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The BRI Alcohol Care Team was established in January 2023.

The service is part of a National pilot scheme from NHS England across 12 hospitals in Yorkshire and the North East of England.

Bradford was recognised nationally by NHS England as one of the places in England with the highest amount of dependent alcohol use, without such a team within the hospital. Due to this, funding was received to set up a service to engage people and provide education around alcohol and what impact it can have on a person’s health.

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Lead consultant - Dr Tawfiq.

Lead Specialist Alcohol Care Team Nurse - Fiona.

Specialist Alcohol Care Team Nurses - Holly, Zorha and Ceri.

Substance Misuse Practitioner - Gurdeep.

Admin - Mariam.

Volunteers - Dave and Emma.

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In February 2025 the Alcohol Care Team received team of the month - a great achievement!

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Regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health - The number of units in a drink is based on the size of the drink and its alcohol strength.

Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.

If you drink less than 14 units a week, this is considered low-risk drinking. It's called "low risk" rather than "safe" because there's no safe drinking level.

The type of illnesses you become more at risk of after regularly drinking more than 14 units a week include:

Mouth cancer, throat cancer and breast cancer

Stroke

Heart disease

Liver disease

Brain damage

Damage to the nervous system

Poor mental health

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The NHS defines binge drinking as ‘drinking heavily over a short space of time’.

Binge drinking is defined as more than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for males, or more than 6 units in a single session for females.

Accidents or injuries increase between two to five times as a result of drinking between 5 and 7 units of alcohol in a single drinking session, compared with not drinking any alcohol at all.

Further insight can be sought (particularly regarding women) at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0025fyj/panorama-binge-drinking-and-me

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BBC journalist Hazel Martin goes on a personal journey to find out why alcohol-related deaths from liver disease among women under 40 have risen sharply over the last decade.

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Any reduction should be slow, steady and ideally with support from family and friends to observe you.

If you develop severe withdrawal symptoms such as a tremor which means you are unable to hold a glass or cup without spilling, profuse sweating or on-going vomiting, you may be reducing your intake too quickly and it is advised to stabilise for 3-4 days or longer if symptoms are persistent. This does not mean going back up to original levels, instead increase to the previous days alcohol amount and remain at that level for 3-4 days or longer if necessary to give your body time to adjust again before continuing the reduction.

The recommended reduction process is around 10% every 3-4 days to weekly depending on your motivation and physical ability to cope with the symptoms.

youtube.com/watch?si=Hc3zmg9t0PsR4Mm7&v=jpG4PW8eCEY&feature=youtu.be

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The UK's Chief Medical Officers (top doctors) recommend not drinking more than 14 units a week; that means about six pints of lager or a bottle and a half of wine. Use our handy unit calculator to help you work out exactly what you're drinking.

Enjoy each drink slowly, and remember that you don't have to join in every time someone else decides to drink! It can help to only drink the drinks you really enjoy and skip the ones you're drinking for the sake of it. And it's worth bearing in mind that the drinks you pour at home are often larger than those served in pubs.

Keeping a drinking diary for a few weeks will help you understand your drinking pattern, so you can work out what you're happy with and what you're not. Download the free Try Dry app to help you keep track.

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Tips for cutting down | Alcohol Change UK

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The UK's Chief Medical Officers (top doctors) recommend not drinking more than 14 units a week; that means about six pints of lager or a bottle and a half of wine. Use our handy unit calculator to help you work out exactly what you're drinking.

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In 2022:

55% of men drank at least once a week compared to 42% of women.

48% of adults (aged 16+) drank alcohol on at least one day each week.

8% of men reported drinking almost daily compared to 5% of women.

The highest prevalence of drinking on at least one day each week was among adults aged between 65 and 74 whereas the lowest was among adults aged between 16 and 24 (60% vs 36%).

The proportion of adults who drink at least once a week declined from 54% to 48% between 2011 and 2022

Interesting facts:

According to experts, alcohol production was thought to have started over 12,000 years ago.

The pressure in a champagne bottle is 90 PSI, which is three times more than the average car tyre

Over their lifetime, the average British person will spend a year of their life hungover? Now, that’s a scary thought.

It only takes 6 minutes for the brain to react to alcohol.

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The Alcohol Care Team undertook a piece of work with Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Charity to secure supportive items for patients on the ACT caseload. The items include stress balls, eye masks, ear plugs, drink down cups, colouring pencils, notepads and colouring sheets.

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''Made progress because of ACT''

''Non judgmental service - much appreciated!''

''Very helpful!''

''Did as much as they can''

''Good job!''

''Happy with the service''

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The misuse of drugs and alcohol can have a devastating effect on families. When a family member, friend or loved one shows signs of misusing alcohol or other drugs, it’s hard to know what to do or say. The community service New Vision Bradford provide a support service 'Concerned Others' which is committed to supporting families to reduce these harms.

Support for families and loved ones - New Vision Bradford

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Support for families and loved ones - New Vision Bradford

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The misuse of drugs and alcohol can have a devastating effect on families. When a family member, friend or loved…

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Local and National Contacts:

Bradford Inpatients

Alcohol Care Team

Bradford Royal Infirmary Monday – Friday 08:00 – 16:00
01274 272792
07799917849

MAST (Multi Agency Support Team)

Inpatient signposting team for patients at BRI & Airedale 01535  610180

Bradford Community

New Vision Bradford

Community Drug & Alcohol Team 01274  296023#

Project 6 / ASIST

Airedale and Bradford Community Drug & Alcohol Service 01535  610180

Drink Coach

Tailored tips and advice to help you cut down - currently funded for all Bradford residents

https://drinkcoach.org.uk

National:

Alcoholics Anonymous

Find your nearest meeting at: www.alcoholicsanonymous.org.uk/aa-meetings 0800856156

Sober Butterfly

Peer support groups nationally for effected individuals and their loved ones

Sober Butterfly CIC

Drink Aware

Lots of useful information of cutting down alcohol intake www.drinkaware.co.uk
03001231110

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Want a social life that doesn’t revolve around alcohol?
Helping you to spread your sober wings and fly into a sober social life.

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Based on ward 16 at Bradford Royal Infirmary
Contact number: 01274 272742 / 0799917849

7 day service 08:00 – 16:00