Christmas and New Year is a time for celebration and many people drink more alcohol when attending parties and gatherings with friends. Increased drinking often means that people lose their inhibitions and are therefore more likely to try party drugs. Worryingly, people may not be aware that the health risks of mixing drugs with alcohol can be extremely high and sometimes unpredictable.
To help combat this, CRI Reach Out Recovery’s ‘Prepare to Party’ safety campaign is giving tips and hints to partygoers on how to have a great time out while staying safe.
Drug and alcohol campaigns are an important part of the prevention work that CRI, Reach Out Recovery delivers. ‘Prepare to Party’ aims to reach people that use Birmingham’s night time economy, raising awareness of the health and social harms often associated with drug and alcohol use and giving information and increasing accessibility to treatment services.
Look out for our ‘Prepare to Party’ posters on buses travelling to and from Birmingham city centre, that give top tips for a safer night out in Birmingham. There will also be window stickers providing safety messages in bars and clubs, take-away shops, taxis and other nightlife business.
‘Prepare to Party’ is part of a wider campaign, in partnership with Birmingham Community Safety Partnership, and supported by University of Central Birmingham, Birmingham Metropolitan College and Birmingham City University. It targets students and young adults to raise awareness of the risks around recreational drug and alcohol use, along with practical harm reduction information and advice. All these things may help someone to change their drug and alcohol using behavior or seek support and therefore prevent or reduce the risks to themselves, their families, friends and communities.
For general advice about alcohol and drugs contact the Reach Out Recovery on 0121 227 5890 www.reachoutrecovery.org.uk or Birmingham.info@cri.org.uk