Alcohol and Families

Lauren Booker

Workplace Programme Manager

Drinking in the UK

• Over 10m adults drink more than recommended limits

• 2.6m drink more than 2x recommended limits• 1.6m dependent on alcohol• Alcohol related diseases account for 1 in 8

hospital beds• £21bn cost to individuals and families p.a.

Case Study

Read your case study about Jack and Jill Smith and their family.

What impact do you think that alcohol may have on each member?

Alcohol and families

• Approximately 1 million children live in a household with one or more dependent drinkers

• Alcohol is cited in 1/3 of divorce petitions• Parental alcohol use is a factor in up to 60% of child

protection cases• 1/3 of reported domestic violence involves alcohol• Almost 1/5 of the population is affected by a family

members’ alcohol use.

"To suggest that all parents who suffer from problem drug use present a danger to their

children is misleading. Indeed, much research indicated that in

isolation, problem drug use of a parent presents little risk of significant harm to

children."

Cleaver H., Unell, I., and Aldgate, J., (1999) Children’s Needs Parenting Capacity, p.23, London; HMSO.

Case Study

Look at the new information about the Smiths.

Does this change your thoughts about the impact on the family?

Alcohol and young people

• Over half of 11 year olds have tried alcohol• 30% of young people with alcohol problems

also suffer from an eating disorder• 20% of young offenders report being

intoxicated the time of the offence(s)• 1 in 3 young suicides are intoxicated at the

time of death

Alcohol and other factors

• Alcohol related brain damage contributes to up to a quarter of all dementia cases

• Over half of male prisoners engaged in hazardous drinking in the year before going to prison

• 30% of female heavy drinkers are diagnosed with a neurotic disorder

• Heavy alcohol use is linked with over 50 life threatening and life limiting illnesses

What can we do?• Information and Awareness– Change4life– Every Contact Counts

• Early Identification and assessment: IBA• Referral pathways• New approaches – online, recovery communities,

workplace

"We should particularly be concerned with substance use that is dependant or chaotic.

For the practitioner and the client, the ability to distinguish recreational use from problematic

misuse is a crucial skill.”

Murphy, M. (1996). The Child Protection Unit. p 11. Aldershot: Avebury.Links between problematic use and child protection

What can we do?

• Multi-Agency Working• Support children, support the family• Promote resilience factors• Our duty of care, transferable skills• Support for families:– Brief Strategic Family Therapy; Community

Reinforcement and Family Training, Positive Parenting Programme