Alcohol Help

After smoking, alcoholism kills more people in the UK than any other drug, and according to Government statistics, one adult in 13 needs alcohol help. Add to this the fact that in the UK, 33,000 people die each year due to alcohol-related incidents or associated health problems and there is an urgent need for us to be asking ourselves ‘how much is too much’ when it comes to drink?

Sue Allchurch, director of Linwood Group, continues: "It is very difficult for anyone to acknowledge that they have need help for a drinking problem as there is so much shame attached to the condition. Here at Linwood, we have developed the traffic light system, which helps people to quickly understand what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to alcohol intake. It not only helps people to identify if they or a loved one needs alcoholic help, but it also encourages them to move from denial into reality about this area of their life. The sooner a person can acknowledge that they have a problem and need help, the better their chances for a successful recovery".

The Traffic Light System for Drinking

Green: Safe drinking

Government guidelines for safe drinking suggest that 21 units for a man and 14 units per week for a woman are safe. These should be spaced over a week and not consumed in one or two sessions. The measurement of a unit of drink is suggested as being half a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a pub measure of spirits (however, be aware that a half pint of beer can contain 3.5 units of alcohol in special beers).

Amber: Unsafe drinking

This is when you are taking in more than the recommended amount on a regular basis and may be starting to show the early physical or emotional consequences of this. If challenged about your drinking, you would strongly reject having a problem, after all ‘you deserve a drink’ and ‘all my friends do this as well’. At this level of drinking, you are more likely to show some blood chemical changes due to the high alcohol intake. The enzyme in the liver, which deals with alcohol will be elevated as the liver is under some strain.

Red: Dangerous drinking

This is when you are at high risk of physical and emotional damage. You drink even when you know it is not safe and at levels way above the safe limits. Your friends and family have warned you and you may have already experienced difficulties at work, home or even with the police. Your blood tests would show signs of dangerous drinking. It is vital that you have the courage to admit and confront your drinking at this stage. Being too proud or ashamed to admit you need help could cost you your life.

Road to recovery

If you or a loved one recognises yourself in the ‘Amber’ or ‘Red’ stages of a drinking pattern, what should you do next? "Seeking professional help and advice is the next step on the road to recovery" continues Sue Allchurch. "Here at Linwood Group, we operate a freephone number for all those who are concerned about their own, or a loved ones, drink or drug related issues. It is a way to gain expert advice in complete confidentiality."

Linwood Manor

Chy Colom: Truro
People must be completely detoxed from alcohol and street drugs prior to admission.

About us:

Programme Details:

Monday – Friday, 9-5 structured programme – keywork/counselling, groupwork – including house groups, relapse prevention, relationships, alcohol/drug information, stress management, assertiveness, EFT, massage, metaphor, assignments.

These groups aim to enhance self-esteem, confidence, social skills and appropriate ways of working with emotions. Community living and dynamics involved are
important.

Programme based on 3 months with options for extending this time.

The programme aims to provide a safe but stimulating environment where individuals can explore/try new behaviours and coping strategies. Other activities include AA, NA or other community support groups and monthly ‘days out’.

Following initial contact individuals are encouraged to pay an informal visit – they will be shown around the house by a resident – outline of programme/ structure explained. If client is interested they are invited back for a formal assessment. On completion of assessment they are advised to leave 24 hours
thinking time – we will then contact them with the outcome of the assessment.

Full written information, programme outline, conditions of residence provided at the time of referral.

Client asked to complete application form and an appropriate worker, if the client is receiving a service from an agency, is asked to complete a referral form.

Additional admissions services

Whilst we prefer face-to-face contact at the house we are flexible and will consider prison visits and telephone assessments – this may involve more detailed application/referral details.

Discharge policies

Any alcohol and non-prescribed drug use normally results in individuals being asked to leave the programme, as will serious intimidation and violence.
Exclusive relationships between residents is seen as inappropriate to progress and may result in termination of the clients contract.
Harm reduction policies for clients leaving the programme early Referring agent/keyworker advised of the situation. Information about local support services provided.
Letters of support i.e. homelessness etc provided as appropriate. Depending on the issue leading to discharge, individuals are advised they can re-apply at a later date.
In cases of violence/intimidation we will not accept individuals back into the programme Resettlement / after-care services
Cornwall based clients will be referred to an Alcohol Counsellor or Community Support Worker and to the local Relapse Prevention Group. For non-Cornwall individuals a pre-discharge support plan will be negotiated with their local drug/alcohol services.

