Published: 13th November 2019
ALCOHOL AWARENESS WEEK 2019 – How raising awareness can assist employees in the Workplace
Talking about alcohol can be tricky and is often considered a ‘taboo’ subject.
A big concern around alcohol consumption is that people are sometimes unaware of what units actually mean, meaning they are often unaware that they are drinking too much. Drink tracker apps and alcohol calculators can be used to calculate the number of units being consumed, the results of which can be surprising.
Alcohol Change UK have an abundance of advice and supporting materials on their website to increase awareness of alcohol related harm. Their resources include a quiz which evaluates an individual’s drinking and can provide insight and information to better understand the risks of alcohol harm. They also have a list of key services that are available to individuals to access from their GP and remotely.
Raising awareness of the effects of alcohol both inside and outside of the workplace can be done by introducing a Drug and Alcohol Policy.
A Drug and Alcohol Policy not only acts as a preventative measure to the risks of drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace, it can also increase awareness of the effects of both drugs and alcohol and sets out clear objectives which can assist employees to seek help and advice around drugs and alcohol in the workplace.
A tailored Drug and Alcohol Policy can help organisations protect both their people and business:
- By setting out aims in reducing and/or deterring alcohol and drug problems in the workplace.
- By building relationships with employees, showing them there is support available.
- Policies can raise awareness of issues in the business and encourage staff members to take action.
Alcohol Change UK has implemented Alcohol Awareness Week in order to create evidence driven change by working towards the following:
- Share the Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines
- Raise awareness of the health risks associated with drinking
- Motivate people to want to cut down
- Share top tips on ways to cut down
- Signpost people to help and support
Find out more about Alcohol Awareness Week here.
For more information on workplace Drug & Alcohol Testing and Policies click here, or contact us on 01873 856688 or [email protected]
