SOPA – United for a responsible attitude towards alcohol consumption

The main purpose of the project SOPA is to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and its negative impacts on human health, as well as to promote and establish a healthy attitude towards alcohol among the participating stakeholders.

By motivating the primary target group of adults engaging in risky and harmful drinking and encouraging them to change such behaviour or quit binge drinking while supporting them every step of the way, the project seeks to indirectly protect such individuals from potential job loss due to alcohol-related issues. In case of unemployment, the project encourages unemployed individuals to stop engaging in high-risk drinking behaviour and indirectly helps them (re-)integrate into the labour market. The project brings together social and healthcare institutions as well as NGOs in an unprecedented network that addresses alcohol-related issues both at the personal and community level. The interdisciplinary approach is driven by cooperation of stakeholders in the healthcare and social care sector, NGOs, the police, the media and various other stakeholders whose areas of work or programmes target vulnerable population groups and whose goals aim to reduce social inequalities and health inequalities among Slovenian citizens.

The project pursues the following strategic objectives:

1. To enhance existing and develop new capacities for tackling risky and harmful consumption of alcohol at the national, regional and local level.
2. To develop a personalised approach to tackling risky drinking behaviour in individuals in community settings, train providers for carrying out the approach and test the approach within the community.
3. To raise awareness and train media for a responsible media coverage of alcohol-related issues.
4. To raise awareness of alcohol-related issues among experts and the general public.
5. To establish protocols for dealing with risky and harmful consumption of alcohol at the level of relevant fields and disciplines (social workers, healthcare professionals), and support integration and collaboration between the respective fields and disciplines.
6. To work towards implementing the approach fostered by the project at the systemic level based on cross-sectoral collaboration that secures sustainability of the project.

SOPA is implemented in 18 local communities: Murska Sobota, Gornja Radgona, Slovenska Bistrica, Laško, Sevnica, Brežice, Ravne na Koroškem, Ljubljana, Kočevje, Idrija, Koper, Nova Gorica, Ajdovščina, Radovljica/Bled, Maribor, Lenart, Ormož, Ptuj

Photo: D. Mladenovič