UK government pledges to intervene in alcoholics’ lives

The UK government’s Work and Pensions Secretary and former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, is due to  announce today (May23) that “alcoholics rendered unable to work by their condition will face active intervention in their lives to make them clean and employable”.

Alcohol Concern's chief executive Eric Appleby has made the following statement: “It’s true that a number of people are not living their lives to their full potential because they have a drink problem.

“It’s right that the government recognise that these people need help to overcome their addiction. Incentives are only part of the story, the real answer is to make sure that high quality treatment services are fully funded and available all over the country,” he said.

“At the moment only one in sixteen people with an alcohol problem are receiving specialist alcohol treatment. In order to make this work, job centre staff will need to be properly trained in order to recognise when someone has an alcohol problem and to be able to offer the right advice,” says Appleby.