Ever wondered what happens to your body when you stop drinking?

Ruari Fairbairns, CEO and Founder of One Year No Beer, explains what happens to your body after you stop drinking, and draws a timeline of all the amazing benefits you can expect to enjoy from quitting alcohol

Ruari Fairbairns said: “Quitting alcohol comes with so many amazing benefits! You will start to notice improvements in your overall health from week one. As you continue on your path of being alcohol-free, you will notice your body becoming a well optimised machine.“

The inescapable fact is boozing causes a lot of health issues plus foul moods, crazy sugar cravings, poor sleep, unpleasant toilet habits and poor concentration. Booze also massively contributes to depression and anxiety.

Whilst we seek its numbing qualities to ease mood, booze is playing a cruel game. It is medically classed as a depressant, and over time it depresses your natural body chemistry and leads to that gnawing anxiety and heaviness.

Ruari says, “One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘what happens when you stop drinking?” There are so many benefits of not drinking alcohol, including sleeping more deeply and, as a result of this, increased physical and mental energy; restored hydration (leading to dewier and more youthful skin); weight loss and improved fitness; improved moods and a feeling of contentedness.”

Ruari explains in more detail with the following timeline …

What happens when you quit drinking:

Alcohol timeline

Short term benefits

The good news is our bodies LOVE being booze-free and respond really quickly. The lift in mood and depression is one to the key reasons people continue to stay booze free with the help of OYNB – because the natural high feels so good!

What happens to your body in the first few days?

1 – 12 HOURS

An hour after your last drink, your liver starts working overtime, clearing the alcohol from your bloodstream to prevent alcohol poisoning. Yep! Booze is poison and the liver has to alter its chemical structure so it doesn’t kill us – changing alcohol to acetaldehyde and then acetate.

Acetaldehyde, a highly toxic substance and a known carcinogen, so although acetaldehyde exists in the body only for a brief time before it is further broken down into acetate, it has the potential to cause significant damage. You may experience nausea and tremor as your body deals with all this. At the time your pancreas also starts producing extra insulin, which causes intense carb cravings.

12 – 24 HOURS

Your blood sugar has potentially normalised, if you haven’t created a glycemic roller-coaster by sugar and carb binging. To rebalance, eat healthy foods and drink lots of water.

48 -72 HOURS

For most, the worst is over by now. Although you may still feel groggy and tired depending on how much booze your body had to process. If, however, you had a bigger booze problem than you realised, then sweating, increased pulse, tremor, anxiety and agitation may continue or kick in at this time. A serious alcohol problem may need medical support from your GP to prevent fits or DTs.

72 HOURS ONWARDS

Any hangover side effects are now officially out of your system, you finally feel back to yourself physically and mentally. And to think this is only 72 hours into your quest to stop drinking alcohol for a month.

When you stop drinking alcohol for a week:

· You start sleeping more deeply and your physical and mental energy to increase as a result.

· Your skin begins to look dewier and more youthful as hydration restores.

· Skin conditions such as dandruff, eczema, and rosacea may also improve.

Sleep & hydration

After only one week of not drinking you will be making better decisions as well as benefiting from improved learning and problem solving. You will also find yourself feeling more creative. Even if you don’t have a huge appetite you will find your eating pattern improving day by day.

One of the most obvious benefits of not drinking alcohol for a week is that your body will be hydrated. This means you will have more energy, increased physical performance and you will be experiencing less headaches.

Calories & money saved

As well as the mental and physical benefits of not drinking alcohol, your wallet will also be feeling fuller.

· Wine drinkers can expect to save around £22.

· Beer drinkers would save £18 for giving up alcohol for a week.

The benefits of not drinking alcohol for 2 weeks include:

· No more acid reflux

· Stomach lining returns to normal

· Continued sleep and hydration improvements

· Noticeable weight loss

Now that you have quit drinking for two weeks, your body will be improving on the inside and you will be starting to look different on the outside too. You will have saved 2160 calories (six pints or six 175ml glasses of wine on average) by giving up alcohol for two weeks.

