Shoppers will be challenged to overcome an obstacle course whilst donning beer goggles as part of a campaign to raise awareness of alcohol related issues.
Members of the Caia Park Health Team will set up camp at Eagles Meadow shopping centre, Wrexham, between 11am and 2pm on Friday, November 21.
It is part of Alcohol Awareness Week, a nationwide drive by Alcohol Concern between November 17 and 23.
The team will have specially-designed goggles that recreate the visual distortion, loss of perception and lack of control that impair people under the influence of alcohol.
They will throw down the gauntlet to shoppers to tackle the obstacle course, laden with cones and barriers.
They will also be armed with information booklets and goodie bags to let people know the dangers of over-drinking.
Robin Ranson, Health Improvement Practitioner at Caia Park Health Team, said: “We’ll have the beer goggles and we’ll be encouraging people to take on the obstacle course. It’s just a fan way of engaging people.
“For us the campaign is about connecting with people and making them aware of the issues related to alcohol.
“Eagles Meadow is a great place for us to come because there’s such a big audience. It’s a very popular place because of all of the shops and the cafes. There’s a lot of footfall.
“We promoted Stoptober the anti-smoking campaign, here recently and that was really successful.
“We want to make sure that people have access to the right information, have an opportunity to engage with it, and we can point them in the right direction if they want help.
“Being at Eagles Meadow helps us make people aware of the short and long term effects of consuming alcohol.”
Dealing with alcohol related issues costs the NHS Wales over £80 million a year.
But most people with drink related health problems are not addicted to alcohol. They’re people who have drunk more than the guidelines for a number of years.
According to the lower risk guidelines women should not regularly drink more than two to three units of alcohol a day and men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day. Everyone should aim to have at least two alcohol free days a week.
Failure to stick the guidelines increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus or larynx, and breast cancer in women. It also increases the risk of a stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, pancreatic and reduced fertility.
Eagles Meadow Manager Kevin Critchley is pleased to be able to help.
He said: “It is important to encourage people to be sensible. A lot of people might not be aware that they’re drinking over the recommended guidelines, so this campaign will at least make sure they have the right information, and that can only be a good thing.”
