Treatment Works … And Saves Money

9th September 2005 - For immediate release

Comprehensive UK trial shows that for every £1 spent on treating those with alcohol problems, £5 is saved in spending on the consequences of alcohol misuse.

Alcohol Concern today called on the Government to spend money to save money, after the publication of new research demonstrating that investing in treating those with alcohol problems radically reduces the cost to society of heavy drinking, which currently stands in excess of £18 billion each year (1)

The results of the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial, published today, provides strong evidence for both the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of specialist alcohol treatment. It shows that who undertake treatment for alcohol problems show markedly reduced drinking problems as well as substantially improved mental health.

Commenting on the publication of today?s report Geethika Jayatilaka, Alcohol Concern?s Director of Policy and Public Affairs, said: ?We welcome the publication of such comprehensive research backing up what we have known for years: treatment works. Every year thousands of people access help and support from specialist alcohol services and are able to turn their lives around, but without adequate funding agencies are struggling to survive and there are still too many people who cannot access the treatment they need.?

George Budge, aged 57 from Richmond Upon Thames, had been a heavy drinker for years, but his problem spiralled out of control after he took early retirement. "I drank a litre and a half of vodka a day. I just stayed at home and drank; I hardly ate. I don't know what triggered me into seeking help - I just know that if I had not grabbed the opportunity right then it might not have come again for years - and I started attending treatment. Looking into the reasons why I drank was hard work, but it had to be done. Treatment worked for me. Now I abstain from alcohol and work for the agency that helped me to overcome my problem, attempting to help more people get the treatment they need to turn their lives around."

Currently, heavy drinking costs the NHS up to £1.7 billion every year (2) with only 5.5% of that being spent on alcohol treatment services (3) Almost three times more people die as a direct result of alcohol than drugs (4) yet alcohol services receive just a fifth of the funding (5). Latest figures suggest that there is a shortfall of up to 200,000 places in treatment each year in England alone (6) Alcohol Concern is calling for an immediate investment of £100 million to ensure treatment services can meet local needs (7)
Ms Jayatilaka added: ?Alcohol treatment has been the Cinderella of healthcare for too long. Lack of investment means that thousands of people are unable to access the help they need, putting their health at risk and adding to the burden on the rest of the NHS and the criminal justice system. For every £1 the government spends on treating alcohol problems, they save £5 elsewhere. It is time to invest in reducing the damage that problem drinking inflicts right across our society.?

The UKAT Trial, the results of which are published in the British Medical Journal today, monitored over 700 service users across the country over the course of a year. It showed that the average cost of treating one person was £175, and that on average each person treated saves nearly £900 in spending on health and social care and police and the criminal justice system. Alcohol misuse costs the UK £18 billion a year, with £1.7 billion spent by the NHS and £7.3 billion spent on crime and disorder (8). Currently 1 in every 26 NHS bed days can be attributed to an alcohol-related disease (9) with 22,000 deaths every year being linked to alcohol (10).

ENDS

For all enquiries, more case studies or to speak to Geethika Jayatilaka please contact the Alcohol Concern Press Office on 020 7928 7377 or email press@alcoholconcern.org.uk.

Notes to editors

Alcohol Concern is the national agency working to reduce alcohol related harm in society. We campaign for action on alcohol misuse, making recommendations to key policy makers and professionals. We also help develop the level and quality of alcohol services available to problem drinkers and their families.

1 Prime Minister?s Strategy Unit (2003) Interim Analytical Report
2 Prime Minister?s Strategy Unit (2003) Interim Analytical Report
3 Figure based on Alcohol Concern (2003) Commission on the Future of Alcohol Services
4 Based on Office for National Statistics (2005) Health Statistics Quarterly 25 and response from the National Statistician to Parliamentary Question from Dr Lynne Jones MP, March 2005
5 Based on Alcohol Concern (2003) Commission on the Future of Alcohol Services and National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (2004) Perspectives: Annual Report 2003/04
6 Alcohol Concern (2003) Commission on the Future of Alcohol Services
7 Alcohol Concern (2003) Commission on the Future of Alcohol Services
8 Prime Minister?s Strategy Unit (2003) Interim Analytical Report
9 Britton A and McPherson K (2001) Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
10 Prime Minister?s Strategy Unit (2003) Interim Analytical Report

Date: 09 September 2005