Drinking 12 pints of beer in two weeks is the equivalent to eating ten large slices of cake, 2160 calories.

Total money saved now from giving up alcohol for two weeks, £45 for wine and £35 for beer.

The benefits of not drinking alcohol for 3 weeks:

· Reduced risk of stroke and heart problems

· Better kidney health

· Improved vision

Congrats! 3 weeks of giving up alcohol is no mean feat! It is well known that drinking too much alcohol can lead to increased blood pressure. Now that you have stopped drinking for three weeks your blood pressure will start to reduce. This is one of the most important benefits of not drinking alcohol.

Calories & money Saved

Now you will have saved yourself a very healthy:

· £54 if you average 6 beers a week

· £67 if you consume 6 glasses of wine a week over the last three weeks.

You could put that saved cash to good use and start a gym membership to help burn off all the extra energy you have since you have had no alcohol for three weeks.

What happens when you stop drinking for 4 weeks?

· Reduce liver fat by up to 15%

· Better looking skin

· More likely to have reduced drinking for 6 months after the end of your challenge

Another health benefit from giving up alcohol for a month is improved liver function. After four weeks of no drinking your liver will start to shed excess fat. With the liver playing a part in over 500 vital processes, you also give your body a better chance of removing contaminants, converting food nutrients, storing minerals and vitamins.

Giving up alcohol for a month will have a positive impact on your skin due to your increased hydration levels. You could even reward yourself with an alcohol-free beer one night, which are also lower in calories and there are now so many to choose from.

Calories & money saved

You will also have reduced your calorie intake by 3840 for the month, if you used to drink six glasses of 175ml wine a week, or 4320 calories over the month if you used to drink six pints of lager a week.

For your bank balance that equates to saving:

· Over £70 if you drink beer

· And just under £90 by giving up wine for a month.

What happens when you give up alcohol for a month?

Your liver fat reduces by up to 20%, allowing it to flush toxins out of the body more efficiently.

Your cholesterol (a risk factor in heart disease) drops up to 5% and your glucose stabilises (decreasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes). All the inward changes begin to show through in a healthy glow of the skin and eyes.

Benefits of not drinking alcohol for 3 months or more

There is a lot to expect when you stop drinking for 3 months. Alcohol is related to 7 different cancer types.

By giving up alcohol for 3 months you reduce your chances of getting cancer.

After a year of not drinking, you and your life will be transformed.

At OYNB we’ve been on this journey with 100s who’ve gone long-term booze-free and we see it every time:

* Weight loss and improved fitness
* Improved moods and a feeling of contentedness
* Better relationships
* Increased productivity and focus at work
* More pound in the pocket (if you spent an average of £75 a week on drinking at home and going-out, that’s a saving of £3900 over a year)
* Ability to absorb vitamins and minerals increases
* Reduced risk of cancer and decreased stress levels
* Quicker immune response

Heart research UK Healthy tip – Sober October

Go Sober for October

This month is Sober October, when lots of people around the UK stop drinking alcohol for the month. If you have not yet joined in, it is not too late!

Research has found that alcohol consumption has increased in one fifth of people due to the coronavirus pandemic. As many as two fifths of people who have been furloughed are thought to be drinking more alcohol. Drinking in excess can increase your blood pressure and lead to weight gain, which is bad news for your heart.

If you have stopped drinking for October, we have some tips to keep you on track:

We hope these tips will help you if you are thinking about stopping drinking, but haven’t yet taken the plunge:

Avoid temptation by not having alcohol in the house
Tell other people you have stopped drinking. By telling other people about it, you are more likely to stick to your goal
Reward yourself for your success. Decide on a reward that will motivate you to achieve your goal and keep reminding yourself about it whenever you are tempted to have a drink.
Regularly remind yourself of the health and financial benefits of not drinking. You could use the money you save to buy yourself a reward.
If you go back to drinking after October, keep a drink diary to record your weekly alcohol intake. If you are consuming more than 14 units a week, take steps to address it.
You can get help with calculating your alcohol units here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/drink-less/know-your-alcohol-units/

If you are concerned about your drinking, you can find further support and advice from the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/

You can find more tips, healthy recipes and advice at heartresearch.org.uk

Letters: Creating a step change in the health of the nation

Scottish charities call to cut deaths from our biggest killers

Dear Editor,

Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease and diabetes are responsible for around two thirds of all deaths in Scotland – around 39,000 every year – and are among the world’s biggest killers. And yet sadly deaths from these conditions are often preventable. The burden of these diseases on families and on our society cannot be underestimated.

