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Glasgow: Glasgow Alcohol Service for Young People

Glasgow Alcohol Service for Young People: Glasgow
The Alcohol Service for Glasgow young people is a confidential service for young people age 12 to 18


About us:

The Glasgow service is available to young people who are concerned about their own alcohol or drug use or that of a parent or carer.

The aim of The Alcohol Service for Glasgow young people is to decrease harm and increase safety of young people in East Renfrewshire who are at increased risk associated with alcohol or drug use.

The service will provide Glasgow young people with someone to talk to in confidence who can offer advice and support as well as accurate and balanced information.

A support worker will meet with the young person in order to find out what support is required and to ensure that the drug & alcohol service for young people is the appropriate agency to help.

If you are a young person who would like support you can contact The Drug & Alcohol Service.

Please note that if you are a parent/carer or other agency who wishes to refer a young person to the Glasgow Alcohol Service for Young People we would ask that you talk through your concerns with the young person and consider with them the benefits of a referral. We will be unable to proceed with a referral without the consent of a young person. Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns about this.

What is available?

# Provide Glasgow young people with someone they can talk to in private about alcohol or drug concerns

# Offer young people accurate and balanced information allowing them to make informed choices

# Offer advice on how to decrease risks associated with alcohol or drug use and minimise risk of harm

# Support young Glasgow people through the process of making positive changes to their alcohol or drug use

# Provide young people with information on alternative ways to spend their leisure time

# Support young people in areas of employment/training, housing, school and family issues and health (sexual, physical and mental)

# Sign post young people to appropriate alternative Glasgow agencies were necessary

# Provide young people with a friendly, safe environment where they can discuss alcohol or drug issues without fear of judgement


Contact Details:

Glasgow Alcohol Service for Young People
St Andrews House
113 Cross Arthurlie Street
Barrhead
Glasgow
East Renfrewshire
G78 1EE

Telephone: 0141 577 3368

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Alcohol Ban At City Store Stays

Magistrates have upheld a ban on alcohol being sold from a Peterborough convenience store in the ‘Operation CAN-do’ area of the city where a ten-year focus on crime is underway.

Samira Majid, the licensee of the B Stop in Lincoln Road, appealed against a decision made by the Peterborough City Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee in September to revoke her license.

Peterborough Magistrates Court heard how the city council put the ban in place after contraband goods were found at the store which is also know as News ‘n’ Booze.

The court was told:

In November 2010, officers from HMRC seized a total of 6.3 litres of spirits on which the duty had not been paid.
In April 2011, 28.5 litres of wine, on which the duty had not been paid, were seized as part of an Operation CAN-do focus by the city council’s Trading Standards team, Cambridgeshire Police and HMRC.
In August 2011, 140 Jin Ling cigarettes – which cannot be sold legally in this country – were found on the premises.

Magistrates heard how the raids took place while Mohammed Shafiq was managing the shop.

Majid told the court she was unaware of the purchases made by Mr Shafiq.

Colin Myles, representing the city council said Majid was the premises licence holder and could not pass “the burden or the responsibility” to anyone else.

Magistrates said they were satisfied that due to Majid’s inability to produce invoices or receipts, duty had not been paid any goods that were seized.

The court dismissed the appeal and awarded costs of £884.80 to Peterborough City Council.

Councillor Peter Hiller, Cabinet member for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Planning, said: “I hope this case sends out a clear message to other licensed premises, and deters them from taking part in similar activities.

“Bargain-priced tobacco and alcohol can often seem very attractive to consumers. However, the truth is these goods have often been smuggled into this country or illegally manufactured by amateurs. The consumer has no idea where these goods have been produced and, as they are unlicensed and unregulated, they could also have serious health implications. Peterborough City Council recognises the seriousness of these offences and will take appropriate action.”

Peterborough City Council
Town Hall, Bridge Street
Peterborough, PE1 1HF
(01733) 747474

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Parents Reminded of Alcohol Impact

News item from Chesterfield Community Safety Partnership

Parents are playing a significant role in contributing to underage drinking and problems associated with it, according to Chesterfield Community Safety Partnership’s Violence, Alcohol harm and Licensing (VAL) group.

