Alcohol Change UK is a British

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

and

campaign group The Socialist Campaign Group, officially the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs and also known as the Campaign Group, is a left-wing, democratic socialist grouping of the Labour Party's Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the ...

founded in 1984 whose aim is to reduce the harm caused by

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

. It is best known for its flagship awareness programs Alcohol Awareness Week and

Dry January Dry January is a campaign delivered by Alcohol Change UK where people sign up to abstain from alcohol for the month of January. The term "Dry January" is a registered trademark with Alcohol Change UK and was first registered in 2014. The camp ...

History and organisation

Alcohol Concern was founded in 1984. In 2007 it became one of the 24 founding member organisations of

Alcohol Health Alliance UK The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is a coalition of more than 50 non-governmental organisations which work together to promote evidence-based policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. Ian Gilmore, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a professor o ...

, a coalition of medical, charity and campaign organisations related to alcohol. In April 2017, Alcohol Concern merged with Alcohol Research UK, and in November 2018 the merged group was named Alcohol Change UK. It is now recognised as a national agency on

alcohol misuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence, in extreme cases resulting in health problems for individuals and large scale social problems such as alcohol-r ...

for the UK. Since September 2017, the charity has been led by Chief Executive Officer Dr Richard Piper, previously of Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine Children's Charity. Fiyaz Mughal is chair of the

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

Activities

Annual campaigns

In May 2012, Alcohol Concern began promoting

, a national campaign in the UK for people to give up drinking alcohol for the month of January each year. The first Dry January was in 2013. The idea came from Emily Robinson, who gave up alcohol for January 2011 in preparation for a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

and joined Alcohol Concern in January 2012 while

abstaining Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with ...

again.

Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...

began promoting the campaign in December 2014. In its first year, 4,000 people signed up for Dry January and it has grown in popularity ever since with nearly 9 million people taking part in 2023. What’s more, other countries are interested in bringing Dry January to their own populations with the Dry January campaign being licensed to take place in France, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, and the USA. Alcohol Awareness Week is run and managed by Alcohol Change UK. Each year, Alcohol Change UK sets the date and theme for the upcoming campaign and shares free digital resources for people to take part. The campaign has moved from its previous spot in November and now takes place every July.

Services

Consultancy and training Alcohol Change UK offers training and consultancy services for professionals working in healthcare, housing and homelessness, social care, academia, or the emergency services, as well as in the workplace, to improve their policies and practices in supporting people with their drinking. Its flagship Blue Light approach helps to better support people with the most serious and chronic alcohol problems, who often have multiple needs. Research Alcohol Change UK funds, commissions, and conducts research to strengthen the evidence base and improve the lives of those affected by alcohol harm.

Advocacy

Alcohol Change UK acts as the

secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...

and public enquiry point for the All-Party

Parliamentary Group A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council. Parliamentar ...

(APPG) on Alcohol Harm, which exists to discuss alcohol-related issues and make related recommendations to government. The current chair of the group is Christian Wakeford MP.

Funding