 Alcohol-related problems cost the tax payer dear |
Alcohol abuse treatment programmes save a lot more money than they cost to run, research has found. A British Medical Journal study found for every �1 spent, �5 was saved from the bill for dealing with the consequences of drinking.
The UK Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT) involved more than 600 people with alcohol problems.
Heavy drinking in England and Wales is estimated to cost the tax payer around �18bn a year.
The researchers compared two treatments which both allow people to continue with their daily lives rather than staying in residential accommodation.
 |  Alcohol treatment has been the Cinderella of healthcare for too long |
Social behaviour and network therapy helps people with alcohol problems to build social networks to support them in changing their drinking behaviour.
It involves up to eight 50-minute sessions with a therapist.
Motivational enhancement therapy is made up of three 50-minute sessions and combines motivational counselling with feedback on progress.
The team, including researchers from the University of Birmingham, University of York and Leeds Addiction Unit, found both types of treatment helped to cut alcohol consumption and dependency.
After three months of therapy, on average participants, nearly doubled their number of alcohol-free days, and cut their daily number of drinks by around a third.
Interviews carried out 12 months after the start of therapy showed that people were still drinking less, and reported improvements in their mental and physical wellbeing. On average they were 50% less likely to suffer from alcohol-related problems.
Reduced costs
A cost analysis concluded that the average cost of treating one person was �175 - but that treatment saved nearly �900 in reduced health and social care, including the impact on police and the criminal justice system.
Charity Alcohol Concern said more money now needed to be invested in treating alcohol abuse.
Geethika Jayatilaka, director of policy and public affairs, said: "Every year thousands of people access help and support from specialist alcohol services and are able to turn their lives around.
"But without adequate funding agencies are struggling to survive and there are still too many people who cannot access the treatment they need.
"Alcohol treatment has been the Cinderella of healthcare for too long.
"Lack of investment means that thousands of people are unable to access the help they need, putting their health at risk and adding to the burden on the rest of the NHS and the criminal justice system."
The government's alcohol strategy will do nothing to tackle the epidemic of problem drinking in Britain, an expert has warned in a BMJ article. The alcohol harm reduction strategy for England contains measures to limit the damage caused by excessive drinking.
Ministers have also pushed ahead with plans to allow pubs and bars to serve alcohol for longer in efforts to stagger closing times and encourage a more continental style drinking environment.
But Professor Wayne Hall, of the University of Queensland in Australia, said that to avoid the situation getting even worse, ministers should not increase the availability of alcohol, and reduce taxes on drinks with lower alcohol concentrations.
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