The part played by alcohol in fuelling domestic violence is at the heart of a campaign by Think B4U Drink to help combat the effects of alcohol abuse.
Statistics show alcohol is related to nearly half of domestic violence incidents. But there is never an excuse for domestic violence and there is simply no justification for saying “sorry love, I was drunk”.
And many victims of domestic violence are clear about the effect it can have on families. Children can often witness violence at home, which can have a deep and lasting effect on them even though they may not have suffered physical injury.
Think B4U Drink, a partnership between Stockton Council, Cleveland Police and NHS Stockton on Tees, has commissioned a range of posters and other publicity to draw people’s attention to a range of alcohol-related dangers.
Another theme of the campaign is targeted at clubbers, highlighting some of the dangers they could face if they drink too much on a night out.
Beer mats designed to look like ‘sat navs’ are helping raise awareness of ways of getting home safely and using licensed taxis. With a humorous edge, separate designs highlight the dangers which may face men and women.
Earlier in the summer, Think B4U Drink worked with a group of schools to carry out a targeted campaign to show young people that under-age drinking isn’t something they ‘have to do because everyone else does it’.
The move followed research amongst young people which found less young people want to get drunk than many people believe. The survey found 66 percent of Year 10 pupils (14 and 15-year-olds) think binge drinking is always a bad thing – a message carried on one of the posters in local schools and youth facilities.