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Families can help in fight against drink
Evening Post IAS Conference 29th October 1983
The Families of alcoholics have been strongly urged to help victims
beat drink and help rebuild their lives.
The Swansea director of the West Glamorgan Council on Alcoholism
yesterday told a city conference that people attempting to combat
a drink problem needed constant support and reassurance in dealing
with life.
And if they didn't get it, said Mr Alan Douglas, they quickly found
themselves turning back to the bottle.
"It's no a case of keeping people away form drink, argued
Mr Douglas.
"What is needed is helping allowing alcoholics to lead their
lives sensibly again."
Mr Douglas told the conference organised by the Federation of Welsh
Councils on Alcoholism that is was an almost impossible task for
anyone with a drink problem to overcome it alone.
Support
"The support f a family is needed and doing it alone in a
bed-sit is just not on," he added.
The conference was also told yesterday by Mr Andrew McNeil of he
Institute of Alcohol Studies, that growing numbers of people were
being pushed over the so called safe limits of drink into alcoholism.
And today, more than every before, the UK was seeing an explosion
of alcohol related problems affecting people of all ages and from
all walks of life, he said.
"Drink has a knock-on effect, too, with everybody being pushed
in the same direction," added Mr McNeil.
"People are seeing it less as a special commodity and much
more as part of their daily lives. But new casualties are constantly
being created.
Victims
And Swansea East MP Mr Don Anderson Council on Alcoholism chairman
in West Glamorgan, said he firmly believed that central and local
government, the alcohol industry, the media and the ad-men now needed
to face "hard questions about their responsibilities".
"As people drink more alcohol the number of victims of the
disease of alcoholism will certainly increase," added Mr Anderson.
"The effects will be seen on family life, in the work place
and in society generally.
"And the question that then arises is will a point be reached
when these effects are so obvious and horrific that the public will
demand action and counter-attack".
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