Contact Details:

Chy Colom
Agar Road
Truro
Cornwall
TR1 1JU

Telephone: 01872 262414

Today at Lerwick Sheriff Court, Captain Alexander Phimister (62) pleaded guilty to allowing drunk crew members on board, a breach of the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code). For this he was fined £1,800.

In November 2007 Captain Phimister from Buckie, was master of the offshore supply vessel Vos Viper. The ship arrived in Lerwick Harbour on 15th November 2007 to carry out repairs to the radio equipment. The repairs were delayed and so the ship remained alongside. The following evening, the 16th November, Captain Phimister went ashore with the second engineer George Mains and the Chief Officer Gordon Buchan to celebrate his birthday at the local pub. Whilst they were there they met some other members of the crew.

The party returned to the ship at around 0100 hours on the morning of the 17th. The Chief Officer, Gordon Buchan (48) went to make a cup of coffee and fell down the stairs. Tragically he died of his injuries. The subsequent post mortem showed that he was more than three times over the statutory alcohol limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

In passing sentence Sheriff Napier said:

"Even though the vessel as docked, it was your responsibility to ensure that safety policies were complied with. You knew he was drunk when he boarded, you knew he was drunk and he died…."

Tom Robinson Area Operations Manager survey and inspection said:-

"This prosecution has come out of a very tragic incident and on behalf of the MCA I would like to express our condolences to the family of Mr Buchan."

"The company had an established safety management policy that banned those that had been drinking to excess coming aboard. Through his own example Captain Phiminster failed to ensure this was complied with and tragically on this occasion someone died.

"The sentence today should send a clear message that those in charge of a vessel have a duty to ensure regulations and requirements are upheld, particularly those that are there for the safety of all onboard."

Maritime And Coastguard Agency

Alcohol Concern has supported the duty increase on alcohol confirmed in the Budget.

Alcohol duty is set to rise 2% over the rate of inflation – a measure announced in last year’s Budget, this year and for the next three years.

Evidence shows that higher prices lower people’s consumption of alcohol – especially among high risk groups – and ease the strain on health and police services.

The charity is also supporting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation to introduce minimum price legislation for alcohol. Such a move would stop supermarkets absorbing duty increases and continuing to sell alcohol as a loss-leader, leaving the pub industry unable to compete with deep discounting and multi-buy promotions.
Such a move would see a dramatic reduction in alcohol related crime, hospital admissions and lost workplace productivity, while having only a negligible financial effect on moderate drinkers.

Don Shenker, Alcohol Concern Chief Executive, said:

“Over the past twenty years successive governments stood by as alcohol became progressively more affordable.

“The end result is that we now drink far more than our parents ever did and have seen a dramatic increase in alcohol-related deaths and a high level of alcohol-related crime and disorder.

“The burden on our health service and police forces is unacceptable. Alcohol misuse costs our economy around £25 billion per year.

“Increasing tax on alcohol would be a positive first step towards tackling this country’s alcohol problems.
“But supermarkets should not be allowed to absorb duty increases and continue to deep discount and sell alcohol at a loss – introducing a minimum price for alcohol will allow pubs and bars to compete on a level playing field.

Alcohol Concern

Teenagers who have a strong relationship with their parents may start drinking at a later age — which may, in turn, lessen their risk of developing alcohol problems, a new study suggests.

The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, underscore the important role parents play in the risk of problem drinking.

Past studies have suggested that the age at which kids start drinking is a key factor in whether they eventually develop alcohol-related problems, like getting into fights or having academic or work problems.

So it often has been assumed that drinking at an early age, in and of itself, is the problem, explained the study’s lead author, Dr. Emmanuel Kuntsche, of the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"Our work shows that the ‘preventive effect’ of a later drinking age is likely to be a side effect of a good parent-child relationship," Kuntsche said. "In other words, the circumstances in which that first drinks occurs — and how parents deal with it — is important."

For their study, Kuntsche and his colleagues surveyed 364 teenagers three times over two years. They found that in general, teens who reported an earlier drinking age during the first survey tended to be drinking more heavily by the second survey, and were at greater risk of drinking-related problems by the third survey.

But a closer look at the data revealed the importance of parents’ influence. In fact, only teenagers who reported both a later drinking age and a high-quality relationship with their parents had a lower risk of drinking problems compared with their peers.

A high-quality relationship was one where teenagers felt they could discuss their problems with their parents and that their parents respected their feelings.

The findings, Kuntsche and his colleagues say, suggest that such parent-child relationships can "trigger a spiral of healthy development during adolescence" that may lead to a lower risk of alcohol problems.