This week, as a global campaign takes place raising awareness of the impact of these non-communicable diseases (NCDs), we have come together – representing ten of Scotland’s leading health charities – to call for action.

We believe many of these deaths and lost healthy years of life are preventable through addressing modifiable and societal risk factors. Official statistics estimate that each year around 14,000 deaths in Scotland could be prevented through public health interventions.

As a collective, we have set out a series of priorities to tackle three of the biggest risk factors that affect people today – tobacco use, alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets – to improve the health of everyone in Scotland.

Evidence shows the environment around us heavily influences whether we smoke, the amount of alcohol we drink and what we eat. The visibility of products on our high streets and the way they are marketed all contribute to Scotland having one of the lowest healthy life expectancies in Western Europe.

This is particularly true in our most deprived communities where levels of smoking, harmful alcohol use and overweight and obesity are often at their highest. Research shows us that this is in part due to the higher presence of outlets in these areas selling alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food and drink. We must act now to ensure that the healthy choice is an easy choice for everyone in Scotland.

Covid-19 has also provided a wake-up call on these issues. We are becoming aware of possible links between smoking, alcohol intake and obesity on the severity of Covid-19 infections, highlighting the need to take action now more than ever as we continue to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scotland has been a pioneer in public health. It was the first country in the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces and the first in the world to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol.

In this week of awareness, we are calling on all political parties to place the prevention of Scotland’s biggest killers as a priority and to give a strong commitment, ahead of next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections, to work with us to create a step change in the health of the nation.

Yours sincerely,

Alison Douglas, Chief Executive, Alcohol Focus Scotland
Shelia Duffy, Chief Executive, ASH Scotland
Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead, Obesity Action Scotland
Lindsay Paterson, Interim Director, SHAAP
Joseph Carter, Head of the Devolved Nations, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive, British Heart Foundation
Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK
Andrea Cail, Scotland Director, Stroke Association
Angela Mitchell, National Director, Diabetes Scotland

Same Again?

Sober Scots’ drinking habits since lockdown

Scots are the most likely in the UK to be drinking same or less since before lockdown was imposed

Lockdown was predicted to cause a sharp rise in alcohol consumption and binge-drinking but most UK drinkers (65%) actually drank the same, less or stopped drinking altogether during lockdown compared to previously.

In the weeks following the reopening of the hospitality sector, this trend has continued. Brits are continuing to drink in moderation, but more and more are choosing to do so at the pub.

Scotland is no exception to this trend and, though Scottish pubs only recently reopened their doors, close to a third (30%) of Scots have returned to the pub at least once.

Scots continue to drink in moderation despite the reopening of pubs

The latest YouGov survey commissioned by the Portman Group (2,296 UK adults, 12-13 August) shows that the moderate majority continues to prevail in the UK, even with the much-celebrated reopening of pubs.

In fact, of those who drink alcohol, even more people are drinking the same, less, or have cut out alcohol altogether, than during lockdown. These figures have now increased from 65% in May 2020 to 88% in August. This shows an ongoing trend of people drinking less during this unprecedented time and supports data by Nielsen which showed that in the 17-week period covering lockdown to 11 July 2020 Brits consumed almost 1.3bn litres of alcohol during the UK’s lockdown period, almost half the 2bn litres consumed in the same period last year.

