Alcohol Awareness Week 2020: Speaking up about alcohol and mental health

This has been a difficult year and it’s not set to get any easier. A poll released earlier this year by Alcohol Change UK showed that more than a quarter (28%) of people who have ever drunk alcohol think they have been drinking more during lockdown. And, as lockdown eased over the summer, two in three (66%) expected to continue drinking as they had been during lockdown (49%), or even drink more (17%).

What’s more one in five (19%) of those surveyed said they had drunk alcohol to handle stress or anxiety during lockdown. Of those who drank more heavily during lockdown (nine plus units on each drinking day), 40% had drunk as a response to stress or anxiety.

This is a worrying trend that is growing. The Royal College of Psychiatrists estimates that, in June, more than 8.4 million people in England were drinking at higher-risk levels, up from 4.8 million in February 2020.

Orkney Alcohol & Drugs Partnership will be joining 3,000 other community groups and organisations across the UK for Alcohol Awareness Week – led by Alcohol Change UK – to raise awareness of the link between alcohol and mental health, to speak out about the issues and the stigma surrounding them and, encourage anyone who is struggling to seek the support they deserve.

Alcohol Awareness Week aims to get people thinking and talking about alcohol, to motivate change at every level – individual, community and national.

Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, said, “Many of us are under an unbelievable amount of stress due to the coronavirus pandemic. We’re seeing that those of us who are drinking more heavily are at real risk of worsening our mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, along with many other health conditions, as we turn to alcohol to cope. The good news is that being in control of our drinking can improve our mental health, and there are plenty of techniques out there for taking control if your drinking has got a bit out of hand, including our free Try Dry app.”

Matthew Thomas from Orkney Alcohol & Drugs Partnership said, “Orkney has traditionally been one of the areas in Scotland with a higher-than-average level of problematic alcohol use. Due to the stress of the pandemic we are seeing a nationwide increase in alcohol consumption over and above the recommended healthy levels of drinking of 14 units per week. This, coupled with the long, dark Orkney winter could lead to more people within our community experiencing problematic alcohol use and needing to seek support.

Here in Orkney we have several ways people can get support for issues they have with alcohol;

• Community Mental Health Team – The CMHT hosts NHS Orkney’s substance misuse service which is staffed by community mental health nurses and support workers. They can help with problematic alcohol use and mental health issues related to alcohol use. Contact them on 01856 888280
• Relationships Scotland Orkney – RSO have a substance misuse service which is available to offer targeted support and therapy to individuals and family members affected by alcohol misuse. Contact them on 01856 877750
• YPeople Orkney – YPeople have a young person’s counselling service, YTalk, which can help young people up to the age of 25 with their mental health and alcohol use. Contact them on 07770019147
• Alcoholics Anonymous Orkney – AA Orkney provide fellowship using the 12-step model to address issues with alcohol. The fellowship meet face to face in Kings Street Hall, Kirkwall on Thursdays at 7pm and Saturdays at 6pm. The fellowship also hosts regular virtual meetings which can be accessed online. Contact them on 07802916577
• Women’s Aid Orkney - SMART Recovery Women’s Only Fellowship is a secular and science-based fellowship that uses cognitive behavioural therapy and non-confrontational motivational methods to address issues with alcohol. This fellowship is exclusively for women in Orkney. Currently meetings are online via Zoom. Contact them on 07751125201

Alcohol Awareness Week provides an important opportunity for us all to:

• Talk about the issues around alcohol and mental health, helping us make more informed choices about our drinking;
• Tackle the stigma associated with drinking, which can be significantly worse for those struggling with mental health problems as well as drinking problems;
• Call for action to help those most in need, including the 200,000 children living with an alcohol-dependent parent or carer;
• Help those struggling to seek support.

With alcohol consumption among heavier drinkers on the rise, Orkney is joining this year’s UK-wide Alcohol Awareness Week campaign to raise awareness of the links between alcohol and mental health.

You can get more information on support available on Orkney by accessing the ADP website: www.orkneyadp.org.uk