Government Failing to Provide the Support Urgently Needed for Problem Drinkers in Hampshire

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th May 2007

Speaking at a debate yesterday on the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy local MP Sandra Gidley called for the Government to make alcohol treatment a higher priority.

Afterwards Sandra said:

"In Hampshire alone 80-90,000 people drink harmfully. This represents over five percent of the population. Research shows that between five to eight thousand of these harmful drinkers will seek help but only two and a half thousand treatment places are available. Potentially this leaves up to five thousand people going without the support they have asked for. This is not good enough and demonstrates that there is simply not enough help available for drinkers who have a problem.

"At the same time five million pounds has been spent on illicit drug users of which there are approximately seven thousand in Hampshire. This highlights the contradiction that although alcohol is a bigger problem than drugs there is far less funding available.

"It is clear that demand for alcohol services is greater than supply and when the figures relating to drug and alcohol support are compared a clear disparity can be seen: for every one pound invested in alcohol support over fifteen pounds is invested in support for illicit drug users. This is despite the fact that there are more problem drinkers in Hampshire than users of illicit drugs.

"Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost the country £20 billion a year. It is time that alcohol treatment was made a higher priority for the country as a whole and for local communities. National government and local decision-makers need to listen: it's time to invest in alcohol treatment."

Notes to Editors

The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy sets out the Government's strategy for tackling the harms and costs of alcohol misuse in England. The aim of this strategy is to prevent any further increase in alcohol-related harms in England.

The Strategy Unit's interim analysis estimated that alcohol misuse is now costing

around £20bn a year. This is made up of alcohol-related health disorders and disease, crime and anti-social behaviour, loss of productivity in the workplace, and problems for those who

misuse alcohol and their families, including domestic violence.

Hampshire PCT were allocated £320 thousand by the Government for brief intervention. (although the local PCT id yet to identify the allocation) This compares with a £5 million spend on illicit drug users