Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol’s latest blog entries
Top 10 Tips to Stay Safe This Festive Season
After last year’s festive lockdown, an unrelentingly tough year and now the ongoing uncertainty of ‘Covid Christmas №2’, it might be tempting to push the boat out this Hogmanay and party hard. Good intentions can be quickly forgotten as nights out — and nights in — lead to partying with friends and over-indulgence. So, whether meeting up with family…
Lets Talk
Mags Mackenzie is CEO of Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol (DACA), this is her personal opinion on the need for honest talking between alcohol and mental health services. When you work in a community alcohol service you become accustomed to encountering people who are in a very dark place. Some of the people who find…
Let’s Talk
Mags Mackenzie is CEO of Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol (DACA), this is her personal opinion on the need for honest talking between alcohol and mental health services. When you work in a community alcohol service you become accustomed to encountering people who are in a very dark place. Some of the people who find…
Days Like This
‘When it’s not always raining there’ll be days like this’ As we try to navigate ourselves safely out of lockdown, those worry-free days which Van Morrison’s mama told him about seem few and far between. The rain definitely doesn’t help, but it’s more than Scottish Summer blues that is seeing our referral rates rocket for the…
Is It Time To Cool It For Covid?
Is Covid-19 leading you to rethink your drinking? Or are you drinking to avoid thinking? The global pandemic appears to be dividing people into two camps — those steering clear of alcohol or drastically limiting their drinking until it’s all over, and those in search of solace at the bottom of a glass or bottle. At DACA…
Recovery In A Time of Crisis
How To Help Yourself and Others For many people struggling with a drink problem, social isolation is familiar territory. It’s not unusual for close relationships to become distant and estranged, as the ripple effect of addiction scours through the lives of those it touches. Many drinkers self-isolate for years as a way to hide the scale…
New Year, New You?
Did you kickstart 2020 with a Dry January? If so we hope you are enjoying the benefits and we’d love to hear how you got on. Two members of our team signed up for the national month-long alcohol-free challenge and within a couple of weeks were already noticing the benefits. Reset Regular Maryanne is a…
Want to Save Money, Lose Weight and Sleep Better?
As we bid farewell to 2019 and look forward to not just a new year but the dawn of a new decade many of us reflect on what we would like to do differently. Personal health and fitness are usually top of our lists. Gym memberships are renewed, walking and cycling gear dusted down and…
A Manifesto To Tackle Alcohol Harm
At Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol (DACA), we see first-hand the human cost of alcohol harm. We see people suffering with chronic poor health, dying well before their time. We see spouses struggling to stay together as the ripple effect of a partner’s drinking takes its toll. We see children separated from their parents because…
Alcohol & Me…Christopher’s Story
For most young people drinking is about going out and getting off your head and then when you sober up the next day you just get on with your business. From the outside my drinking probably looked the same as this but when others went to get on with their lives I just wanted to…
Alcohol & Me…Amanda’s Story
“Alcohol wasn’t really a thing when I was growing up. My parents only drank an occasional sherry or half lager on special occasions and from my teens I was taking medication for epilepsy which meant I couldn’t drink — if I did I increased my risk of a seizure. So my first encounter with alcohol as a…
Alcohol & Me…Mags’ Story
“Growing up, I would have sooner sewn my own mouth closed than tell anyone that my daddy was a drinker. I thought it was shameful, something to keep within the family — because I always heard the adults — usually my aunties and my mum — talking about it in hushed tones. It was never openly discussed with me, and I…
Alcohol & Me…Charlie’s Story
“Ten years ago I realised my relationship with alcohol had changed from having one too many on a night out, to sneaking up to the local Spar to buy a carryout at times when I was least likely to meet someone I knew. I had become totally withdrawn, a nervous wreck. I would then sit…
Alcohol & Me…Marie’s Story
“I’m not naturally outgoing and I’ve always found social events and groups to be quite daunting. When I was at university, I started having a few drinks before going out in the evening, which I believed took the edge off my social anxiety, and helped me to be more chatty and fun in company. I…
Alcohol Awareness Week 2019
We’re hosting a series of pop-up events across Clydebank and Dumbarton to talk to people about the impact of alcohol on their lives. We will have a stall in Clydebank shopping centre and Clyde Shop Mobility on Monday November 11, Clydebank Health Centre on Tuesday November 12 and the Chest, Heart & Stroke community hub…
DACA’s AGM and Annual Report — 2018–19
After 43 years of working in West Dunbartonshire, there are few local charities with the organisational memory, knowledge and experience which Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol (DACA) can bring to the community. Our AGMs are always a timely reminder of this as we welcome back past and present clients, colleagues, volunteers, Board members, partners and…
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