At its most recent meeting a number of cases of underage drinking were discussed where the young people involved had either been bought alcohol to drink by their parents before going out or where adults had turned a blind eye to them drinking alcohol at home with friends.

And the potential dangers of such action have been highlighted by incidents in recent weeks including one where a 14-year-old was found lying on the pavement suffering from hypothermia and another in which the teenager concerned was so drunk she did not know where she was or what had happened.

Joe Tomlinson, Community Safety Officer with the Partnership, says: “Everyone – parents, older relatives, members of the public and shopkeepers – has a responsibility in helping to reduce underage drinking and the problems to which it can lead.

“Organisations that are members of our VAL – including the police and council – continually take calls about young people drinking or causing problems as a result of drinking. In spite of this many adults in the areas from which the calls come are contributing to the problems by buying alcohol or allowing the young people in their care to drink it.”

The VAL group is now planning to increase activities that it feels will help tackle the issue including using a range of mediums to remind parents of the effect allowing under-18s to drink alcohol can have.

In addition to the awareness-raising, Trading Standards Officers will continue to visit off-licence premises and police will be keeping an eye out for adults buying alcohol for under-age drinkers. This, known as proxy purchasing, is an offence and carries an on the spot fine of £80 or, if it goes to court, a fine of up to £1,000.

Trevor Durham, Licensing Manager for Chesterfield Borough Council and Chair of the VAL says: “Young people are being blamed for the issues, and while it is them drinking they are, in effect, being aided and abetted by adults. We hope that by reminding adults of their responsibilities we will impact on this issue.

“Our advice is quite simple, if a person is under the age of 18 they should not drink any alcohol.

Parents seeking advice on ways to talk about alcohol with young people can telephone the Partnership on 01246 345345 to request a copy of the “Your Kids and Alcohol” leaflet.

Chesterfield Borough Council
Town Hall
Rose Hill
Chesterfield;
Derbyshire
S40 1LP

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Health Minister launches new Strategy to address Alcohol and Drug Misuse

Northern Ireland Health Minister Edwin Poots has outlined his commitment to addressing the issue of alcohol misuse at the first ever formal North/South Conference on alcohol misuse.

The Minister launched a new five-year strategy to prevent and address the harm related to alcohol and drug misuse in Northern Ireland, the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs.

Speaking at the conference, Mr Poots said: “There is no doubt that alcohol misuse is one of the main threats to public health in Northern Ireland. Research has shown that it costs Northern Ireland up to £900 million every year, and almost £250 million of these costs are borne by the Health and Social Care sector. If we do not take significant and robust action, the costs to Northern Ireland, and the health and social care system in particular, will continue to grow.

“Therefore, I am pleased today to launch our revised strategy to prevent and address the harms related to alcohol and drug misuse in Northern Ireland, known as the “New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs – Phase 2.”

The Minister continued: “The NSD Phase 2 sets out outcomes across five main areas: prevention and early intervention; harm reduction; treatment and support; law and criminal justice; and monitoring, evaluation and research.

“I am committed to ensuring that it is implemented as fully and effectively as possible.

“Alcohol remains our favourite drug, and we face similar problems on both sides of the border. Therefore I believe today’s conference is the perfect opportunity to launch the NSD Phase 2 and for us to collaborate most effectively to reinforce the work already underway in each jurisdiction.”

The conference brought together, for the first time, the policymakers and agencies from both jurisdictions to explore some of the common issues in relation to the alcohol culture on both parts of the island, setting the scene for a collaborative approach for tackling issues relating to alcohol misuse.

At the conference, expert contributions came from Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, who chairs the UK Alcohol Health Alliance and also the European Alcohol and Health Forum Science Group; Dr Peter Anderson, an international public health consultant and expert on alcohol policy, and Dr Fiona Measham, a renowned researcher in the fields of drug and alcohol use, gender, licensed leisure and the relationship between crime and culture. John Waters also led a session on Ireland’s Alcohol Culture.

