DRINKERS are being urged to keep a diary of their alcohol consumption during Alcohol Awareness Week.

The borough's Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAT) is supporting the Government’s Know Your Limits campaign by encouraging people to look at how much they drink to see whether they are within the recommended limit of units.

In order to reduce the risks of heart disease, breast cancer, liver disease, stroke and other diseases, the NHS recommends that men drink no more than three to four units a daily, which is about two pints of normal-strength lager.

Women are recommended to drink no more than two to three units a day, which is a large glass of wine or three single measures of spirits.

Chair of NHS Waltham Forest Afzal Akram said: “We are behind the Know Your Limits campaign because alcohol is one of the leading causes of health problems in Waltham Forest.

“It is so easy to get into a routine of regular drinking which is above the lower-risk guidelines, without realising you might be putting your health at risk.

“Keeping a drink diary for a week is easy, and can really make you stop and think about whether you ought to be cutting back.”

The awareness week begins on Monday, October 19, and on Thursday there will be a a sensible drinking stall at The Mall in Selborne Walk, Walthamstow, from 11am-3pm.

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