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Weighty issue of alcohol awareness

While most of us are conscious of the calories when tucking into cake and chocolate, how many of us give the same thought to a glass of wine or beer?

Student Lynsey Greaves aims to highlight the high calorific content of alcoholic drinks as part of an alcohol awareness campaign. The aim of her Waisted campaign is to educate students about how regular drinking can lead to weight gain.

She is working with the University’s Well -being Centre and Students’ Union to highlight her project as part of a Feel Good Friday event taking place in the Students’ Union on Friday 24 April.

Lynsey, 23, a third year BA (Hons) Creative Advertising and Promotion student, will invite students to try on special ‘belly suits’ which each hold 4lb of water. The aim is to highlight the fact that drinking a pint of lager or large glass of wine each day can lead to a weight gain of 4lbs in four weeks, or four stone in one year.

She said: 'During the summer break I worked for Lancashire Drug and Alcohol Action Team and came across statistics linked to the amount of calories in alcohol.

Impact of drinking on weight 'I wanted to promote alcohol awareness in a different way to the more widely known health issues such as liver damage and instead educate students about the impact which drinking can have on their weight.

'Students are at an age when they are very image conscious and highlighting the effect which drinking can have on their weight will really hit home, as although they may be aware of other health issues, they may not realise the calorific content of alcoholic drinks.'

Lynsey, of Preston, Lancashire, has also created calorie cards which detail how many calories are contained in drinks such as cider, wine, vodka, spirits and alcopops.

She said: 'Some people may be shocked to discover that a pint of lager contains the same calories as a hamburger. Most students would think twice about eating more than one or two hamburgers, but might think nothing of drinking three or four pints, which is where the calories do quickly add up.'

Students are invited to try on the ‘belly suits’ for themselves during the Feel Good Friday event in the Students’ Union from 11.00am to 3.00pm on Friday 24 April.

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