£36m to tackle blight of alcohol on society

Published on Wednesday 13 May 2009 22:04

A MAJOR investment in services to tackle the "misery" caused by alcohol misuse in Scotland was revealed yesterday.

Public health minister Shona Robison said 36 million – up 45 per cent on last year – would be spent by health boards in 2009-10 on tackling alcohol abuse.

The minister said the "massive" investment was needed to tackle what was a major public health problem in Scotland.

It has been estimated that alcohol misuse costs the country 2.25 billion a year through its burden on the health service, justice system and business.

The 36 million being spent this year on alcohol services forms part of the 120 million pledged by the Scottish Government to tackle the problem over three years. Overall, this funding is up 230 per cent compared to the previous three years.

Yesterday Ms Robison met staff at the Liber8 project in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, which runs services to help adults and young people with alcohol problems. She said that Scotland's harmful relationship with alcohol was "blighting the lives of families and communities across the country".

She added: "Alcohol misuse is holding our society back. It breaks up families. It causes communities misery."

Ms Robison said the new funding would help identify and treat people with alcohol problems. But she said it was not only young people who needed help to tackle alcohol misuse.

"There clearly is a major problem in those who are over 50. When you look at cirrhosis levels it is high in that age group. Some of it is due to social isolation and people drinking in their homes. They have maybe lost their partner. We have to make sure we don't miss those people."

Tam Penman, head of youth services at Liber8, said the service had had a major impact on young people. The project targets both schools, by educating pupils about the dangers posed by alcohol, and also youths drinking on street corners and other public areas.

As well as projects like Liber8, the new funding will be used for "brief interventions" – targeting people turning up at GP and A&Es with problems that could be linked to alcohol.