Alcohol Concern Urges Government to ‘Spend £1, Get £5 Free!’

1st November 2005

Alcohol Concern will today launch their ?Spend £1, Get £5 Free!? Campaign, calling for alcohol treatment to be made the priority it deserves to be. Latest research has shown that alcohol treatment works for individuals, but also that every £1 spent on alcohol treatment saves £5 in spending on other aspects of health and social care, and the criminal justice system.

The ?Spend £1, Get £5 Free!? Campaign, due to be launched at Alcohol Concern?s Annual Conference today, will unite local activists, treatment providers and service-users in calling on both national government and local Primary Care Trusts to make alcohol treatment a real priority for the country and for local communities.

Commenting in advance of today?s launch Srabani Sen, Alcohol Concern?s Chief Executive, said: ?at this time, 8 million people across the UK are drinking at risky levels. Alcohol misuse and its consequences form one of the most widespread public health issues facing our society, causing around 22,000 deaths and costing the UK £18 billion each year.?

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 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."

Ms Sen added: ?Alcohol treatment services do a fantastic job in helping problem-drinkers change their lives, but still treatment services are too far down the pecking order of priorities and the smaller ones are struggling to survive. Our campaign calls on national and local decision-makers to make alcohol treatment a real priority by setting targets for reducing alcohol-related harm, within local communities and for the country as a whole. We know that every pound invested in alcohol treatment saves five pounds from the public purse. It is time to put public money to good use by investing in help-giving services for problem drinkers rather than spending more on mopping up the problems caused by alcohol misuse.

Notes to editors:

· The UKAT Trial, the results of which were published in the British Medical Journal in Septemer, monitored over 700 service users across the country over the course of a year, and 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.

· The ?Spend £1, Get £5 Free!? Campaign will be launched at Alcohol Concern?s Annual Conference: ?Challenges and Changes: the new agenda for alcohol treatment?, on Tuesday November 1st at Glaziers Hall, London Bridge. There are a limited number of press places available. To book your place email press@alcoholconcern.org.uk.

· Artwork for the campaign is attached to this email and can be used in covering this story.

· For all enquiries, more case studies, or to speak to Srabani Sen, please contact the Alcohol Concern Press Office on 020 7928 7377 or email press@alcoholconcern.org.uk. For out of hours press enquiries, please call 07866 063013.

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: 01 November 2005