Response to announcement of 6m support pledge for children of alcohol-dependent parents
Drinkaware welcomes today’s announcement by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, that a £6 million package of measures is being committed to supporting children of alcohol-dependent parents.
The prevalence of hazardous drinking in England in 2014 was 16.6%, where hazardous drinking is defined by the AUDIT alcohol use assessment tool as a drinking pattern that will likely bring the person to some harm because of alcohol – whether physical, mental, or social. This included 1.9% of adults whose drinking could be categorised as harmful or mildly dependent, and 1.2% of adults who were probably dependent drinkers*.
These levels of hazardous drinking are a significant issue not only for individuals, but also their families. In particular for the children living with alcohol dependent parents or carers, of which there is estimated to be over 200,000 in England alone**.
Drinkaware supports these measures to help address this significant problem, and will continue to provide information, support and advice to anyone with concerns about their own alcohol consumption or who is worried about someone else’s drinking.
* Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2016)
** Addaction and Young Minds. Childhood adversity, substance misuse and young people’s mental health. Expert Briefing. Available online: https://youngminds.org.uk/media/1547/ym-addaction-briefing.pdf