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Campaign launched to inform drinkers about alcohol units

A new 'Units' campaign which aims to tell drinkers how many units are in their drinks and help them stick to their limits was launched recently by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo.

The Know Your Limits campaign - the biggest alcohol awareness campaign to date - kicks off its units strand with a series of adverts on TV, radio, billboards and in press, depicting the number of units in individual drinks. The Units campaign has an overall budget of £6 million for 2008/09. It will be followed by a £4 million binge-drinking campaign from the Home Office next month.

The units campaign uses iconic imagery to help people understand how many units are in typical alcoholic drinks, and how to stay within the recommended daily guidelines for regular drinking of 2-3 units a day for women, and 3-4 units a day for men. The campaign will also warn people about how regularly drinking too much can damage their health.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: "I fully welcome this public information campaign. Combined with wider action across government, this is a vital measure in tackling all forms of excessive drinking.

In the meantime we will continue to work closely with everyone involved - government agencies and industry alike - to tackle the harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption."

Public Health Minister, Dawn Primarolo, said:

"Glass sizes have grown larger and the strength of many wines and beers has increased, so it's no wonder some of us have lost track of our alcohol consumption.

"This campaign is all about helping people understand how many units are in their favourite drinks, and helping them to keep an eye on their intake for the good of their long-term health.

"Excessive alcohol consumption is proven to play a significant role in the development of numerous diseases, including several cancers, heart disease and stroke. That's why this campaign is so important to the public's health."

Article originally published on 01/05/2008 by DryOutNow.com, the alcohol specific website for Addiction Advisor

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