Parents and carers are being offered support to improve their health and wellbeing, through Haringey Council teaming up with the charity, Humankind, to launch a campaign addressing alcohol consumption in the home – the first of its kind in the UK.

The highly successful DrinkCoach programme, delivered by Humankind, was originally developed in Haringey and provides a seamless, end-to-end service for parents and carers including confidential self-assessment, advice, and self-help tools to manage their alcohol consumption. Through staying in control and making small changes, parents and carers can improve their health and wellbeing as well as their family relationships.

Insightful Families, also delivered by Humankind, has been offering specialist support to Haringey families negatively impacted by a loved one’s alcohol use since 2019. This could be a child, young person, parent, carer, sibling, friend or any other relative. By taking a whole family approach, the service can work with one, any or all. Service users have been working with Humankind, Haringey Council and Newcastle University to co-produce the new parenting pages, the focus of this campaign on the Drink Coach website. Learnings from people’s lived experiences have produced proven lessons on strategies that work. Small changes can make a big difference to people’s relationship with alcohol and DrinkCoach will provide support every step of the way.

Although many people enjoy alcohol responsibly, the Department of Health estimates that 83% of people drinking above the recommended guidelines do not know they are putting their health at risk. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, the Chief Medical Officer advises it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. For people regularly drinking as much as 14 units per week, it’s best to spread drinking evenly over three or more days.

Cllr Lucia das Neves, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing at Haringey Council said:

“We are really delighted to launch this excellent programme within Haringey, the first of its kind to be specifically aimed at parents and carers.

“Alcohol dependence can have a damaging and long-lasting effect on families – not just the parents but their children too.

“The past few years have been very challenging for everyone, with people spending more time at home and dealing with increased anxiety during the pandemic. The spiralling cost of living crisis and uncertainty for the future are also adding to the pressures on people and alcohol consumption has gone up nationally as a result.

“Our aim is not to point the finger or judge people for their actions – it is to give parents and carers the tools they need to first of all, assess their level of risk and then to help them to change their behaviour for the benefit of themselves and their families.”

For more information visit: https://drinkcoach.org.uk/help-for-parents-who-drink-alcohol (external link)