What am I wearing?! These are ‘Beer Goggles’ which let a young person experience the disorienting effects of too much alcohol without having to drink it. I did not successfully manage to dribble the ball around the skittles before me!
Last week I visited SMART – a substance misuse information and support centre for under eighteens in central Gateshead. In February it emerged that Gateshead had the highest level of alcohol related hospital admissions in the country. Needless to say this is not something to be proud of and as an MP of Gateshead I would want to be working hard to support those on the front line of this issue.
The services offered by SMART to young people include an education programme about the effects of alcohol abuse and drug use. This is delivered in School classrooms, at youth events and using SMART’s very own bus. SMART estimates over 2000 under eighteens have benefited meaningfully from this work In the past year. In addition there are over seventy service users who use the SMART facilities and are helped by a range of interventions and treatments. It is difficult to measure outcomes effectively for a lot of this work and therefore not always easy to secure funding.
A years funding was found to allow a dedicated member of staff to liaise with the NHS on under eighteen referrals from A and E due to excessive alcohol intake. It was sad to hear that the scheme hit a brick wall with little co-operation from the Primary Care Trust.
The Conservatives will put the NHS as a priority and need to take the cost of alcohol abuse seriously.
