Alcohol Change UK

✨Great Manchester Run recap✨

What a fantastic day!🏆

Huge shoutout to our 30 runners who raised just under £8,000 - thank you so much for your support!👏

Feeling inspired? Sign up an upcoming running event and run for team Alcohol Change UK👇
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise/take-on-a-challenge/running

Spring has been was an outstanding period for our challenge events, with some of the biggest running days of the year all landing at once - thanks to our incredible runners we have raised over £107,000!🏆

We had teams totalling 175 runners taking on the Paris Marathon and London Landmarks Half Marathon on the same day, followed by the London Marathon across in-person and virtual formats.

Behind every mile run is a personal story and a shared determination to create change. Today, we are sharing a handful of those inspiring stories from this year’s London Landmarks Half Marathon.🧡

Meet the runners going the distance to end alcohol harm👇
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/meet-the-runners-going-the-distance-to-end-alcohol-harm

From your brain, to your heart, to your liver - drinking alcohol can impact your body in many different ways. Maybe even in some ways you weren't aware of!🧠🫀🦴

Explore our interactive body map to find out how alcohol impacts the body👇
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/interactive-tools/alcohol-and-your-body-map

Social media use increases children's exposure to alcohol marketing, which is normalising alcohol consumption and increasing the likelihood of higher risk behaviour with alcohol in the longer-term.

While advertising codes don’t allow alcohol marketing directly to children, they are still seeing adverts online, particularly on social media.

With a rise in influencer-generated alcohol promotion, and AI chat bots creating dangerous advice about how children can hide intoxication at school - action must be taken.

We have submitted evidence to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's consultation on growing up in the online world to ensure we make the online world safer for our children and young people.

Read the full response 🔽
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/policy/consultation-responses/consultation-response-growing-up-in-the-online-world

Unfortunately as a society we've placed alcohol on a pedestal, putting it in the spotlight of our lives. Whether it's unwinding from work, celebrating life's big moments or just for the sake of the sun being out. It's no surprise either with the sheer amount of alcohol marketing we are faced with in our day to day lives when we're watching TV, on our phone or just waiting for the bus!

By sober shaming others, we’re upholding society’s view that drinking alcohol is normal and not drinking is not. It’s in everybody’s interest to break down this view so we can all make our own choices about alcohol, free from any judgement.

Find out more about sober shaming and how we can stop it👇
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/stopsobershaming

We're one step closer to ending the harm caused by rapid alcohol deliveries - thanks to you!👏

395 MPs have now been contacted about ending the delivery trap, that’s over 60% of all UK MPs!

Every email sent, and every action taken, has helped build momentum to bring this issue to Parliament’s attention. The government is now aware that rapid online alcohol delivery may be contributing to alcohol harm by significantly expanding availability.

The Home Office has responded and is now looking at how current licensing rules apply to home alcohol delivery services and speaking to experts and stakeholders, including Alcohol Change UK, to ensure the rules are effective.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign so far. If you're yet to take part, you can still help us reach even more MPs and make sure that this important issue is more widely understood.⬇️
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/end-the-delivery-trap

The countdown is on for Alcohol Awareness Week and this year's theme is 'Alcohol and me'.

In a world where big alcohol companies glamorise alcohol as central to everyday experiences – from birthdays and barbecues to sofa nights and cheering on our team – it’s understandable that alcohol often feels like an inevitable part of so many of our lives.

So, this Alcohol Awareness Week we’re inviting a different conversation and asking: how might alcohol truly be impacting our lives and what can we do about it?

We'll be sharing stories, tools and advice all week long and you can help us to spread our message!📢

Find out more about this year's theme and download your free digital resources to help people in your community⬇️
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/alcohol-awareness-week-1

Meet Holly!👋

[TW: This story contains reference to su***de.]

After a difficult period with alcohol and relationships, Holly's drinking started to escalate in her mid-twenties. From this point, Holly's life began to spiral.

"I couldn’t stop drinking. I didn’t know how, and I couldn’t imagine a life without alcohol."

Holly was told she had six months to live if she continued to drink in the way she was: "In that moment, it didn’t surprise me or really upset me. I knew, or believed, I was going to die – whether it was from my body shutting down or as a result of taking my life because I couldn’t live that life anymore."

Holly's dad supported her through her journey with alcohol dependence, taking her to treatment that saved Holly's life. Holly is now 3 years alcohol-free: "If I didn’t go to rehab when I did, I believe I would be dead now."

Holly still attends regular counselling and therapy, and supports others with their drug and alcohol journeys at Change Grow Live as a support worker: "It's so rewarding being able to use my own journey for good."

Holly also raised over £1,100 for us at Alcohol Change UK by running the London Landmarks Half Marathon last month!🧡

Read Holly's full story👇
https://bit.ly/4eG40mm

"I discovered alcohol delivery apps when my friends and I ran out of drink one night - searching online to get alcohol quickly and easily delivered. From that point, my drinking escalated fast."

Meet Amelia!👋

Amelia started to see her drinking escalate because of rapid alcohol deliveries, "If I was drinking alone at home, I would order more. What used to be natural stopping points — shops closing, running out of alcohol, or the effort of going out again — disappeared completely."

Over time, her mental health worsened, but without the need to leave the house, she was able to keep drinking, "I often felt too anxious or low to go to the shops, but alcohol could still be brought straight to my door."

Amelia ended up seeking help after a hospital admission and is now alcohol-free. Reflecting on her journey, she feels delivery apps played a big role in her struggles with alcohol, "I truly believe that the ease, speed, and lack of safeguards around alcohol delivery apps significantly worsened my addiction."

Amelia’s not alone. Over the last few weeks, we've heard many experiences just like hers, highlighting how out-of-date regulations are allowing instant, unlimited access to alcohol on our doorsteps, and creating a cycle of harm that’s hard for many to break free from.

You can read Amelia's full story, as well as hear about how we can make change and on our website⬇️
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/amelias-story-instead-of-thinking-twice-i-could-order-in-minutes-and-carry-on