Offering support and advice for people concerned about their own or someone else’s drinking habits, the Luton Alcohol Helpline is being run by local charity partner, ResoLUTiONs.

The new helpline has come about as a direct response to research on alcohol helplines conducted by Dr Sarah Wadd and researchers from the University’s Institute of Applied Social Research (IASR).

Luton Council initially approached IASR’s SMART group (Substance Misuse & Abuse Research Team) for advice on possible interventions to help reduce alcohol harm in the town. Having recently published an evaluation of telephone support services for over 50s for Drink Wise Age Well in July 2022, SMART recommended alcohol helplines as an advantageous outlet for the council to trial.

Dr Sarah Wadd, Director of SMART at the University of Bedfordshire, commented: “Many of us struggle with our alcohol use at some point in our lives and our previous research has found that telephone-delivered support can be very effective for people who would like to cut back on alcohol. 

“I would encourage anyone who would like to cut down or who is concerned about someone else’s drinking to phone this new alcohol helpline. Calls are free and callers don’t need to confirm their name or identity, and any information that ResoLUTiONS shares with the University for evaluative purposes will be protected and anonymised.”

The Luton Alcohol Helpline is open four days a week. People can call anonymously on 08081 753 063 for free between 5–8pm on Mondays and Thursdays and between 10am–3pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays (closed Tuesday, Friday and Sunday).

Sally Cartwright, Director of Public Health for Luton, added: “Many people with alcohol problems do not or will not seek treatment from alcohol services due to a range of barriers including stigma and shame, service operating hours and practical issues around appointment attendance such as transport and caring responsibilities.

“We hope that this new telephone-delivered service will overcome some of these known barriers by providing a greater degree of anonymity, convenience and ultimately to help those people who want to make a change for the better to live a longer, healthier life.”

This collaborative project is another example of how research conducted by the University of Bedfordshire benefits the region, its communities and individuals. Discover more research that has been ‘Made at Bedfordshire’ here.