An Education in Alcohol

It seems we here in Greater Manchester could lead the way with the minimum-price-per-unit-of-alcohol scheme. PM David Cameron has apparently backed local council plans to discourage binge drinking, by calling time on cheap booze deals. The idea being that we can’t all ‘get off our heads’ before heading out for the night. (Surely the scheme has to be nationwide or else off-licences and supermarkets sitting just over the borders, in West Yorkshire or Lancashire say, will be thriving!) Thankfully though, the Department of Health are still considering the wider implications of our drinking culture and agreeing that as well as legislation we need to look at the “psychology behind why different groups of people drink alcohol to excess”. And that’s where we here at Act on Info Theatre in Education Company come in. From our years of experience working with young people and health issues we believe that education is key to helping us make healthier decisions. We also know from first hand experience that allowing our young people a platform to discuss their attitudes and fears in a non-judgmental manner helps to understand these attitudes and fears and to combat much more complex problems such as peer pressure, bullying and anti-social behaviour, all of which are linked to our fixation with excessive drinking. So come on Department of Health – put your money where your mouth is and get Alcohol Awareness Drama Workshops out there in our schools. You never know you might all just learn something.