An Alcohol Concern report 'Investing in alcohol treatment' has been released, highlighting the need for further support for dependent drinkers and the implied cost-savings. The document reports there has been a 24% increase in the number of dependent drinkers between 2000 and 2007, with the total now at 1.6 million dependent drinkers in England.
The report states that government could save £1.7 billion by providing double the current level of treatment support for dependent drinkers, based on a five-fold saving on public sector costs when treating alcoholism, as health, welfare and crime costs are reduced. Alcohol Concern also continue to highlight the disparity between investment in drug and alcohol treatment as outlined in the table below:
The report also makes alcohol treatment recommendations for commissioners and decision makers covering issues such as assessing demand, care pathways, vulnerable groups, measuring success and re-tendering. For resources on alcohol commissioning see the Alcohol Learning Centre.
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