Scotland's Alcohol Awareness Week gets underway

Published: 06 October, 2008

Drinks industry bodies will come together with the Scottish government, health professionals and the voluntary sector this week to mark Scotland's second annual Alcohol Awareness Week (AWW).

Drinks industry bodies will come together with the Scottish government, health professionals and the voluntary sector this week to mark Scotland's second annual Alcohol Awareness Week (AWW).

Event partners including the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) are expected to use the week long programme of events, designed to provide the public with useful information about safe alcohol consumption, as a platform to promote their own responsible drinking messages.

SWA chief executive Gavin Hewitt will chair a parliamentary seminar on 7 October alongside speakers including Scottish Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison, to promote the awareness campaign. The seminar is expected to discuss a number of key initiatives coming forward under the Scottish Government and Alcohol Industry Partnership, including the development of an 'alcohol in the workplace' model designed to guide employers who don't already have policies in place.

BII will also use the week to promote its Scottish Certificate in Alcohol Awareness (SCAA), by publicly awarding retailers in the on and off-trade the accolade, and Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) members will host store visits for sixty-seven MSPs from all political parties throughout the week, which runs from the 5 to 11 October.

AWW was first piloted last October, following the launch of a partnership agreement between Scottish Government and the alcohol industry in February 2007. Other partners include Chivas Bros, Diageo and the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), and the first year was hailed a "ground breaking achievement" by the WSA.

However some of the event's partners believe the initiative is too broad. One source told TalkingDrinks.com: "The initiative will only have marginal impact, if any, because it's a whole population initiative rather than a targeted measure.

"The government isn't admitting that there are certain areas of social depravation, especially in Glasgow, which account for a higher percentage of hospital admissions. The measures should really be targeted to assist in those areas."

Drink Aware will distribut unit calculators and drinking diaries across Scotland in an attempt to help people make "informed decisions" about drinking alcohol, throughout the week. Activities will take place to help people drink in moderation by providing hints and tips, such as having two alcohol free days a week and trying smaller glass sizes and low alcohol beer.

Some companies are also doing specific internal training and communication briefings for their staff.

WSTA chief executive Jeremy Beadles said: "The drinks industry will continue to do our part to promote moderation and responsibility as effective tools to reduce alcohol misuse.

"Across the industry we hope to make this week a strong success by helping to educate consumers to make healthy choices. We hope that Scots across the country will take the challenge."