HELP FAMILIES THROW OFF ALCOHOL MISUSE

Alcohol Concern will today call for more support for families with parental drink problems at its conference in central London.

Embargoed
00:01 hrs, Friday 13th October 2006


HELP FAMILIES THROW OFF ALCOHOL MISUSE


Alcohol Concern will today call for more support for families with parental drink problems at its conference in central London. The government admits that up to 1.3 million children live with parents who misuse alcohol while only 1 in 18 problem drinkers are getting the treatment they need. Alcohol Concern is very anxious about the scale of the problem. Children of problem drinkers often display higher levels of behavioural problems, school-related problems and emotional disturbances than children of non-problem drinkers.

The NSPCC also reports that over a four-month period parental alcohol misuse was implicated in 23% of the calls about neglect and 10% of calls about physical abuse made to its helpline. Even where abuse isnâ??t an issue children tend to be very aware from an early age of their parentsâ?? drinking and it can deeply affect family relationships.

The Alcohol and Families daylong conference will seek to identify the most effective ways to support children and families affected by alcohol misuse.
Alcohol Concern is calling for the following:
1) New Family alcohol services to be set up to join services for parents with services for children
2) Training for service providers to recognise the signs of parental problem drinking and deliver appropriate help, whether directly or through a referral.
3) More and better information for children on how to cope with parental drinking

Don Shenker, Director of Policy and Services at Alcohol Concern, said:
â??Many children find themselves in situations of distress, hurt or bewilderment any time one of their parents drinks heavily. Taken as a whole, alcohol misuse can seriously threaten a familyâ??s ability to function. We are calling on the government to recognise the scope of this problem and devote appropriate resources to provide families with the support they so desperately need.â??

ENDS
For press enquiries please contact the Alcohol Concern press office on 0207 395 4003 or email FrankS@alcoholconcern.org.uk. For out of hour press enquiries please contact Frank Soodeen, Campaigns and Press Officer on 07866 063 013. Press passes are available from Sian Wilton on 0207 395 4009 or swilton@alcoholconcern.org.uk.

Notes to editors
Alcohol Concern is the national agency working to reduce alcohol related harm in society. We work to reduce the incidence and costs of alcohol-related harm and to increase the range and quality of alcohol services available to problem drinkers and their families.

Date: 13 October 2006