Council urges responsible drinking

Rochdale Council has teamed up with local police and health services to urge revellers to drink responsibly this Christmas.

The move comes as statistics show Rochdale to be a black spot for binge-drinking A&E admissions. Figures across Britain reveal that alcohol consumption increases by 40% in December due to the annual festivities presented by the Christmas season.

Ted Flynn, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “We are sending out a clear message. One drink isn’t always one unit – for example a pint of lager is 3 units. It is easy to forget the amount we may be consuming when we are busy enjoying the Christmas holidays.”

Short-term effects of ‘over-doing it’ can range from a ruthless hangover to varying levels of amnesia. Furthermore, police in Rochdale have this week been raising awareness of rape crime and advising young women to keep their wits from being lost in a drunken haze.

Long term damage of excessive drinking can incur serious consequences such as liver failure and blood poisoning.

Michelle Loughlin, Consultant in Public Health for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS stated: “You can still enjoy drinking without putting your health at risk by sticking to the Government’s recommended unit guidelines of 2-3 units a day for women and 3-4 units a day for men. A good tip is to include soft drinks into your night out.”

Karin Mulligan, Chief Inspector at Rochdale Police added: “We have lots of attractive places for people to socialise in the borough. We want people to enjoy themselves but to also be safe and sensible when drinking this year. We recognise that there is a small minority of harmful drinkers but we will not let them spoil the festive season for everyone.”