TAYSIDE COUNCIL on Alcohol (TCA) was yesterday given over £100,000 for a project to help women with a drinking problem.
The grant was part of a £1.2 million package from the Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme, which is backing a range of community-based initiatives in the run-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Dundee-based TCA was one of 11 organisations that support people who are disadvantaged or facing tough challenges in their lives to benefit from the latest round of funding.
The charity’s grant of £104,776 will help to pay for its group intervention programme, designed to support young women who are affected by the misuse of alcohol.
TCA director Eric Knox said: “We’re delighted to have received funding from the Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme.
“This money will help us support young women living in Tayside through a 10-week intervention programme to tackle alcohol issues, raise their self-esteem, confidence and engagement in education.”
Dundee East MSP Shona Robison, who is minister for sport and the Commonwealth Games, said: “This fresh wave of funding will support those projects in Scotland which play a vital role in helping people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged.
“Each and every project is focused on making a difference to those who need help with their daily lives.
“Already we’re seeing how the legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games, including this Home and Away programme, is positively impacting the lives of people across the country.”
TCA runs a women-only zone to tackle the specific problems of how women are affected by alcohol and the challenges they face in trying to address problem drinking.
It explains that women have a smaller proportion of water to fat in their bodies than men and their livers do not neutralise alcohol as quickly.
Current recommended guidelines for low-risk drinking are that women should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week, with two or three alcohol-free days.
grsmith@thecourier.co.uk