Our mission: to build a UK where alcohol causes no serious harm

Every hour someone in the UK dies as a result of alcohol.

You may know us as the charity behind Dry January

We are a new, major national charity formed in April 2017 from the merger of two established alcohol charities: Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK.

Alcohol plays a major role in our society. While many people enjoy it, when drunk too often, or excessively, it can lead to serious harms.
Low prices, advertising and marketing, peer pressure, stress, or our mental health can lead us to drink more – and at times much more – than we intend. In fact, latest figures show that two million of us across England and Wales are drinking harmfully.

And that’s a big problem. Alcohol is linked to more than 60 medical conditions including liver disease, heart disease, some cancers and depression. Liver disease is becoming more common, with deaths increasing by around 40% in a decade.

It’s not only those who drink who suffer. Alcohol costs the NHS an estimated £3.5 billion a year and our police, courts and prisons many millions more. Alcohol misuse is a factor for one in five children in need of social care in England. The emotional costs are incalculable.

We work to influence policy, fund research and provide information and support for everyone to drink more healthily.

Together, we can build a UK where alcohol does more good than harm