Alcohol Help

A Fuse Professor is part of a group of leading doctors and academics that say a minimum price for alcohol in the UK would help prevent thousands of deaths from related diseases.

Eileen Kaner, Fuse Senior Investigator and Professor of Public Health Research, was one of 19 experts to call Scottish plans for minimum pricing a “simple and effective” way to tackle alcohol-related deaths, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph.

In the letter, Eileen, Director of the Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University, joined the group to call for an end to so-called “pocket-money prices” ahead of a debate by MPs on alcohol taxation.

More than a million people are admitted to hospital each year because of alcohol, which is linked to 13,000 new cases of cancer a year, the group of experts said. One in four deaths among young people aged 15 to 24 is alcohol-related.

Their letter was signed by the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing among others.

It said: “We need to narrow the price gap between alcohol bought in bars and restaurants with alcohol bought in supermarkets and off-licences, to make bulk discounts and pocket-money prices a thing of the past.”

“We urgently need to raise the price of cheap drink,” it states because of a “wealth of evidence” linking the cost of alcohol and levels of harm.

If the coalition is not ready for the “bold action” of minimum pricing, it says MPs must not “lose sight” of taxation as a tool to lower drinking levels.

At the end of last year it was reported that the North East faced an epidemic of alcoholic liver problems among young adults with the number of hospital admissions for people in their early 30s with alcoholic liver disease increasing by more than 400% in the region – the national increase stands at 61%.

In 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to crack down on shops selling discounted drinks in a bid to curb alcohol-fuelled disorder but stopped short of minimum pricing.

A ban on selling alcohol at less than cost price will come into force in England and Wales in April 2012.

Speaking in the House of Commons in December 2011 Cameron said he was aware of the letter and was “looking very carefully” at the issue.

In November, the Scottish government made a second bid to bring in legislation which will set a minimum price for a unit of alcohol. It has already put in place a ban on “irresponsible” drinks promotions.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser to the Royal College of Physicians, said nearly 10,000 lives a year could be saved by a minimum price of 50p per alcohol unit.

He told the Telegraph that the government had acknowledged the importance of price by introducing a ban on selling alcohol below cost, but said this did not go “far enough”.

“We’re talking about saving lives here.

“It’s not just about damage to individuals who drink too much but their children and unborn babies and the victims of alcohol-related crime. The most effective way of targeting the heaviest drinkers is probably through a minimum unit price.”

A Department for Health spokesman said its new “alcohol strategy” would be launched early this year.

And a spokesman for Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he had been reluctant to consider a minimum price per unit because it would not be legal in terms of the EU competition regulations.

Opponents of a minimum unit price say it is unfair because it penalises all drinkers, not just those who cause or have problems.

Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott called for more government action on alcohol prices, saying: “Alcohol has been too cheap for too long.

“There are record numbers of people being admitted to hospital for alcohol abuse. And the number of under 18s is rising steeply.

“All the medical evidence points to the need for a minimum price per unit of alcohol. Alcohol abuse is not just a health issue, it is a public order issue.”

The Centre for Translation Research in Public Health
Institute of Health & Society
Newcastle University
Baddiley-Clark Building
Richardson Road
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE2 4AX

0191 222 7296

The Cyrenians: Gateshead
Oaktrees offers abstinence-based, structured, Alcohol day treatment for up to 20 people.

About us:

Oaktrees is situated in Gateshead with 20 places commissioned by Newcastle City Council, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

The twelve week full-time programme is based on a self-help model which aims to empower people to take responsibility for their recovery.

The programme includes:

* group therapy
* one to one counselling
* workshops for developing life skills and relapse prevention strategies
* education and information on addiction recovery and health promotion
* therapeutic reading and writing exercises
* working with others engaged in the same process

Participants in the Oaktrees programme continue to live in their own home. Whilst this particularly benefits those with children, an immediate opportunity is provided to all participants – to practice a new approach to life and to bring the effects of their Oaktrees experience back to the next day’s treatment.

Oaktrees encourages sharing recovery skills with a close group of peers. Peer groups are made up of other Oaktrees participants. This peer group forms a network which is free from drugs and alcohol upon graduating from the programme.

Oaktrees actively encourages the use of self-help groups such as Alcohol Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous in their support of long term recovery.

Contact Details:

The Cyrenians
Oaktrees
1a Walker Terrace
Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE8 1EB

Telephone: 0191 477 2205

Tyneside Residential Service: South Shields
Provides a safe and supportive background where people address their drug and alcohol dependencies.

About us:

The service provides a safe, supportive and structured environment where residents participate in groups and one-to-one sessions to explore the underlying reasons for their dependency. Through a process of self-awareness and understanding patterns of personal behaviour, residents are encouraged to acquire new skills and formulate strategies that will enable them to develop a healthy, drug free lifestyle and return to independent living in the community.

The service offers a comprehensive therapeutic programme delivered by fully trained and professional staff. This is provided within a residential setting, ensuring access to a range of health and social care support services to suit individual needs. Participation in the therapeutic programme helps to promote change by encouraging self-worth and personal responsibility, challenging individual attitudes and behaviour, and encouraging the development of life and social skills.

Key features of the Service include:

therapeutic community programme
abstinence based
fast access into treatment
fully integrated detoxification programme; ? and standalone detoxification service by negotiation
individualised treatment plans
group and one-to-one work
additional gender specific groups
relapse prevention
offender behaviour work
fully integrated skills and education programme
fully integrated conservation therapy programme
needs-led fast track service
resettlement support
aftercare services
auricular acupuncture
leisure and sports activities ? camping, ice-skating, ten-pin bowling, cinema and access to an external gymnasium.

The rehabilitation programme is tailored to your individual needs, within a framework of 4 Stages.

The length of time you spend in each stage will depend on your individual needs and how quickly you achieve the goals identified for each stage of treatment. On admission to the service, individual care plans are developed between you, the key worker and multi-disciplinary team. As you progress through the programme, care concentrates on life skills and education to sustain long-term recovery on leaving the service.

Induction is the settling in stage of the programme when you can expect a high level of support from residents and staff. You will begin to learn about the programme and therapeutic community structure, the house routine and rules, while engaging and identifying with those people around you. You may also experience some withdrawals or undergo a detoxification programme at this stage.

Primary and Senior Stages of the programme concentrate on personal development, self-awareness and identifying the underlying and personal issues that play a role in the individual?s dependency. A comprehensive programme of groups, workshops and seminars take place throughout the week. Community meetings and other support sessions, including encounter groups also take place to provide support and enable you to share feelings and ideas; and build healthy relationships with your peers.

The weekly timetable provides a balanced programme of structured activity, therapeutic interventions, skills acquisition, basic household chores, recreation and relaxation.

As part of the therapeutic community ethos, you are expected to participate fully in the house activities during Induction, Primary and Senior Stage. This includes taking an active part in the day to day running of the house and its maintenance and upkeep. These practical tasks are organised into separate ?departments? such as cooking, gardening and laundry. These departments are run by the residents under staff supervision; and as residents progress through the programme, their responsibility increases for others and for the smooth running of the house.

Re-entry Stage focuses on supporting you to take the first steps toward integration into the wider community. Re-entry accommodation is off-site, located a short distance from the main house, accommodating 10 residents. Staff support provides assistance with practical issues and life skills such as housing, employment and establishing sustainable community support networks with a strong emphasis on personal independence.

An additional Aftercare Stage in the Community can also be accessed if appropriate, offering one-to-one support.

Contact Details:

Tyneside Residential Service
Phoenix Futures
Westoe Drive
South Shields
Tyne & Wear
NE33 3EW

Telephone: 0191 425 5548