The survey data for Scotland shows that:

92% of Scottish drinkers are drinking the same (59%), less (27.5%) or have cut alcohol out altogether (6%) since the hospitality sector reopened compared to before lockdown.
Scots are the most likely in the UK to be drinking the same, less or have stopped compared to drinkers in England (85%), Wales (88%) and Northern Ireland (89%).
Concerningly 5% of Scottish drinkers said they were drinking more since the hospitality sector reopened than before lockdown. We encourage anyone concerned about their own, or another persons’, drinking to visit Drinkaware or the NHS online for free advice and guidance.
The moderate majority of Scottish drinkers (69%) continue to drink responsibly, within the Chief Medical Officer guidelines of 14 units per week. Weekly intakes remain similar to before lockdown.
Scottish drinkers are also slightly more moderate than their English (66%) and Welsh (68%) counterparts in terms of remaining within the guidelines.

More than a quarter of Scottish pubgoers return to their local

While many of us continue to drink at home, a great number of Scots have resumed much loved habits of gathering at their local pub. Pubs have put in place diligent social distancing measures to ensure that communities can revisit pubs while feeling safe and secure. Scots are responding well to the ‘new normal’ with almost three quarters (76%) saying social distancing has not deterred them from a return to the pub.

It’s not just drinkers who have been making the most of the pubs reopening; pubs have long been a happy and inclusive environment for all members of the community.

The recent period has seen Scots making a cautious return to many much-loved venues outside of just hospitality, including shops and beauty salons, and it seems that, despite one in eight (12%) feeling the pinch after months of furlough or even job losses, we are still setting aside time and money to return to our favourite institutions, something that has been made clear with the popularity of August’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Pubs in Scotland opened their doors once again on 15 July. Despite this, close to a third (30%) of Scottish adults have made their way back to the pub, slightly higher than Northern Ireland (26%) but lower than Wales (37%) and England (42%).

Speaking about the results of the survey, John Timothy, CEO of the Portman Group, the social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, commented: “During the course of the COVID-19 crisis there has been a fear that many people would turn to alcohol and that misuse would increase.

“Yet Scots are showing continued moderation both at home and, happily, now back at the pub. It’s great to see people supporting their community pubs while drinking sensibly and maintaining social distancing.”

Commenting on the results in Scotland, Douglas Meikle, Head of Alcohol Policy at the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership, said: “It’s encouraging that so many Scots continue to drink within the CMOs’ guidelines of 14 units a week, in spite of the unprecedented nature of lockdown, with many deciding to drink less.

“As things get back to being more normal it will be important to continue that trend and encourage those who want to go back to our pubs and bars that they can do so safely”.

Healthy Heart Tip: cut down on alcohol

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Cut back on alcohol

There has been a 21% increase in the frequency of alcohol consumption in the UK since the COVID-19 lockdown. It has been suggested that stress and anxiety, as well as changes to our daily routine, are the reasons why some people are drinking more. Too much alcohol can be harmful to your heart as well as contributing to weight gain and mental health problems.

We have some tips to help keep your alcohol consumption within the recommended limits.

How much is too much?

It is recommended that men and women do not consume more than 14 units of alcohol each week, spread out over three or more days. The number of units of alcohol in a drink depends on the size of your drink and the alcohol strength. A pint of strong beer contains around three units of alcohol and a bottle of wine contains around 10 units. More information about alcohol units can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/drink-less/know-your-alcohol-units/

Keep a record of how much you are drinking

Many people don’t really know how much they are drinking or whether their drinking is putting their health at risk. By keeping a record of your weekly alcohol consumption, you will be able to work out whether you need to cut down. You can complete the Drinkaware self-assessment to find out if you are drinking too much HERE.

Pour smaller measures

When you drink alcohol at home, you are in control of the amount you pour into the glass. Try to control the amount of alcohol in your drinks by measuring it out using a measuring jug. A small glass of wine is 125ml (1.6 units), a medium glass of wine is 175ml (2.3 units) and a large glass of wine is 250ml (3.3 units). A 25ml shot of a spirit is 1 unit.

Include more alcohol-free days

If you are drinking every day, or most days, you could include more alcohol-free days each week. Make a plan at the start of the week and decide which days will be alcohol-free. Try to find some low-sugar alcohol-free drinks to enjoy on the days when you do not drink alcohol.

