Current Issues

Alcohol Treatment

Alcohol Concern launched its ‘Spend £1, Get £5 Free Campaign’ at its annual conference in November 2005. The campaign highlights the lack of funding made available for alcohol treatment and makes the case that for every £1 spent on treatment £5 is saved in terms of health, policing, court and social costs. The campaign has 3 key aims:

winning extra investment in alcohol treatment services;

raising awareness of the effectiveness of alcohol treatment and making it a higher priority for government; and

winning specific national and local targets for alcohol treatment from the Department of Health and from primary Care Trusts.

Alcohol Concern collected 1500 signatures on campaign postcards from local activists, and delivered them to the Department of Health in March 2006. We are also working to lobby MPs to show their support for our campaign by signing Early Day Motion 783 on Alcohol Treatment.

Spend £1, Get £5 Free Campaign Pack
Alcohol Concern presentation to the Department of Health

Corporate Social Responsibility - Raising The Bar

Corporate responsibility is of key importance if Britain is to move away from a binge drinking, late night violence culture. With the new licensing laws in place Alcohol Concern has released the new charter, ‘Raising the bar on responsible practice: principles the alcohol industry should adhere to’. It clearly outlines the steps the drinks industry should take if it is to help reduce the damage done by drinking too much. This includes an end to irresponsible drinks offers and committing to comply with the law by not serving alcohol to people who are drunk or underage.

Twelve principles the drinks industry should adhere to
Raising The Bar press release

Violent Crime Reduction Bill

Alcohol Concern welcomes the Violent Crime Reduction Bill as it makes its progress through the House of Lords, and believes it is positive that the government has recognised and is responding to the clear link between alcohol misuse and violent crime. Whilst this Bill will no doubt make a positive contribution to the reduction of alcohol-fuelled crime, it does represent only half the solution. As such, Alcohol Concern is supporting two amendments that will ensure the Bill is best placed to make a real difference, by coupling tough, enforced measures to combat anti-social behavior and alcohol misuse with genuine support for those who want to change the way that they drink.

Alcohol Concern briefing to the House of Lords
Integrating health promotion for problem drinkers into primary health care

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

The Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill introduces a number of tougher measures to tackle crime. For Alcohol Concern, the most important provision relates to the proposed introduction of ‘youth rehabilitation orders’. Under the new Act the relevant authority would have the option on each occasion of imposing up to two community based interventions from a comprehensive menu including, among others, curfew requirements, residence requirements and a drug treatment requirement. In our view, a youth rehabilitation order linked to alcohol treatment could greatly improve young people’s access. This makes the absence of such a provision all the more striking.

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill