Published on: Friday 5th July 2024

Do you feel your drinking is starting to impact on your quality of life? Would you like to cut down or feel more in control of your drinking but are finding it difficult to take those first few steps?

To coincide with Alcohol Awareness Week,  we are relaunching our alcohol support service with a new name and look. Previously known as Alcohol Support, the new AlcoholWise offer now includes an anonymous, online test that guides people on whether they should seek further help based on their alcohol intake. It also provides telephone-based support from a dedicated professional within three weeks if referral is recommended.

The new AlcoholWise name has been introduced to emphasise the focus of the service on guiding people to take positive action to manage their alcohol intake to stay well. An AlcoholWise social media push launches today (Friday, 5 July 2024) featuring people of all ages and backgrounds to highlight that everyone should be thinking about whether their alcohol intake is safer.

The AlcoholWise test is available to all Surrey residents aged 18+. It asks a short set of questions about how often a person drinks and the impact drinking alcohol has on their lives. According to a person’s answers, the test may recommend they would benefit from support from AlcoholWise. 

People can refer themselves to Alcoholwise, which offers six telephone sessions from a specialist support worker. These sessions will explore the person’s goals for their alcohol intake, what may trigger them to drink alcohol, along with strategies to manage cravings.

If a person’s alcohol intake is very high, they may be advised by the drink test to self refer to i-access, another alcohol service provided by our Trust.

Susannah Spindler, General Manager of AlcoholWise, said: “This new test is a simple way for people to assess how much they’re drinking and whether they may benefit from reducing their intake.

“It’s important that people in Surrey know there is free support available to help them ensure their drinking doesn’t increase to a level which could harm their mental and physical health.”

A person who was supported through AlcoholWise telephone sessions said: “My support worker was professional, a good listener and didn’t try to force me to make changes I couldn’t commit to. I now have a better understanding of why I drank and I feel more in control to make mindful choices.”

Another person said: “I have felt an immense change – the tools and education provided around lifestyle and balance has helped me to achieve my goals. My support worker was very kind, supportive, helpful and knowledgeable.”

To take the AlcoholWise test, visit www.surreydrugandalcohol.com/alcohol-support