Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip - Dry Month

Take on the challenge of curbing your drinking habits for a whole month. We know that drinking too much alcohol can lead to increased blood pressure, some types of cancer and weight gain. If you think you could benefit from taking on this challenge or would like to take steps to reduce your alcohol intake, try out some of the below tips this month to get you started!

Know Your Numbers Knowing how much alcohol you are consuming can be the first step towards making a change. It is recommended to drink less than 14 units of alcohol per week, which is equivalent to approximately seven medium glasses of wine, or six pints of regular strength beer. You can calculate your exact intake at www.drinkaware.co.uk

Find Alternatives Most of the time we can satisfy a craving with an alternative option. Try buying some alcohol-free beer or soft drinks to have when you’re next craving an alcoholic drink. Replace Habits It can be useful to distract yourself with another activity at the time when you would usually drink. Try going for a short walk or organise to speak with a friend at a time when you would usually drink alcohol.

Be Smart We can still enjoy alcohol whilst reducing our overall consumption. Some great tactics you can use to reduce your intake include: having a soft drink for every other drink adding one or more alcohol-free days to your week opting for lower strength drinks such as a single spirit mixer instead of a glass of wine, which has over half of the units and calories when you opt for a low-calorie mixer!.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/ health-tips

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: heartresearch.org.uk/heartresearch-uk-recipes-2

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers: heartresearch.org.uk/heartresearch-uk-cookbook

If you’d like to support Heart Research UK’s vital work into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease, please visit www.heartresearch.org.uk for inspiration on how you could help.

Rising From the Ashes of a Pandemic

East Lancashire born George Clarkson started life in humble beginnings but was determined to make a better life for himself when he grew up. As his brother went off to be a plasterer, he decided he wanted to work outdoors and went into the construction industry at 16 years old after leaving secondary school. He then enrolled on a building course at college.

Through his apprenticeship, an opportunity lead him to working in New Zealand in 2011 where he gained valuable experience and knowledge in the construction industry, helping to rebuild the Canterbury Region after the Christchurch Earthquake. 