Keira Rounsley (pictured right), with her Alcohol Awareness stallby Nathan Rodrigues
De Montfort Student Union (DSU) will conclude their Alcohol Awareness Campaign Week by holding their last stand today, which informs university students of the risks of excessive drinking and encourages them to control their alcohol consumption.
The campaign was launched earlier this week on Monday with the stall, but it will be returning one more time on Friday in the DMU Food Village, running from 10am-4pm.
The stall includes free giveaways of bottle stoppers to keep drinks safe and mocktail recipe cards, as well as the BATAK wall challenge where students put ‘beer goggles’ on to experience how their reactions change with a few drinks, as well a spinning wheel competition where students can enter a draw for a £20 Amazon voucher.
Keira Rounsley, the DSU Vice President for Welfare and Community and lead campaigner, said: “Work hard, play hard, is an approach many of us take whilst at university, but sometimes we can get a little carried away with alcohol so this campaign is about getting students to look at their own drinking behaviour and understand the risks not just for themselves, but their friends, families, communities and society.
“It’s also about shining light on the short term effects of making stupid decisions, putting yourself and your friends in danger, as well as having consideration for the devastating long term effects.”
The stall aims to educate students on the dangerous impact of excessive drinking and make them aware of personal limits.
Also, students will be encouraged to sign up to the Dry January pledge for charity, and will be informed of the recommended 14 units a week drinking limit for men and women, which Keira said ‘a lot of people’ were not aware of.
Keira’s Welfare and Community role focuses on ensuring students are happy, healthy and have support at university.
Next year Keira plans to continue her efforts in helping students to improve their well-being and responsibility when drinking alcohol.
Keira said: “In January, I will be looking at doing some work around getting students to be more pro-active in looking after themselves, including their mental health.
“Sometimes at university we can let things slip and forget to look after ourselves, so I want to empower students and remind them how important eating, drinking and sleeping right can really help their mood, and direct them on where to go if they are struggling.”
