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COFACE and EUROCARE launch report Alcohol Problems in the Family |
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COFACE – Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union Alcohol Problems in the Family: A report to the European Union
The report is the result of a joint project between COFACE - the European family organisation - and Eurocare - an association of alcohol abuse organisations - and financed by the Commission of the European Union. The report says that alcohol problems in the family are important because families are important. Family disruption and break-up are linked to a range of social ills, and alcohol is a significant cause of such problems. A key conclusion of the report is that policies that reduce alcohol problems are likely to strengthen and support families, and, equally, polices that strengthen and support families are likely to prevent alcohol problems. The report condemns the `ostrich response' to family alcohol problems which seems to be common over much of the Union. Speaking for EUROCARE, Derek Rutherford will say that the report makes clear that while there are examples of good practice in a number of Member States, specialist alcohol services may provide little or no help to family members, while specialist helping services for family problems may not be trained or equipped to identify or deal with alcohol problems. The result is that tens of thousands of children and other family members affected by these problems have no real access to help and support. Likewise, while all Member States promote high profile public awareness programmes on the dangers of drunken driving, none promotes anything comparable in relation to the dangers of drunken parenting. For COFACE, William Lay will insist on the need for strategies and measures aiming at preventing alcohol abuse in families and among young people. He will focus on the importance of education inside the family, in schools and in the community. EUROCARE and COFACE, together with their member organisations, have a considerable part to play in such prevention policies, through their educational roles and through their networks at all levels: local, regional and European. Important responsibilities lie also in the hands of public authorities at these various levels: the provision of adequate living conditions (resources, services, time, housing, environment...), the fight against unemployment, social exclusion and poverty, and also all the consumer aspects linked to alcoholic beverages (advertising eg aiming at youth, availability, tax policies) which may have a major impact on the use and abuse of alcohol. The eighty page report (which will be available in English and French at the press conference) concludes with a series of recommendations for European Union institutions, national governments and non-governmental organisations. Eurocare/Coface 15/12/98 |
1996 - 2005 Eurocare
84 million citizens are either problem drinkers or adversely affected by other people's drinking. Up to 7.7 million children in the EU live with problem drinking parents. And over much of the Union, little is being done to help their family situation.