Plan ahead

Before you pour your first drink of the day, set yourself a limit and make sure you stick to it. You could put a post-it note on the bottle to remind yourself when to stop. Try reducing the amount you drink by having a soft drink in between alcoholic drinks and/or dilute your alcoholic drinks with a mixer to slow down your alcohol consumption.

Get help

If you are worried about your own drinking, or if you are concerned about the amount someone else is drinking, you can get advice and support from the NHS – https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/

You can find plenty more healthy tips and recipes at heartresearch.org.uk.

Six in ten nervous about returning to work following lockdown

‘We are personally urging CEO’s to review their thought processes and empower their staff to work from which ever location makes them feel safest and most comfortable’ says Ruari Fairbairns

A nationwide YouGov survey, commissioned by One Year No Beer, has revealed that 60% of the UK workers who are no longer travelling to their usual place of work and now working from home are nervous about returning to work following lockdown.

The survey also identified that women surveyed appear to be considerably more nervous with 70% of them opening up about their fears of returning to the workplace, opposed to 49% of men.

61% of 18-34 workers who are not currently in their usual place of work agreed that they were nervous about returning and surprisingly fears were lowest amongst those aged 55 years and over.

Geographically, Midlands came out on top with 72% of all workers no longer travelling to their usual place of work nervous about returning to work, and those most relaxed about getting back to old routines were workers residing in the South (51%).

Whether people had children in their household or not seemed to have little impact on their attitudes towards returning to work with 63% of those with children in the household opening up to anxiety around returning to the workplace, compared to 60% of those with no children in their household.

Ruari Fairbairns, founder and CEO of One Year No Beer, comments, “As the CEO of a company that operates its entire workforce remotely, I’m not sure why there is such a sense of urgency from employers to get their staff back into the work place, especially if they still feel so uncomfortable returning to work at this stage of the pandemics lifecycle.

“With so much access to technology and productivity software, there is no need to be sitting in an office with each other right now (or ever) and the flexibility and freedom that working from home affords, by far outweighs any benefits of working in an office.

“We are personally urging CEO’s to review their thought processes and empower their staff to work from which ever location makes them feel safest and most comfortable.”

The same survey also revealed that nearly three-quarters of UK drinkers were drinking the same (45%) or more (29%) during lockdown, leaving only 25% drinking less. 18% believed they would emerge from lockdown drinking more than they did pre-lockdown.

Fairbairns continues, “I think a lot of people will have formed habits during this time they wouldn’t have before, and some may be challenging to shake.

“In hard times it’s easy to let things creep in that you wouldn’t normally do and if people are anxious about returning to work, the concern here is that they will start to lean more so on alcohol as a coping mechanism.”

Passionate about transforming the world’s relationship with alcohol and helping people, ‘Live Life Better’ One Year No Beer is a digital network, which has been designed to transform behaviour and support mental health.

Fairbairns concludes: “At One Year No Beer we focus on the habit-changing process, rather than just deleting alcohol from your life.

“We’ll help you break down and rebuild new habits as well as develop a new mindset that gives you complete control, something that will last way past finishing your challenge.”

For more information visit https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/

Edinburgh charity receives over £22,000 from Scotch Whisky Action Fund

Bright Light, a charity which provides relationship counselling across Edinburgh and the Lothians, has been awarded over £22,000 from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund (SWAF) to support its ‘Families in Recovery’ project.

Three years ago, Bright Light identified a need to offer specialist family counselling sessions for children and young people adjusting to life with a parent or guardian recovering from alcohol addiction. In order to get this off the ground, the charity, which has been running for 73 years, applied for funding from the SWAF.

Now in its third year of SWAF funding, the Families in Recovery project is going from strength to strength, supporting between 30 and 40 families every year, with the charity looking to expand the project further to help more people.

The specialist therapy sessions work with the whole family, providing private counselling and giving families the opportunity to talk about difficult topics, often for the first time.

It focuses on the various strengths of each person and highlights how those around them can work together to aid an individual’s recovery from alcohol addiction.

By helping families in this way, the charity has an ambition to break generational cycles of alcohol abuse as children understand the negative impacts and learn new ways to cope with stress and anxiety.

