Alcohol Awareness Week, April 7-14, 2008

This coming year, we want to focus the great enthusiasm shown last time round on making the case for greater investment into the alcohol treatment sector. Using networks of local MPs, councillors, and journalists, we hope to make it clear to those holding the purse strings that we’re not going to stop asking until services have the resources they need to deal with ever greater numbers of referrals.

This coming year’s ‘Awareness Week’ seeks to do the following:

Raise public awareness of the long and short-term impact of alcohol misuse on people’s lives, and the lives of their families and friends.

Convince policy makers at both the national and local levels of the need to devote greater resources to alcohol treatment.

Spotlight the policy making process and enable those committed to positive change to lobby effectively.

Create a national network of campaigners keen to drive alcohol-related harm up the political agenda in the long term.

Enable service users and providers to bring their perspectives to bear on the public policy process.

We will be supporting organisations that care about the damage done by alcohol to organise local events and media opportunities during a concerted week of activity. If you are interested in helping publicise the vital work treatment providers are doing in your constituency please contact Frank Soodeen, Press and Parliamentary Officer for more details. He can be reached on franks@alcoholconcern.org.uk or through 020-7264 0514.

Also keep checking this section of the website throughout the year as campaign materials will be regularly added.