Scotland's third Alcohol Awareness Week takes place from the 4th-10th October 2009, and will see a further joint programme of events designed to provide useful information to the public about responsible drinking.
It's easy to make a positive choice about drinking. There are small changes that can help you enjoy a drink without risking your health. The aim of the campaign is to drive awareness amongst Scots – and demonstrate – that by making positive lifestyle choices, changing drinking habits and drinking more responsibly will enable you to get more out of your day, week or weekend.
This year AAW is all about 'Get More Out Of'. The campaign aims to show that by making a few simple changes to your drinking habits, you can manage the amount of alcohol you consume and make sure you get more out of your time, relationships, work and activities.
It's also important to understand how much you're drinking, and how that compares to the sensible drinking guidelines. These are that men should drink no more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day, and women no more than 2-3.
Regularly drinking more than this can cause health problems. If you overdo it, it's a good idea to give your body 2 days without alcohol. In fact, Scottish Government advice is that we should all aim to have at least 2 alcohol-free days per week.
Enjoy what you drink and stay healthy – know your units.