Led annually by UK charity Alcohol Change UK, Alcohol Awareness Week runs from 7-13 July 2025 and this year’s theme is ‘alcohol and work’.
When it comes to alcohol, how does the work we do influence our drinking and our drinking impact our work? These are the questions the campaign will be diving into across during this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week.
Across the country activities will take place to encourage people to reflect on our own unique relationship between alcohol and work, to better understand how these aspects of our lives are linked and explore ways to improve our health, productivity and happiness.
Around 10 million of us are regularly drinking alcohol in ways that can harm our health and wellbeing. From headaches, hangovers and sleepless nights to lower productivity and symptoms like anxiety and depression worsening over time, alcohol affects us in so many ways.
At the same time, the world of work is constantly changing. Lots of us are working longer hours, feeling more stress and experiencing a blurring of lines between work and home, while alcohol-centric workplace cultures are still a reality for so many. Moving in and out of work, whether planned or unplanned, can also affect us and our drinking habits – from unemployment and retirement to parental leave and caring responsibilities. These transitions can sometimes leave us feeling unsettled, bored, isolated and lonely, causing us to drink more alcohol and face additional challenges with our physical and mental health, relationships, finances and more.
That’s why, from offices and factories to shift-work and front-line services, this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week seeks to unravel the complex relationship between alcohol work and celebrate the benefits that individuals, organisations and communities can unlock through fostering healthier, safer and more respectful workplace cultures across different industries, sectors and types of work.
Throughout the week Alcohol Change UK and wider supporters of Alcohol Awareness Week will promote honest, positive and thought-provoking conversations about alcohol and work, while celebrating the health, wellbeing, productivity and economic benefits of fully inclusive approaches to alcohol in the workplace.
It is easy to take part in Alcohol Awareness Week. Join in by:
- Watching and sharing Alcohol Change UK’s new film – exploring the effects of alcohol on our health and wellbeing and how this can show up at work, launching at the start of Alcohol Awareness Week
- Sharing your experiences, events and activities on social media using the hashtag #AlcoholAwarenessWeek and tagging @AlcoholChangeUK.
- Use the Alcohol Change UK resources to highlight the issues and drive a conversation in your community.