Benalmádena town hall supports World Alcohol Free Day

The Social Welfare department of Benalmádena town hall and the Alcoholics Anonymous Association of Benalmádena will join forces today in order to mark Día Mundial Sin Alcohol, a day that encourages the general public to say no to alcohol.

The joint campaign, aimed at young people in the municipality affected by alcoholism, will offer information and support concerning the numerous and varied personal, family and social problems generated by addictions. A series of leaflets have been published to highlight the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption such as violence, mental health problems, and heart disease and cancer.

The annual alcohol-free day was proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), who claim that around one in 20 deaths in the world result from harmful alcohol consumption.

The organisation aims to reduce the health burden caused by the harmful use of alcohol in order to save lives and improve the well-being of individuals, communities and society at large.

The WHO claims that the consumption of alcohol by adolescents produces serious effects on their physical, mental and social health, thus increasing the probability of being dependent on alcohol in adulthood.

Councillor for Social Welfare Alicia Laddaga said, "It seems essential to us that this type of action is necessary to inform the population about the problem posed by addictions. Because of how integrated alcohol is in our society and culture, it is difficult for us to assume that it is a drug and, as such, it produces addiction. It is the most consumed drug in our country and the one that produces the most problems."

For more information, see www.benalmadena.es