Rochdale residents given opportunity to share views on scale of alcohol harm in Greater Manchester

Big Alcohol Conversation focus group

Healthwatch Rochdale has facilitated a ‘Greater Manchester Big Alcohol Conversation’ with a group of isolated and underrepresented Rochdale residents, allowing their views and opinions to be used in identifying actions that will help tackle alcohol related harm.

Attendees at College Bank and Falinge drop in were asked to share their views on the scale and nature of alcohol harm in Greater Manchester, which will be used to produce Greater Manchester’s ‘Ambition for Alcohol’ - a vision for local people’s relationship with alcohol, produced by the people who live and work in Greater Manchester.

Issues identified in the conversation included,

• A lack of education over the harms of alcohol and knowing when alcohol consumption is becoming a problem
• Knowing where to go for help
• Overcoming the stigmatisation of alcohol related problems so people won’t be too embarrassed to access help
• Lack of policing for alcohol related issues
• Problems with young people drinking on the street.

Residents also stated they felt that alcohol abuse was the problem and not alcohol itself, but there was little support available for those who needed help with their alcohol consumption.

The Big Alcohol Conversation was launched in November by Andy Burnham and The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and is the largest ever engagement exercise undertaken in the region on alcohol harm. 

It is running until the end of February 2019 and people can join in the conversation here:

• https://www.thebigalcoholconversation.org/GMCVO-survey

Views gathered during the Big Alcohol Conversation will contribute to Greater Manchester’s ‘Ambition for Alcohol’, a high-level plan of action for tackling alcohol-related harm across the city region due to be published later this year.