Parents, Kuntsche said, should remember how important they are when it comes to their children’s risk of substance abuse. Being attentive to their children’s needs in general, he noted, may be one way to protect them from developing drinking problems.

ournal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

A study of adolescent binge drinkers has found that even relatively infrequent exposure to large amounts of alcohol during the teen years may compromise the integrity of the brain’s white matter, which is critical for the efficient relay of information within the brain. The preliminary findings – to be published online in advance of the July issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research – indicate that binge drinking may be detrimental to the developing adolescent brain.

Heavy episodic or “binge” drinking is common among adolescents, with 55% of high-school seniors reporting having gotten drunk, and a quarter of them reporting having consumed five or more drinks in a row during the previous two weeks.

“Because the brain is still developing during adolescence, there has been concern that it may be more vulnerable to high doses of alcohol,” said Susan F. Tapert, PhD, director of Substance Abuse/Mental Illness at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. “This study showed that teens with histories of binge drinking episodes have lower coherence of white matter fibers in a variety of brain regions.”

“White matter” is the part of the brain made up of the axons of neurons – long filaments that extend from the cell bodies and carry the electrical signals that relay messages between neurons. The area appears white because of the axons’ protective myelin covering. Researchers know that the integrity of the brain’s white matter is compromised in adult alcoholics, but it is unclear when during the course of drinking white matter abnormalities begin to manifest themselves. However, white matter has been shown to continue developing throughout young adulthood.

Tapert and colleagues used an MRI technique called diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI, to measure the integrity of white matter in the brains of 28 teenagers – 14 who had and 14 who did not have histories of binge drinking. DTI, which is sensitive to the random movement of water in cells or a target tissue, allowed the researchers to observe alterations to the structure of fibers within the brain’s white matter.

The 28 participants were age16 to 19, and none had a history of an alcohol or other drug use disorder. Binge drinkers were 14 of the teens who reported drinking at least four (for females) or five (for males) alcoholics beverages in one sitting during the three months prior to DTI imaging. The control teens were matched on age, gender and level of education.

According to Tapert, the teen binge drinkers exhibited lower levels of white matter fiber coherence, as measured in 18 separate areas of the brain, relative to the controls.

“Those who reported engaging in binge drinking showed lower levels of brain organization,” said Tapert. She added that this could be either a risk factor for increased alcohol use or an effect of the alcohol. “While long-terms studies that follow teens over time are essential to clarify the cause and effect of these brain changes, I would say that drinking to the point of being drunk may be detrimental to the adolescent brain.”

University of California

The Priory Hospital Hayes Grove, Bromley
The alcohol programmes are based on the 12-step abstinence model.

About us:

As with all addictive behaviour problems, it is very difficult for a person to acknowledge the existence of a drinking problem and this means that people suffer for many more years than is necessary. It is often confused with recurring depression and high anxiety levels which are not relieved by conventional treatments, and a failure to identify the role of alcohol in these conditions often means a failure to refer for the correct treatment.

How common is it?
Alcohol Dependency is by far the most common addiction and is responsible for the deaths of many thousands of people every year. Government figures suggest that up to 9.7% of the UK population may be classified as dependent on alcohol.

How do I know if I have it?
People who are concerned should always seek professional assessment. The self assessment questionnaire on this site may give further insight. Some symptoms are more easily detected: 1) loss of control once drinking has started; 2) withdrawal symptoms ranging from mild tremors to frightening hallucinations; 3) Noticeable changes in the effects alcohol has on the individual over time.

How do people develop it?
The condition is characterised by the fact that the sufferer, despite many attempts at control, finds that their drinking and the attendant consequences continues to get worse over the period, and the dependent person’s guilt, shame and remorse levels become increasingly more burdensome. Attempts to stop can result in withdrawal symptoms which are relieved by taking more alcohol. Attempts at control (‘just a couple of drinks won’t hurt’) almost always end in drunkenness, and things seem to get progressively worse. In extremes, suicide may seem the best option as depression and severe anxiety coupled with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness often accompany addiction to alcohol.

Can it be inherited?
Although an actual gene has not been identified there is considerable evidence of genetic predisposition to the illness, through studies of twins and apocryphal evidence.

Can it be cured?
Alcoholism is almost impossible to overcome alone, but with the help of others, a large number of people find recovery.