The Minister of Health in the Republic of Ireland, Dr James Reilly, jointly opened the conference with Minister Poots, stating: “This conference has set the scene for a longer term, all-island collaborative approach for tackling issues relating to alcohol abuse. The areas we would like progress on a North South basis are measures to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol and treatment and rehabilitation of those affected by alcohol misuse. Alcohol use and misuse is an area where both jurisdictions can achieve a lot together – especially in dealing with the challenges that alcohol presents for young adults.

Alcohol is associated with many aspects of Irish social and cultural life, it is part of our custom for sociability, relaxation and enjoyment. However we must recognise that alcohol is associated with 2,000 beds being occupied every night in Irish acute hospitals and annually costs the healthcare system €1.2 billion”.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, one of the Key note speakers at the conference said: “I welcome this cross-Ireland initiative. The health harms we are seeing in both the UK and Ireland are so great that we urgently need effective coalitions between partners such as this. These allow mutual learning and the development of shared objectives. The Westminster Government will learn much from exciting initiatives around policy areas such as minimum unit price and a lower drink driving limit.”

Northern Ireland Executive

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Police concerned intoxicated taxi driver found behind the wheel at midday checkpoint

Extremely disappointed is the reaction of Waikato Police after a taxi driver was found intoxicated behind the wheel of her cab in the Coromandel today.

Waikato Highway Patrol supervisor, Sergeant Paul Scoble, said the arrest of a professional driver was all the more concerning given responsible people often relied on taxi drivers to get them home safely after they have been drinking.

“The woman was stopped in her company vehicle by a Traffic Alcohol Group checkpoint near Tairua shortly before lunch. With alcohol detected on her breath the woman was subjected to a n evidential breath test and returned a result of 568mgms.

“This result shows drink drivers don’t discriminate in terms of a preferred time of day to put other motorists’ lives at risk and it’s tantamount to a betrayal of the trust placed on cabbies by members of the public to provide a safe, reliable and sober service.”

Mr Scoble said staff manning the checkpoint said a number of drivers had complained how pointless it was setting up alcohol checkpoints during daylight hours but today’s result showed there is a genuine risk.

“This latest arrest follows a number last year where drivers were found intoxicated behind the wheel during the day. A number of drivers said the officers should be out catching burglars instead of picking on motorists but as a mater of fact about the same time the woman was being processed a man was also arrested in relation to thefts ex-car.

“Irregular, frequent checkpoints on our roads not only act as a deterrent to drink drivers they are also very effective in disrupting criminal activity. Not everyone who drives is a criminal but most criminals drive and we know from experience that impromptu vehicle stops are a very effective deterrent.”

New Zealand Police
Police National Headquarters
PO Box 3017
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 474 9499

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Campaign reduces alcohol-related violence

Council bosses are haling the success of a partnership campaign that was launched over the Christmas period.

Whilst it is only a small minority of people who commit such offences, statistics highlighted that reports of alcohol-related violence increased over the Christmas period.

Chase Community Safety Partnership launched ‘It’s Never OK’ to tackle alcohol-related violence in the town centres and at home. It provided two key messages including: Violent Night – encouraging night-time revellers not to get too drunk and commit alcohol-related violence and Season’s Beatings – preventing incidents of domestic violence by challenging the behaviour of the perpetrators and encouraging victims to report their abuse.

The campaign highlighted the significant effects alcohol can have on you and raised awareness of domestic violence.

Due to the high profiled campaign material, the campaign helped to reduce alcohol-related violence across the district by 22% and domestic violence by 35%.

Staffordshire Women’s Aid also saw a significant 59% increase in reports of domestic violence compared to 2010.

Councillor George Adamson, Leader of Cannock Chase Council and Chairman of Chase Community Safety Partnership, said:

“It is extremely impressive that this campaign has helped to reduce alcohol-related violence so significantly across the district by getting potential offenders to think about their actions.

The campaign sent out a strong message that ‘It’s Never OK to commit any type of alcohol-related violence and it will not be tolerated,

The reductions were achieved in partnership, which goes to show that by working together we can make a real difference.

I am looking forward to seeing how future campaigns can have the same impact on reassuring local residents that we are dealing with anti-social behaviour and other crime related issues that matter to them”.