Julie Hogg-Weld, Chief Executive of Bright Light said: “We provide a safe space for families to heal from alcohol-related issues and move on with their lives.

“This is beneficial to the person recovering from alcohol addiction, but it is also incredibly helpful for the whole family. People have a better chance of staying in recovery if they have a strong network around them and that is what we help to establish by looking at the strengths within the family even if they are no longer living together.”

SWAF funding has enabled Bright Light’s ‘Families in Recovery’ project to continuously provide its support, this continuity is critical to those receiving care. The project has come a long way and now boasts a seven-strong family therapy team, led by Sam Petrie.

Julie added: “The Covid-19 lockdown has brought many families’ issues to the fore and so it is more important than ever that we are able to provide support to those that need it. We have been providing our sessions via video conferencing and over the phone and will continue to do so throughout this period.

“Without the funding from the SWAF we would not have been able to pilot this project and build on it each year, providing fundamental support to so many families.”

The Fund was established in 2013 by the Scotch Whisky Association to tackle the effects of alcohol misuse and has already made over 50 awards to initiatives across Scotland working to reduce alcohol-related harm.

By 2023, the Fund will have provided £1m of support to charities. It is just one element of the Scotch Whisky industry’s commitment to addressing issues around alcohol and promoting responsible drinking and is managed by Foundation Scotland.

Dame Joan Stringer, chair of the decision-making panel for ongoing funding, said: “This project has achieved very positive results since first being awarded the funding, making a measurable difference to the communities and the groups it works with.

“Continuation funding is vital to ensure that their impact is ongoing amid unprecedented circumstances, and we look forward to seeing their progress over the coming year.”

Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the SWA, said: “Now more than ever, it is hugely important to be supporting the projects that help to tackle the misuse of alcohol at a community level.

“It has been inspiring to see the impact that this initiative has made, and we are pleased to offer ongoing support via the Scotch Whisky Action Fund, allowing them to build on their excellent work and increase their positive impact.”

The SWAF is now open for applications for funding in 2020-21, the deadline is 2^nd July.

To apply, please visit the Foundation Scotland website.

One Year No Beer steps up to support frontline workers

Local Edinburgh start up, One Year No Beer, has sacrificed salaries to ensure a free service to support NHS staff, frontline support workers, all key workers, the unemployed and anyone who needs additional help in taking a break from alcohol during this challenging time.

The bold decision follows reports that confirm alcohol sales in the UK are up 22% in March.

Ruari Fairbairns, founder and CEO of One Year No Beer, said: “We are currently experiencing the worst global pandemic of our lifetime, which has caused two-thirds, if not more, of adults across the UK to experience anxiety.

“The major problem here is that people are using alcohol as a coping mechanism and this is probably the worst thing that they could do because it is a depressant. We want to help people to look after their mental health and live a better life.”

The brand’s plea follows a recent statement from a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert who warned that alcohol is an “unhelpful coping strategy” for the possible stress and isolation of coronavirus lockdown.

Fairbairns continued: “The NHS is under increased pressure and this is only set to worsen in the next few weeks as we hit the peak, so in addition to this, the last thing we want people to do is incur any other alcohol-related health issues resulting in an urgent trip to hospital.

“Reducing your alcohol intake and making positive decisions about your health are both great ways to help keep the NHS safe and protect others, all from the safety of your home.”

Recent research has also revealed that there has been a huge rise in mental health calls, as well asGP’s highlighting an increase in domestic violence and according to step counters, steps are down 50-100% inEurope, suggesting that as a result of COVID-19, people are exercising less and drinking more.

Professor Kevin Moore, one of London’s leading liver specialists with more than 35 years of experience comments: “There is so much positive research and work going on right now in the fight against COVID-19, but it’s vital that people don’t overlook the hugely negative impact that alcohol could have during these challenging times.

“It is well known that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver disease and various cancers. What is less well known is that people who drink excess alcohol are more likely to develop pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

“That makes it almost certain that if you drink too much alcohol, you are more likely to develop COVID-19 and complications. Further since, alcohol impairs your immune system, if you develop COVID-19 infection, the chronic use of alcohol will impair your ability to recover from infection.”

