Alcohol support

Alcohol can help us relax, but over time, regularly drinking more than the recommended limit can lead to serious health problems (external link).

Lower the risk to your health by following these simple, low-risk weekly guidelines:

  • Try and avoid regularly drinking more than 14 units per week
  • If you do drink as much as 14 units a week, spread your drinking over 3 days or more
  • Have several drink-free days each week.

Tips on cutting back

Alcohol and pregnancy

If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all, keeping the risk to your baby at a minimum. Drinking during pregnancy can cause long-term harm to the baby.

For further advice and information visit:

How to get further help for yourself

There are a range of free, confidential and local support services that can help you:

  • HealthyRoutes - a free health improvement service offering one to one support tailored to your specific needs. HealthyRoutes will work with you to reduce your weekly alcohol intake with individual, confidential, practical information and support
  • Talk to your doctor (GP) or Practice Nurse
  • Wigan and Leigh We Are With You service (external link) - offer specialist alcohol treatment plans, online and face to face support
  • If you are under 19 please visit drug and alcohol treatment for young people.

Do you know someone with an alcohol problem?

If you’re concerned that someone you care about has a problem with alcohol the following organisations can provide help and support:

Turning your life around from alcohol. Listen to Colins story, with the help of  With You in Wigan and Leigh (formerly Addaction) and Greenslate Farm Community Rehab he has turned his life around.

Provide support by becoming an Alcohol Health Champion

Are you interested in supporting your local community by becoming an Alcohol Health Champion?  Champions facilitate conversations in the community to help reduce the harm caused by alcohol to health and communities.

As a champion you will:

  • Receive free training
  • Gain a nationally recognised qualification in “Understanding Alcohol Misuse”.

Contact us to find out more about being an Alcohol Health Champion.

© Wigan Council