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Middle-aged urged to take more drink-free days

A new campaign is advising middle-aged consumers to have more drink-free days in order to reduce alcohol-related health risks.

A new campaign is urging middle-aged drinkers to take more drink-free days

Alcohol education charity Drinkaware has partnered with Public Health England to launch the Drink Free Days campaign today (10 September).

The campaign comes following a YouGov poll that revealed one in five UK adults are drinking above the chief medical officer’s recommended guideline of no more than 14 units per week.

Furthermore, more than two-thirds of those surveyed said they would find reducing their alcohol intake harder than making other lifestyle changes, such as adjusting their diet, exercising more, or smoking less if they were smokers.

As such, the new campaign is encouraging middle-aged drinkers to take more alcohol-free days to reduce the health risks associated with booze.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive at Public Health England, said: “While the link with liver disease is well known, many people are not aware that alcohol can cause numerous other serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease as well as several cancers. It’s also an easy way to pile on the pounds.

“About 10 million people in England are drinking in ways that increase the risks and many are struggling to cut down.

“Setting yourself a target of having more drink-free days every week is an easy way to drink less and reduce the risks of your health.”

A dedicated website has been set up to support the campaign, offering information, resources and app recommendations to help people looking to cut back on their alcohol intake. More details can be found online at drinkfreedays.com.

“The more you drink, the greater the risk to your health. It’s really that simple,” said Elaine Hindal, Drinkaware chief executive.

“But an increasing number of people, particularly middle-aged drinkers, are drinking in ways that are putting them at risk of serious and potentially life-limiting conditions, such as heart disease, liver disease and some types of cancer.

“That’s where this campaign comes in. Having a few drink-free days each week will help reduce the risks to your health and improve your wellbeing.”

The campaign is being backed by former Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes.

He said: “This is an important campaign highlighting how many of us don’t realise that we are drinking in ways that could be harming our health and how we are struggling to moderate.

“Having a few more days a week that are drink free is a great way of taking control of our drinking and making healthier choices for the future.”

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