New report calls on government to act to provide support for binge-drinkers

18th August 2006

Alcohol Concern today publishes a new report calling for the government to act without delay to provide support for binge-drinkers in GPs' surgeries and other health settings, in order to begin to turn around Britain's boozy culture.

Today's report from PHEPA (the Primary Health Care European Project on Alcohol), calls for a national programme using doctors' surgeries to identify people putting themselves at risk by drinking too much, and provide on-the-spot advice and support to motivate them to reduce their drinking.

The report presents wide-ranging evidence that suggests that a national effort to use health settings to ask patients a few short questions about their drinking habits and, when necessary, provide immediate support and advice, would help many binge-drinkers to change their drinking habits, and save the government money at the same time by reducing the burden on the NHS.

It sets out an 8-point plan for the government to take action to reduce the damage done by binge-drinking, including:

- a national training scheme for doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners to identify problem-drinkers and provide appropriate support then and there
- financial incentives to encourage GPs to carry out this work and thus ensure that access to the scheme is as widespread as possible
- a national system to help make an accurate assessment of the total number of people who are drinking problematically and, how many benefit from the programme.

Don Shenker, Director of Policy and Services at Alcohol Concern, said:

"Problem-drinking is one of the most widespread public health problems we face as a society, and yet too often it is written off as 'not my problem'. With 1 in 3 men and 1 in 5 women regularly drinking above safe limits, this is something that affects people from all walks of life. Government needs to act now to ensure that doctors and nurses in GPs' surgeries have the training and resources they need to identify people whose drinking is problematic, and either provide on-the-spot advice to help them to change the way that they drink, or refer them to treatment services. This will massively reduce the cost of alcohol misuse."

Nick Heather, Emeritus Professor of Alcohol and Other Drug Studies at Northumbria University, and author of the report, said:

"Britain is currently experiencing a serious problem with alcohol, including increasing rates of liver cirrhosis and alarming levels of harm among young people. We know that simple advice given by general practitioners (GPs) to patients drinking too much is effective in helping people to cut down drinking to safer levels and avoid the harm their heavy drinking may cause. People have a right to drink as much as they choose as long as it doesn't harm others. But they also have a right to know what risks they are taking through their drinking and GPs can provide this information. Doctors can also advise on the most effective ways of cutting down if the patient wishes to do so. If the majority of GPs in the country routinely gave advice to heavy drinkers visiting their surgeries, there would be a large improvement in the health of the general public and this is why we are urging them to do so."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For all enquiries, please contact the Alcohol Concern Press Office on 020 7395 4003 or email press@alcoholconcern.org.uk.

Health interventions for problem drinkers: Integrating health promotion interventions for problem drinkers into primary health care, by Professor Nick Heather, is available from Alcohol Concern priced at £7.50. You can access the Executive Summary here: http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/servlets/doc/1114.

Alcohol Concern is the national agency on alcohol misuse. We work to reduce the incidence and cost of alcohol-related harm and to increase the range and quality of services available to people with alcohol-related problems and their families.

Date: 18 August 2006