Can We Do More to Tackle Addiction?
By Dr. Fourkan Ali
Moderate drinking is
socially acceptable, but the problem for some is that moderate drinking soon
becomes habitual drinking, which can then lead to excessive drinking. Many
individuals who have begun by drinking one glass of wine with their dinner
after a long day at work have found that one glass is no longer enough, so they
will have another. And when two glasses are not enough, they are soon drinking
a bottle of wine a night. This is often how alcohol addictionbegins.
Alcohol is a stimulant and, as with other
stimulants, the body will become tolerant to it after a while, meaning that
more is required in order to feel the same buzz. What began as a pleasurable
experience can often turn into an addiction. Long-term excessive alcohol
consumption can be very dangerous as it can lead to a host of mental and
physical problems and, in some cases, death.
Is Enough Being Done to Tackle Alcoholism?
Alcoholism is a continuing problem in the UK,
and it is placing a huge burden on the taxpayer. As well as the cost of
treatment for alcohol-related injuries and illnesses, the taxpayer is also
funding the cost of police time required to deal with alcohol-related incidences.
In addition, there are court cases that need to be paid for, and sick days,
which affect the economy.
A report by Stoke-on-Trent City Council has
highlighted the fact that more help is required for the city’s alcoholics.
There are almost 9,500 people in the city addicted to alcohol, which is higher
than the national average. Local authorities know that more needs to be done to
tackle the problem and are working with the NHS to bring that figure down by
focusing on long-term care and improving current services.
New Contracts
The council is redesigning drug and alcohol
services in Stoke-on-Trent and contracts worth an estimated £17.8 million are
up for grabs. The idea is that these contracts will be awarded to organisations
that focus on addiction recovery rather than addiction maintenance.
A £600,000 contract has been awarded to The
Recovery House centre, at which up to ten addicts can take advantage of
residential care in a bid to stay free from drugs and alcohol. The facility
will be available to recovering addicts who have completed their treatment.
The alcohol liaison team at the Royal Stoke
University Hospital are also improving their services by opening every day in
order to provide help to more people.
Importance of Long Term Support for Recovering
Addicts
Former alcoholic Paul Birks has spoken of the
importance of long-term support for addicts, having struggled for twenty-five
years with addiction. Paul says of his addiction, “Alcoholism is a disease that
destroyed me. I needed it every day.”
After reaching rock bottom, Paul decided to
get help and, after completing a programme of detoxification, he stayed in a
recovery house similar to the one set to open in Stoke-on-Trent. Paul says the
programme changed his life and admitted that without it, he would have
relapsed.
Help is Available
It would seem as though some council chiefs
are doing more to tackle the growing problem of addiction in their areas.
Addiction is now widely recognised as an illness that requires treatment;
thankfully, the public are also becoming more understanding of the struggles
facing addicts on a daily basis.
If you are suffering from an addiction,
Addiction Helper can provide information and advice on how to get help. We work
with charities, local support groups, the NHS, and private clinics all over the
UK, from which treatments are available for all types of addiction. For more
information on how we can help, please contact our advisors today.
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