The service includes:

* Free initial assessment with a qualified addictions therapist
* Detoxification programme, carried out under medical supervision to ease the symptons of withdrawal
* Individual and group therapy / counselling
* Educational lectures, workshops and seminars designed to inform the patient of the nature of addiction and to facilitate strategies for recovery
* Holistic activities like meditation and complementary therapies
* Family participation programme
* Free weekly 12 month aftercare programme

Contact Details:

The Priory Hospital Hayes Grove
Prestons Road
Hayes
Bromley
BR2 7AS

Telephone: 020 8462 7722

Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog, today released the country’s first guide to restricting out-of-home (OOH) alcohol advertising. The guide will help policymakers draft effective state and local laws to minimize youth exposure to ubiquitous alcohol advertising in the 21st Century.

“Decades of research and common sense tell us that the more often youth are exposed to alcohol ads, the more likely they are to drink,” stated Marin Institute’s Research and Policy Director Michele Simon. “Marin Institute’s new guide offers new tools to local and state advocates and lawmakers to enact legally-defensible policies to protect youth from harmful messages that lead to problem drinking.”

Out-of-home advertising encompasses traditional billboards, ads plastered on public transit vehicles, buildings and “street furniture” such as newspaper stands and kiosks, as well as new high-tech options like video display terminals, digital billboards, and ambient advertising. Spending on such advertising venues grew to over $8 billion dollars in 2008, with the alcohol industry being one of the largest purchasers.

“These alcohol ads reach kids waiting in line at a grocery store, riding the bus to school, or walking to the library,” said Marin Institute Executive Director, Bruce Livingston. “They cannot be avoided by flipping a channel or turning a page. Nor can parents protect kids from them. Out-of-home ads are planting dangerous messages into the developing brains of a vulnerable captive audience.”

Examples of current local and state alcohol advertising laws that can serve as models are offered, as well as an explanation of commercial speech and the First Amendment. The guide also describes the difference between public and private property and how advocates can push for legally-defensible laws in their communities.

“For too long, the alcohol industry and media owners have claimed absolute free speech protection to their harmful message aimed at youth” added Simon. “This Guide dispels that myth and offers local communities viable options for protecting youth and others.”

Marin Institute

Commenting on James Purnell’s statement earlier this week that benefits allowance for people with alcohol dependency may be deducted unless they seek treatment or work, Don Shenker, CEO of Alcohol Concern said:

“People with alcohol dependency issues require financial stability to seek, undergo and move away from treatment. Any threat that welfare benefits will be cut simply add to the risk of relapse. In addition, requiring someone to undergo treatment requires that treatment services are available – the latest research shows only 1 in 18 alcohol dependents are able to access treatment, making these plans potentially unworkable. While the Secretary of State is right to want to support alcohol dependents into treatment, making welfare benefits conditional on treatment or work is misguided.”

Alcohol Concern

Ravenscourt, Bognor Regis
Ravenscourt is One of the UK’s leading Treatment Centres

About us:

Ravenscourt is a first stage treatment centre for addiction administered by Ravenscourt Trust, an independent charity established in 1990. The Centre is registered with the National Care Standards Commission under the provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000.

Ravenscourt provides an abstinence-based programme of recovery within the setting of a therapeutic community for men and women, aged 18 and over. We aim to give our clients a safe environment in which personal recovery from addiction can take place.

We have seventeen beds for clients with four double and nine single rooms. Clients will share with a ‘buddy’ on admission but move to a single room later in their stay. The treatment programme lasts for twelve weeks and clients completing the programme are matched with ongoing care in the most appropriate setting.

Ravenscourt is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The staff team comprises counselling, administrative and care staff.
The fully timetabled programme includes: group therapy sessions, one-to-one sessions, lectures and videos, social and leisure activities.

Facilities include lounge, pool room, group and one-to-one rooms, dining room and conservatory. Ravenscourt is located 500 yards from the seafront in a quiet part of Bognor Regis.

Once I’m in what can I expect?

* A structured programme of 12 Step treatment in an abstinence-based setting.
* An allocated keyworker.
* Group work and one to one counselling.
* Membership of a community.
* A right to confidentiality and respect for your dignity and privacy.
* A non-judgmental, non-discriminatory environment.
* All the materials that you will need for the programme.
* Attendance at NA/AA locally twice a week.
* A programme of recreation and social events.
* Opportunities to be involved in the running of the project with community groups and exit questionnaires.
* Access to local medical services.
* Assistance with benefits, housing, debt issues etc.

Contact Details:

Ravenscourt
15 Ellasdale Road
Bognor Regis
West Sussex
PO21 2SG

Telephone: 01243 862157