A substance abuse campaign aimed at raising awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol use has been launched by the Substance Abuse Unit of the Department of Health and Wellness.

The Substance Abuse Unit is working closely with the Traffic Unit of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force to educate Saint Lucians on the impact of alcohol on the family, community, schools, workplace, health care system and society as a whole.

Programme Officer in the Substance Abuse Unit, Nadiege Smith, said it is important that Saint Lucians are aware of the dangers and health effects of alcohol consumption.

“Alcohol use provides some level of perceived pleasure to many users. This campaign has been designed to show the harmful effects of alcohol abuse and the diseases it triggers. Many people do not know that alcohol consumption is a risk factor in twenty-five chronic diseases.”

Smith also emphasized the need to educate Saint Lucians about the risks associated with alcohol use, such as domestic violence and traffic incidents.

“Alcohol use increases during carnival, Christmas and New Year celebrations. Many people drink and drive, and there are situations where persons consume alcohol and when they go back home they get themselves in domestic violence issues. These are the things we really want to speak to persons about. We think it is vital that they have such information, because with that they are better able to make informed decisions.”

The Substance Abuse campaign will run from Dec. 3 to 14 and will entail multi-faceted communications strategies comprising television and radio talk shows and discussions at health clinics.