Read our Annual Report for 2020/21


** Welcome to our January newsletter
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This is our first newsletter of 2022, we wanted to wish you a belated Happy New Year!

As Dry January® draws to a close, we wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you and share some of the highlights from the campaign. We’re pleased to see another year-on-year increase in the number of people planning to go alcohol-free for the month!

Also in this email, we’re sharing our Annual Report for 2020/21, in which you can read about our different work programmes and the difference our work has made. Read on to find out more, including the latest alcohol news, recruitment, and the latest blogs.


** Dry January – thank you!
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As Dry January® comes to an end, we’ve seen that more people than ever were planning to go alcohol-free for the month.

Our survey undertaken in December showed that an estimated 7.9 million UK adults ([link removed]) were planning to take a month off drinking in January, up from an estimated 6.5 million the previous year.

Our survey also showed that almost one in three (28%) drinkers have found themselves drinking more in 2021, compared to 2020.

Throughout December and early January we’ve seen large numbers of downloads our free Try Dry® app, and signups to our daily coaching emails. In total, over 130,000 people signed up to take part in Dry January® 2022!

As well as huge interest in the UK, we've seen Dry January® grow in popularity elsewhere. In 2022, Dry January® took place in France, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. We were also delighted to have worked with our international partners to offer translated versions of the Try Dry app in French, German and Norwegian. Closer to home, the Try Dry® app is also now available in Welsh.


** Alcohol Change UK Annual Report for 2020/21
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We delighted to share our annual report for 2020/21 which shows the ways in which we’ve delivered across our eight inter-linked work programmes and most importantly the difference we make.

Announcing the report, Fiyaz Mughal, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said:

“Reducing alcohol harm is essential if people across Britain are to be happy and healthy. Alcohol harm is not a niche topic. It is one of the most common causes of illness, early death, low productivity, and crime and disorder that we face as a society. Recovering from this pandemic – and being more prepared to cope with any future viruses – includes tackling alcohol harm … now.”

Find out more about our work ([link removed])


** New year, new you, new challenge?
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With alcohol-specific deaths at an all-time high - increasing by 18.6% compared to 2019 to 8,974 - we need your support more than ever to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. Get in touch with the Fundraising team (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Fundraising%20for%20Alcohol%20Change%20UK) if you’d like to take on a fundraising challenge to raise vital funds to support our work.

Maybe you’ve started running, or want to? We have a jam-packed year ahead with runs of all shapes and sizes across the country. To name a few:
* Sheffield and Cardiff half marathons – 27 March
* London Landmarks Half Marathon – 3 April
* And lots more!

If running isn’t your thing, how about cycling, and obstacle course or a skydive? Lots of people even design their own events - for example, our amazing supporter Josh cycled ([link removed]) to Edinburgh and back!

Fundraise for us ([link removed])


** We’re recruiting – Fundraising and engagement assistant
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Are you interested in working as part of a dynamic team to grow our funds and build community engagement so we can reduce the harm caused by alcohol? If so, read on.

We’re recruiting for a new Fundraising and Engagement Assistant!
Our new Fundraising and Engagement Assistant will be at the heart of the organisation, working with colleagues across policy, research, behaviour change and our work to shift the UK’s drinking cultures. In this role, as well as helping to raise money so that other teams can deliver our mission, you will be helping to deliver our mission directly. If you're interested, you can find out more and download the application pack using the link below.

Deadline: 9am on Monday, 7 February

Find out more and apply ([link removed])


** Alcohol news
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** Drinking causing “silent harm” for millions

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Eight million people in England are drinking at levels that are harmful to their health, according to data from the government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, with a large increase in the numbers drinking at levels considered to be dangerous. Figures based on YouGov surveys show 18.1% of adults in England were drinking at “increasing or higher risk” in the three months to the end of October 2021.


Read more ([link removed])


** Number of alcohol deaths sees sharp rise
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The Office for National Statistics has published the official figures for alcohol-specific deaths in the UK registered in 2020. In 2020, there were 8,974 deaths (14.0 per 100,000 people) from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, an 18.6% increase compared with 2019 (7,565 deaths; 11.8 per 100,000 people) and the highest year-on-year increase since the data time series began in 2001.


View the full figures ([link removed])


** Motorists don't know how many drinks will tip them over the limit
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A survey commissioned by the road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed that the majority of motorists are unaware of the amount of alcohol that will tip them over the limit. When respondents were asked how many micrograms of alcohol are permitted in 100 millilitres of breath before they would fail a police breathalyser, on average, the answer was 52. This is despite the fact the actual threshold is only 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.

Read more ([link removed])


** Calls for tighter alcohol advertising to protect vulnerable people
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A new report is calling on the UK Government to introduce restrictions on alcohol marketing that better protect vulnerable people. The Alcohol Health Alliance report, published at the end of last year, highlights how the “constant bombardment” of alcohol marketing, especially at sports events and times of celebration such as Christmas, makes it difficult for people in recovery to fully participate in everyday life and increases their risk of relapse.


Read the report ([link removed])


** Supermarkets to trial facial age estimation tech for buying alcohol
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Five major UK supermarkets are to trial age estimation technology to accurately gauge customers’ ages when purchasing alcohol. Co-op, Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons are participating in a UK Government “regulatory sandbox” until May 2022, testing the technology’s ability to facilitate alcohol sales safely and swiftly. The technology will be built into supermarket self-service terminals, taking photos of consenting customers’ faces for analysis and deleting them once the process is completed.

Read more ([link removed])


** Latest blogs
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** Teresa’s story: “I feel happy and full of life”
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Teresa took part in Dry January 2021 after drinking a lot over the Christmas period. Her family were so relieved to see her making a change that they decided to take part with her! In this piece she shares how Dry January helped her see the benefits of an alcohol-free life.

Read the blog ([link removed])


** Dry January: it’s not about going without
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When taking part in her first Dry January, Laura first saw it as depriving herself of something – as going without. Many years later she’s now happily alcohol-free, now choosing to view life without alcohol as an opportunity to make space for new things in her life.

Read the blog ([link removed])

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