting Director of Public Health at NHS Coventry and Coventry City Council, said: "Increasingly more people are choosing to drink at home; pouring your own drinks at home is when you're more likely to have larger measures and underestimate the amount the amount you're actually drinking.

"The new campaign will help to give people information about the implications of long-term high levels of alcohol consumption, which can inevitably lead to serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, breast cancer and cancer of the mouth. We want people to make informed choices about safe and sensible alcohol consumption."

"People have a choice about how much alcohol they want to drink, but if they knew how many calories are in a unit of alcohol it might make them think twice about whether they stick to the recommended amount and look after their health."

Campaign posters are featured on advertising sites around supermarkets, buses and the city centre. Leaflets including a questionnaire which will help to identify if you're drinking at risk levels can be picked up from GP surgeries, dentist waiting rooms and other public buildings.

Engagement workers will be giving out alcohol advice throughout April and the last two weeks of June across the city. They'll also be distributing free spirit optics and wine measuring glasses to help people gauge their consumption more accurately.

A website, www.coventry.gov.uk/alcohol - contains special calculators to help you work out the number of units and calories in a range of drinks. It also includes a drinks diary - to help people keep tabs on their consumption. Anyone concerned about their alcohol consumption can speak to their GP or contact The Recovery Partnership on 024 7663 0135 or visit http://www.cw-recovery.org.uk/.