Reducing harm caused by alcohol

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Meet our Engagement Team: Marc

I am fairly new to the role of Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator, having joined Alcohol Focus Scotland roughly three months ago. Prior to this I worked alongside people living with dementia, supporting members of a national campaigning group to have their voices and experiences heard. Something I have always been passionate about throughout my career has been bringing the voices of people with lived experience fully into any discussions on issues that may affect them.

Since joining Alcohol Focus Scotland, I have been working to understand how alcohol marketing can impact the lives of people in recovery from alcohol problems, people with alcohol dependence, and hazardous and harmful drinkers. It is important that we explore this area further. Through speaking to people in recovery, both on an individual basis and as part of a group, we are beginning to hear about the often-detrimental impact alcohol marketing can have on their day to day lives.

The Scottish Government is planning to consult on potential marketing restrictions later in 2022.  Alcohol Focus Scotland will continue to support individuals to have their voices heard and we are extremely interested in hearing from as diverse a range of experiences as possible. We would encourage anyone who is interested in getting involved to get in touch - whether it be to receive updates about our work, sign up to take part in future focus groups/discussions, or to chat about ways other they would like to be involved.  We are also keen to connect with people who would be happy to act as spokespeople about alcohol related issues, for example by sharing their experiences with decision makers or the media.

If you are interested in finding out more about or getting involved with our engagement work, please contact Marc Buchanan.

To find out about our work with children and young people, please take a look at this blog post.