Current Campaigns

Love Your Liver

Many people in the UK will have liver disease caused by drinking too much alcohol but they won’t realise until its too late. Alcohol liver disease can be a silent killer, with no symptoms until significant damage has been done.

Liver disease is on the increase in the UK. Death rates linked to alcoholic liver disease have risen by over two-thirds (69%) in the last 30 years and by 11% since 2005 alone. This makes alcohol one of the most common causes of death, along with smoking and high blood pressure

The Portsmouth area has one of the highest rates of deaths from liver cirrhosis, exceeding national averages, and this has been steadily increasing over the last few years. At Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, the number of people admitted with complications of liver cirrhosis has doubled in under 4 years. The vast majority of these cases are related to alcohol.

Thats why NHS Portsmouth and Portsmouth City Council have joined forces under the Safer Portsmouth Partnership to launch the Love Your Liver campaign across the city during National Alcohol Awareness Week 2011 (14^th November-20^th November).

The campaign uses hard-hitting images of a diseased liver to highlight the impact that drinking can have on the body and asks residents to love their liver by reducing their drinking.

The campaign will feature on buses, billboards, Heart FM and in GP surgeries and pharmacies across the city.

Leaflets containing an alcohol/liver health check will also be available so that residents can assess their own drinking habits and seek support or advice if required.

Dr Richard Aspinall, Consultant Heptologist at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham said: “Liver disease is often something that creeps up on people without them being aware of it developing.

Fortunately, most liver diseases can be avoided with simple lifestyle changes such as drinking less alcohol and eating a healthier diet. It's vital to be aware of the safe alcohol limits and to regularly have 2 to 3 alcohol-free days each week”

For more information on safer drinking levels or to get advice on your drinking speak to your GP, call the Portsmouth Alcohol Interventions Team on 023 9284 1753 or visit www.savedave.info

Put your liver in the spotlight and take our alcohol health check.

For information on how to guard against liver disease click here.