Chief Inspector Carl Ratcliffe, Commander of Cannock Chase District Local Policing Team, said:

“I saw the ‘It’s Never OK’ campaign in action and it was extremely effective, highlighting in a creative way that any alcohol-related violence is not acceptable within Cannock Chase District.

I am really pleased with the reductions in reported violence by using this partnership approach”.

Dickie Chester-James, Chief Executive for Staffordshire Women’s Aid, said:

“‘We know domestic and sexual violence happens at all times of year the and that reporting it is incredibly difficult. Sometimes knowing how to contact the right people is essential. This publicity campaign has helped let women know that there is a non-judgmental service that can offer confidential support. I cannot stress how big a step it is to seek help, but when someone does it has the potential to change and in some cases save lives”

Chase Community Safety Partnership would like to thank Chase Harmony and Hednesford Town Football Club for their support with this campaign.

The campaign was funded by Chase Community Safety Partnership.

For more information about the ‘It’s Never OK’ campaign contact Kerry Wright, Senior Partnerships Officer on 01543 464368.

Cannock Chase Council,
PO Box 28,
Beecroft Road,
Cannock,
Staffordshire,
WS11 1BG

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Is Binge Drinking Just a college problem?

Jenna Johnson is right to point out that the binge drinking problem isn’t just about college students anymore.

Ask any college student you know about alcohol on campus. You won’t hear them answer with a number as if playing a game of trivia. College students get hammered, wasted, bombed or blitzed, but they wouldn’t use “binge” to define their behavior. Adults who “binge” would doubtfully use that term nor would they say, “I over consumed last night” at the water cooler the next morning.

The Century Council’s recent efforts to learn about college binge drinking specifically examined the definition of binge drinking from college students. Among students who go out socially at least twice a week and drink at least once, binging happened, yes, but they’d never use that term. Their definition, and there isn’t one they’d all agree to, is closer to “too many drinks too often.”

Consequences from overconsumption, as identified by the students, tend to be those with short term effects such as hangovers or social consequences such as regretted texts or humiliation. The number of deaths, injuries, car crashes, or visits to the ER due to binge drinking are not the primary concerns of these college students.

Five drinks for a man or four for a woman in a few hours may be harmful; nobody would argue otherwise. But as the CDC found, people really drink in excess of eight or nine drinks. Let’s nudge our nation’s gifted, motivated, and driven college students to realize for themselves how silly, wasteful, and dangerous their behavior really is.

Students (and the general population) are wary of statistics. Overconsumption is dangerous and needs to be addressed from a cultural standpoint. Smoking (it’s not cool anymore) and drunk driving (nobody brags about how they just barely made it home) are no longer socially acceptable to most Americans. Let’s put an end to binge drinking the same way.

The irresponsible overconsumption of alcohol must become culturally unacceptable. The Century Council is encouraging college students to find their voice on this issue. All Americans must do the same.

The Century Council
Arlington, Virginia
United States

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Residents say what they think about alcohol

Over half the people who took part in the Big Alcohol Debate survey said that alcohol was part of their social life (61%); that they found alcohol easy to get hold of in the city (65%) and more than a third (36%) were worried about the effect alcohol has on people in the city.

Just over 1300 people completed the survey and thousands more took part in the other methods available.

The headline results also revealed that some people avoid parts of Brighton & Hove because of the way drunk people behave (39.4%) and that they would like there to be more to do that doesn’t involve alcohol (33%.)

When socialising, over 76% said that having good food available is important, as are cultural activities such as live music or an art show (70%) and catching up with friends over a few beers or glass of wine (72%.) Just over 40% said that they can find bars or pubs that make them feel welcome.

The Big Alcohol Debate, launched in October 2011 and just ended, was set up to explore the attitudes Brighton & Hove residents have towards alcohol in the city. A variety of methods were used to gather this information, from focus groups in secondary schools to a travelling inflatable Big Brother style Diary Room. Residents and organisations were invited to tweet about their views on alcohol in the city using the hash tag #bhdrink.

Dr Tom Scanlon, Brighton & Hove’s Director of Public Health and chair of the city’s Alcohol Programme Board, said: “We’re taking these results seriously and will be discussing with our partners how we can do things differently.

