Alcohol Help

In the run up to Christmas, and in order to encourage young people under 18 not to participate in alcohol related festivities, schoolchildren from across Berwick have been warned of the dangerous effects alcohol can have on their bodies.

In partnership with Sorted, Northumberland County Council’s drug and alcohol service which provides advice and support to young people under 18, and District Councils such as Berwick, paramedics from the North East Ambulance service visited a number of venues across Northumberland, including the Beehive Cafe youth project.

The youngsters were warned about the dangers and harm alcohol can cause but were also advised on how to stay safe and what to do in an emergency - and most importantly, not to walk away and leave a friend in potentially dangerous situation.

Serena Thompson, Manager of Sorted, said: "The Don’t Walk Away Campaign’ roadshow was a valuable event as part of our programme of proactive work to raise awareness amongst young people in Northumberland."

Andy Molloy, North East Ambulance Service Assistant Operations Manager (North of Tyne) and a trained paramedic, has chatted to dozens of youngsters in Northumberland including Berwick.

He said: "We’ve been working with Sorted for the last 18 months educating young people on the streets throughout Berwick and elsewhere about drinking alcohol and its consequences and promoting the ‘Don’t Walk Away Campaign’.

"We’ve gone out with street workers to persuade youngsters to attend talks at drop-in centres and also toured estates in an information bus and delivered awareness sessions in the back of the vehicle.

"The idea behind the programme of visits is more of an informal chat with young people. We discuss with them the reasons why they are getting drunk, what type of drinks they are consuming and the volumes involved. Furthermore we discuss with the short term effects and the dangers involved with binge drinking, ie, what can happen to them that night such as choking."

In addition youngsters learned about longer-term effects such as the impact of drinking on their organs.

Youngsters were also shown a range of emergency equipment which may be used by paramedics such as intubation equipment. Andy added: "We show them the different tubes we use for managing patients airways and the range of needles we may need to use to administer drugs or set drips up.

Gerald Connor, Community Safety Officer, Berwick District Council said:

"The Don’t Walk Away initiative provides young people with an insight into the consequences of consuming too much alcohol and leaving a friend to their own devices, and emphasises the importance of moderating alcohol intake, supporting a friend and contacting the ambulance service when a friend is in difficulty.

"This type of initiative provides the right level of information and has been very well received by the young people locally. From an organisation viewpoint it is good that partners can come together to tackle the issues in such a pro-active and focussed manner".

Feedback from young people who have taken part in the road show had been very positive with comments ranging from " you won’t get wrong for calling an ambulance", as well as learning about the dangers of binge drinking and "finding out what drink does to your body".

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