[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
With the July Bank Holiday approaching, ASCERT, Northern Ireland\u2019s leading alcohol and drug charity, is asking everyone to enjoy the holiday safely.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With parades and community events planned across the country, ASCERT is reminding the public to keep an eye on how much alcohol they are drinking, whether at home or out and about. Overuse of alcohol not only affects individual health but can also increase the risk of accidents and harm caused to others.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Health Survey (NI) First Results 2023\/24 found that 78% of adults in Northern Ireland drink alcohol, and more than half of the men surveyed said they drink at least once a week. ASCERT\u2019s reminder is that it\u2019s important to think about how alcohol affects your body and your behaviour.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gary McMichael, Chief Executive of ASCERT, said:<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe want everyone to enjoy the bank holiday, but it\u2019s also important to stay safe. Drinking too much can lead to risky situations. If you or someone you know is having problems with alcohol or drugs, ASCERT can help, and our support is free, non-judgemental, and confidential.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ASCERT also wants people to know about an important change in the law: S<\/span>piking<\/span><\/i> is now a crime in Northern Ireland. This new law was introduced by Justice Minister Naomi Long to help keep people safe and to stop dangerous and harmful behaviour.\u00a0 This means that if someone is caught putting alcohol or drugs into another person\u2019s drink without them knowing, they could face prosecution and a custodial sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n .<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr McMichael added:<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSpiking is a serious and harmful act that can deeply affect people. The new law demonstrates that it won\u2019t be tolerated and that there are real consequences. We\u2019re asking everyone to be vigilant – watch your drinks, stay with friends, and speak up if you notice anything unusual.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ASCERT is here to support anyone who needs help with alcohol or drug use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Their services are free, confidential, and open to people of all ages.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For help or more information, visit <\/b>www.ascert.biz<\/b><\/a> or call 0800 2545 123.<\/b><\/p>\n Media<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Drink spike warning ahead of Twelfth weekend celebrations \u2013 The Irish News<\/a><\/p>\n ‘Watch your drinks’ spiking warning ahead of July Bank Holiday | Belfast Live<\/a><\/p>\n Local charity encourages safe celebrations and warns about spiking ahead of July Bank Holiday<\/a><\/p>\n Local Charity Encourages Safe Celebrations and Warns About Spiking Ahead of July Bank Holiday | CommunityNI<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With parades and community events planned across the country, ASCERT is reminding the public to keep an eye on how much alcohol they are drinking, whether at home or out and about. Overuse of alcohol not only affects individual health but can also increase the risk of accidents and harm caused to others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4915,"featured_media":77128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"With the July Bank Holiday approaching, ASCERT, Northern Ireland\u2019s leading alcohol and drug charity, is asking everyone to enjoy the holiday safely.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nWith parades and community events planned across the country, ASCERT is reminding the public to keep an eye on how much alcohol they are drinking, whether at home or out and about. Overuse of alcohol not only affects individual health but can also increase the risk of accidents and harm caused to others.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHealth Survey (NI) First Results 2023\/24 found that 78% of adults in Northern Ireland drink alcohol, and more than half of the men surveyed said they drink at least once a week. ASCERT\u2019s reminder is that it\u2019s important to think about how alcohol affects your body and your behaviour.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nGary McMichael, Chief Executive of ASCERT, said:<\/b>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u201cWe want everyone to enjoy the bank holiday, but it\u2019s also important to stay safe. Drinking too much can lead to risky situations. If you or someone you know is having problems with alcohol or drugs, ASCERT can help, and our support is free, non-judgemental, and confidential.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nASCERT also wants people to know about an important change in the law: S<\/span>piking<\/span><\/i> is now a crime in Northern Ireland. This new law was introduced by Justice Minister Naomi Long to help keep people safe and to stop dangerous and harmful behaviour.\u00a0 This means that if someone is caught putting alcohol or drugs into another person\u2019s drink without them knowing, they could face prosecution and a custodial sentence.<\/span>\r\n\r\n.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nMr McMichael added:<\/b>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u201cSpiking is a serious and harmful act that can deeply affect people. The new law demonstrates that it won\u2019t be tolerated and that there are real consequences. We\u2019re asking everyone to be vigilant - watch your drinks, stay with friends, and speak up if you notice anything unusual.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nASCERT is here to support anyone who needs help with alcohol or drug use.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nTheir services are free, confidential, and open to people of all ages.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFor help or more information, visit <\/b>www.ascert.biz<\/b><\/a> or call 0800 2545 123.<\/b>\r\n\r\nMedia<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nDrink spike warning ahead of Twelfth weekend celebrations \u2013 The Irish News<\/a>\r\n\r\n'Watch your drinks' spiking warning ahead of July Bank Holiday | Belfast Live<\/a>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[271],"tags":[438,437],"class_list":["post-77127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-12th-july","tag-spiking"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4915"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devserva.inicodigital.com\/maina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}