Passionate about transforming the world’s relationship with alcohol, One Year No Beer will offer its 28-day intervention programme free for all support staff, all key workers, all unemployed and anyone else who needs additional help during these challenging times.

The digital network, which has been designed to transform behaviour and support mental health, will also include full access to the Challenge Group community, offering daily support as well as online meetings.

Fairbairns concludes: “We are giving away our 28-day challenge for free over the coming weeks because we genuinely believe that this is the right thing to do.

“We strongly believe that NOW, during this pandemic, is more important than ever to look after ourselves and one of the ways we can do this is by reducing our alcohol intake.

“Like most businesses right now, we are having to adjust to the current situation. Our team is working tirelessly to deliver this offering and I feel so grateful that all of our staff have agreed to take a salary sacrifice so that together, we can continue to support everyone in this time of need.”

For more information visit and to get your 28-day challenge for free, visit https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/

Extra support for people affected by drug and alcohol use

Extra support for people affected by alcohol and drug use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced by the Minister for Public Health Joe FitzPatrick.

Funding of £166,000 from the Scottish Government will support:

• a programme to increase access to naloxone in new settings, including investment in kits to add to the existing outlets for naloxone supply
• increased capacity within the Know the Score helpline and webchat service
• a COVID-19 publicity campaign signposting support for alcohol and drug users during the pandemic
• funding to link people with others in recovery through the Scottish Recovery Consortium

Help will also be available for those affected by another’s alcohol and drug use through the Supporting Families Fund. This includes a discretionary emergency fund for families, online wellbeing activities, family meals, wellbeing packs and counselling support.

Mr FitzPatrick said: “Responding to the coronavirus pandemic is one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime and it will disrupt so many lives like never before. Protecting and supporting everyone during these unprecedented times is our priority.

“We’ve worked closely with organisations on the frontline to create this package of measures to ensure we continue to support those affected by alcohol and drug use.

“By working together and observing the latest guidance, we can all play our part in keeping everyone safe.”

Count 14 Roadshow urges Edinburgh shoppers to think about their drinking

The Count 14 tour, set to visit 12 locations across Scotland, rolls into Lidl Craigmillar on Sunday to put shoppers’ knowledge of what 14 units means in terms of alcoholic drinks to the test.

With the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines stating men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week to reduce the risks of harm, the roadshow will challenge shoppers to estimate how many of their favourite drinks make up the weekly maximum guideline, and staff will be on hand to bring to life how quickly 14 units can add up.

The guidelines also highlight that if people do regularly drink around 14 units per week, it should be spread over three days or more, with some alcohol-free days.

Regularly exceeding the recommended maximum weekly guideline increases the risk of developing a range of health problems, including cancer of the mouth, throat and breast.

The Scottish Government’s Count 14 campaign, backed by NHS Lothian, aims to help people understand how their weekly drinking adds up.

Dr. Frederike Garbe, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lothian said: “When it comes to drinking alcohol, most of us could do with cutting down.

“Drinking too much has a negative impact on our overall health and greatly increases the chances of developing illnesses, such as some cancers, stroke and heart disease. The Chief Medical Officer’s advice for both men and women is to not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

“NHS Lothian is pleased to once again support the Count 14 campaign, which encourages people to think about how their weekly drinking adds up.

“While it isn’t always easy to know how many units are in our favourite drink, the Count 14 campaign has lots of information which can really help.”

Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood (above) said: “The alcohol guidelines are based on the clear evidence that as alcohol use increases, so does the risk of a range of health harms. To keep these risks low it’s recommended that men and women don’t drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.

“The 14 unit guideline equates to six pints of medium strength beer, lager or cider; six medium glasses of wine or seven double measures of spirits over the course of a week.

“By increasing understanding of what this means in terms of actual alcoholic drinks, our hope is that adults in Scotland are able to make more informed choices.”

For further information on the guidelines visit count14.scot