New call for investment in alcohol treatment services

Tue 14 Mar 2006

ONLY one in 18 alcoholics is getting the necessary help to cope with their addiction, the Government has revealed.

Alcohol Concern today called on the Department of Health to invest more in services for people with alcohol problems.

The charity wants the Department of Health to address the under-funding of treatment services across the country.

The “Spend £1, Get £5 Free” campaign aims to highlight the findings of the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial, published last year in the British Medical Journal, which showed each pound invested in treatment saved the public purse £5.

According to Alcohol Concern, drink-related problems cost the UK economy £18 billion a year and cause 22,000 deaths.

There are around 8.2 million people with an alcohol problem in Britain, with 1.1 million dependent on the substance.

Source

©2006 Scotsman.com