“There is a message coming through that people would welcome an alternative to the drinking culture and that they are concerned about the availability of alcohol and the effects of drunken behaviour in the city.”

Brighton & Hove City Council has been working with Brighton & Hove PCT, Sussex Police, licensees and local businesses on the local licensing policy.

An expanded Cumulative Impact Area (CIA) came into effect as part of the revised Statement of Licensing Policy on 20 December. The CIA allows councillors to take into account the impact of other licensed premises in the area when considering an application for a new licence or variations to existing ones. The policy contains some of the most radical guidance in the country and says that new licenses will not be issued unless there are exceptional grounds for doing so.

According to leading national licensing lawyers, Poppleston Allen, the new CIA is the biggest in England & Wales, taking in neighbouring areas to the city centre including North Laine and Western Road in Hove.

Councillor Lizzie Deane, chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “We want residents and visitors to the city to be able to enjoy themselves in a safe and welcoming environment when they have a night out in the city.

“The council and its partners have been listening to people concerned about the effects on them since the licensing hours were relaxed. We need to address issues such as proxy purchasing, underage sales, street drinking, binge drinking, pre-loading and a rising trend in illegal alcohol offences.

“The expanded cumulative impact area provides the council with a mechanism to address local concerns about concentrations of licensed premises and take into account the types of licensed premises residents prefer in different areas. Our revised policy balances the need for protecting local residents with the interests of the local economy, local employment and potential investors.

“New licence applicants are now expected to provide additional security measures to discourage criminal behaviour and disturbance of residents and to show that they are promoting the licensing objectives.

“We also have guidelines for terminal hours appropriate for different areas of the city. For instance, within residential areas, new applications for off licences and pubs would not normally be granted later than 8pm and 11pm (midnight on weekends) respectively.”

Superintendant Simon Nelson from Sussex Police, said: “We share a determination to support confident, healthy, sustainable and safe communities. The responses from those who took part contained strong messages and the police will do everything they can, within the partnership, to address those concerns.”

The sale and consumption of alcohol form an important part of the economy of the city, particularly the night-time economy. The 2009 Report of the Director of Public Health recorded that there were 1,329 licensed premises in the city of which 447 were licensed for off sales. This is equivalent to one on-licensed premises for every 290 residents and one off-sales establishment for every 572 residents.

More detailed results from the Big Alcohol Debate will be reported in March.
Related information

Each week in the city there are typically:

Two deaths associated with the impact of alcohol
66 ambulance call outs due to alcohol
97 alcohol-related inpatient admissions to hospital of Brighton and Hove adult residents
46 attendances at the A&E department related to alcohol
7 attendances at A&E by children and young people living in the city aged 13-18 years
11 people under the age of 25 years seen by Safe Space
One child or young person under 18 years admitted as an inpatient to hospital

In addition:

Costs to Brighton and Hove are estimated to be £106.4 million per year (calculated for 2010). This comprises health costs (£10.1m), economic costs (£24.5m) crime costs (£71.8m)
The latest crime figures show that there has been a significant reduction in police-recorded assaults with injury crimes in Brighton & Hove. There were 1183 such crimes from April to October 2010, and this figure has declined to 943 from April to October 2011.
Alcohol is a factor in at least 40% of violent crimes
Turnover for the licensing industry in the city was £329 million in 2009, having risen from £303 million in 2006. The industry employs over 7,200 people, an increase from 6,773 in 2006

Brighton & Hove City Council
King’s House
Grand Avenue
Hove BN3 2LS

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Shop staff praised following alcohol purchase test

Staff in shops across Torbay have been praised for their vigilance by refusing to sell alcohol to customers under the age of 18.

In a recent test purchase operation, officers from Torbay Council’s Licensing and Public Protection Team visited 10 shops and asked underage volunteers to try to buy alcohol. These volunteers are picked to look underage, so there should be no excuses for failing the test purchase.

Torbay Council is pleased to announce that on each occasion, staff in the premises asked for proof of age and refused to serve the underage customers.

