September 2015 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 11
ExchangE
More good practice stories at
The Brighton ‘sensible on strength’
scheme started in November 2013, to
reduce the availability of cheap super-
strength beers and ciders. Equinox
Brighton’s street drinking audit in July 2013
counted 93 street drinkers over one week –
the worst hotspot had up to two dozen
street drinkers, with incidents of anti-social
behaviour. Before ‘sensible on strength’, we
regularly saw people consuming alcohol up
to 9 per cent ABV.
The scheme has several key partners –
Brighton and Hove City Council public
health, Equinox Brighton, Sussex Police,
street drinkers and alcohol retailers.
‘Since launch, 123 retailers have signed
up, and 82 per cent of high profile street
drinkers now drink alcohol below 6 per cent
ABV,’ said Tim Nichols, the council’s head of
regulatory services, on the scheme’s impact.
‘Equinox Brighton’s July 2014 audit showed
a 22 per cent reduction in street drinking
since July 2013.’
When Suffolk’s public health team piloted
‘reducing the strength’ in 2011, Ipswich had
75 street drinkers and 40 per cent of violent
crime was alcohol-related. There were four
murders in 18 months, and street drinkers
were suffering from ill health.
By December 2014, 100 out of 148
alcohol retailers in Ipswich had voluntarily
removed beer, lager and cider above 6.5 per
cent ABV. By March 2015, 14 street drinkers
remained. Key principles to improve success
Jesse Wilde
shares results from
three city-wide schemes aimed
at reducing the supply of high
strength beers and ciders
Playing sports on a regular basis
requires discipline, which builds much
needed structure into daily life. Being part of
a group of like-minded peers, and the
natural high gained from exercise, may help
raise self-esteem – a key component of good
social interaction.
The relationship between sport and
improved mental and physical wellbeing is
well established. The key is to get people with
complex care issues to participate in these
positive activities.
The uniqueness of Sporting Recovery is the
combination of team and individual sporting
activities and lifestyle advice (SMART
Recovery) along with the opportunity for
clients to gain nationally recognised
sports qualifications. As an evidence-
based exercise programme, we support
adults on their recovery pathway back
into their communities.
We focus on people who are marginal,
high risk and hard to reach, who often
have concerning co-morbidity problems.
These adults have difficulties accessing,
trusting and re-engaging with traditional
services.
The hardest part of any exercise course is
starting, particularly when you’ve been
inactive for a prolonged period. To overcome
this inertia, our programmes are available in
the form of transferable season tickets, with
the first six sessions free to encourage
participation.
We are keen to support successful
treatment completions and recommend that
service users attend the exercise programme
for 42 sessions. The sessions are weekly and
include a free lunch, with the opportunity to
obtain voluntary and paid work within, and
outside, Sporting Recovery.
We believe that if we provide a safe,
friendly and fun environment we can engage
these hard to reach adults. The first thing is to
treat them like regular people with the same
desires to enjoy and succeed in their chosen
sport. The focus is on self-development and
inner peace – something we all need!
Pat Berry and Ron Bell run Sporting Recovery,
GooD sports
Pat Berry
and
Ron Bell
talk about how they
help service users improve their wellbeing
and build self-confidence from exercise
The key is to
get people
with complex
care issues to
participate in
these positive
activities.
have been to increase
enforcement, reduce
supply and improve
routes out of street
drinking.
Portsmouth City
Council launched
‘reducing the
strength’ in 2013.
According to
community safety
project officer Robert
Anderson-Weaver, 100
of 184 off-licences in
Portsmouth have signed up,
and street drinkers have decreased
by 39 per cent over 12 months. A key
breakthrough happened in 2014, when a
retailer removed super-strength products
from 20 Portsmouth stores.
In all three cities, the challenge is now to
achieve consistency city-wide, and to
encourage as many retailers as possible to
sign up to the schemes.
Jesse Wilde is senior business and
partnerships manager at Equinox Brighton.
Drink smart
‘One
hundred
of 184 off-
licences in
Portsmouth
have signed
up, and street
drinkers have
decreased by
39 per cent
over 12
months.’
