NEWS ARCHIVE
Alcohol awareness week
Outreach workers from the NHS have been running alcohol awareness activities throughout Cornwall College's seven sites as part of the Students' Union's alcohol awareness week.
The team’s aim is to raise awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and techniques to manage risks, ensuring that all the students look after themselves and their friends this festive season and all year round. The team communicated this through interactive demonstrations and the presentation of key facts and safety messages, in addition they gave away free spikeys to protect the students’ drinks from any unwanted additions.
Young people and alcohol leader for the NHS, Tamsyn Ferris said: “Young people are vulnerable, we want to make sure they are safe by teaching them about managing risks. It’s always important but especially prior to the festive season, people drink approximately four times more during this period and reports of drinks being spiked are especially high. In addition it’s important to communicate the consequences of spiking other people’s drinks, medical and legal.”
Falmouth Marine School Engineering student Mark Taylor said: “I was shocked that you could get up to ten years in prison for spiking drinks and that lads are more at risk from spiking by their mates, I’ll be using my spikey from now on.”
The team ran a remote controlled car challenge, where students completed an obstacle course with full visibility then repeated the activity wearing ‘beer goggles’ that resulted in 5 per cent impairment. Watersports student Emily Gathercole from Falmouth Marine School said: “The goggles made everything seem so much closer and really made me think about how I manage my nights out. I never drive the next day but talking to the advisors confirmed that I always make the right decision, I was shocked that one in six arrests happen the following day.”
Top tips given when heading out for the night:
- Eat something before you go out or eat during the course of the evening
- Plan before you go out how you are getting home - do you know a taxi number, when is the last train home, save enough money for these
- Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back
- Have a fully charged mobile and credit
- Space your drinks with non-alcoholic ones
- Don't accept drinks from strangers and never leave your drink unattended
- Don't wander off! Stay with your friends
- Never leave anyone behind
Nat Mitchell, Students’ Union Communications and Participation Officer commented: “Peer pressure and the freedom of living away from home can be a big influence on drinking alcohol and it’s important that students are aware of the potential risks, knowing the facts can help them make informed choices.”
Dave Linnell, Principal of Cornwall College said: “Raising awareness of these issues is extremely important to ensuring the welfare of our students, something we take very seriously at Cornwall College.”