Cllr Robert Excell, Executive Lead for Safer Communities and Transport, said: “These results are very encouraging. I commend staff who demonstrated that they are fully aware of their legal responsibilities.

“However, it is important that we continue to combat underage drinking. Similar operations at pubs and clubs will be planned in the near future to ensure that the premises are complying with the law, and we will take action if anyone does sell alcohol to underage customers.”

Environmental Health Manager Steve Cox said: “All licensed premises must now have in place an Age Verification Policy which instructs staff to ask for proof of age from any customer buying alcohol who looks either under 21 or under 25, depending on the company’s policy.

“Torbay Council has a CD Rom entitled ‘No Proof of Age – No Sale’ which contains training and support materials for any business which sells age restricted goods. To obtain a copy please contact Trading Standards by phoning 01803 208038 or by emailing trading.standards@torbay.gov.uk.

“If anyone has reason to believe that a business may be selling age restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco products to young people, they should telephone Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.”

Torbay Council
Town Hall
Castle Circus
Torquay
Devon
TQ1 3DR
01803 201 201

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Alcohol Home Detox Service goes Nationwide

Alcohol home detox aims to rid the body of toxins caused by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol

Home detox affects both mental and physical health. You may have attempted to reduce, control or withdraw from alcohol independently without success. It is advisable that any attempt to withdraw from alcohol be done under the supervision of a trained medical professional

Alcohol detoxification can potentially cause fatalities and result in death.

Side effects/ withdrawal symptoms

Sickness, shakes and sweats
Restlessness
Insomnia
Loss of appetite, weightloss, chronic indigestion
Depression, low mood, anxiety or paranoia
Hallucinations, palpitations and irregular heart beat
Risk of fit/seizures
Suicidal thoughts/self harm

Alcohol home detox assessment

It may be you, a loved one or friend that makes the initial enquiry around Alcohol home detox treatment. Our advisors are fully trained, they will be happy to discuss Alcohol home detox treatment and any questions/concerns that you may have around a home detox programme.

Following your initial enquiry about an alcohol detox Programme, our Doctor/prescribing Psychiatric Nurse will complete an assessment via the telephone. This will be followed by a home visit from our Doctor/prescribing Psychiatric Nurse. Alcohol home Detox will generally take 7-10 days, during this time our client will receive medical monitoring and supervisory calls from our medical professional. Medication may be administered to make the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol detoxification more manageable. It is advisable that you have someone support you throughout your alcohol home detox, however, alternative arrangements can be made if you live alone.

It is vital that you answer questions around your alcohol dependency honestly, this will ensure a safe and individualised alcohol detox treatment plan be drawn up to fully suit your needs.

The initial telephone assessment is free of charge. The cost for the treatment is £995 and this will need to be processed before one of our medical team completes a home visit. The process can generally begin within 1-2 days after initial contact and telephone assessment.
Benefits of Alcohol Home Detox

Suitability – Due to family and work commitments a person may not be able to take time out to entre residential treatment.

Alcohol home detox within the comfort of your own home environment, this may enable a person to continue to manage some aspects of their daily responsibilities.

Private and confidential treatment

Cost effective treatment option with 24 hour support available from medical professional on hand.
Aftercare

Following your alcohol home detox programme the recovery process is just beginning. We can provide continuing support to prevent relapse and aid recovery. Residential inpatient/outpatient treatment can be arranged in and around your local area.

A structured recovery programme can help us gain some knowledge and understanding around addiction. Give us the tools to helps us live a life of sobriety.

Counselling/CBT/Physiotherapy
Supported living/shared housing
Education/work opportunities
Recovery and relapse prevention
Family support
Meditation and reflection
Holistic/alternative therapies
Group support/meetings

Counselling and support services can help a person with understanding addiction. Many of us have encountered difficulties along life’s path that have caused us pain and suffering. Alcohol has acted as a mask, allowed us to hide from our inner thoughts and feelings.

Counselling and psychotherapy can help us unlock out inner self’s, work on the underlying issues and unlock the pain and suffering we have carried throughout life’s journey. With the right support, Alcohol Home Detox – It WillL Be OK.

Panacea UK
BTC Bessemer Drive,
Stevenage,
SG1 2DX

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