Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
We need more support services
A spokesman for the Love N’Light organisation, which holds a recovery cafe in Airdrie’s Pilgrim community centre every Saturday afternoon, also highlighted a shortage of support services.
He explained:“We believe that the issues around under-age drinking are a lack of education on alcoholism and where that takes you, coupled with the lack of services available to deal with life’s insecurities and growing up.
“There aren’t enough services tackling the causes that lead to drinking alcohol; we need to focus more on that rather than treating the symptoms.
“Hospitals treat the aftermath of alcoholic-related behaviour and money is put into that rather than tackling prior issues that lead young people into hospital.
“Love N’Light offer residential weeks away and a recovery cafe in Airdrie to empower people with these services; we are an experienced group who show families the way forward.
“We are asking the people of North Lanarkshire to help us work towards opening a full-time community hub that the whole community can tap into.”
Responding to the statistics relating to Monklands Hospital A&E’s alcohol-related admittance over the past three years, Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “These figures around alcohol-related discharges are worrying. “It is particularly concerning when children are admitted to hospital because they have been drinking. “Everyone has a role to play in ensuring that our children and young people are protected from the harm caused by alcohol.
“Today, alcohol is more affordable, available and heavily marketed than at any other time in the past 30 years.
“As a result, children and young people are growing up in an environment awash with alcohol, where drinking is seen as the norm.
“These figures highlight the significant pressure our health services are under in trying to deal with our alcohol problem.”
For more information on Stuart’s Fool On group and Love N’Light and Alcohol Focus Scotland’s support services, visit www.facebook. com/FoolOn7/, www. loveandlightrecovery.org/ and www.alcohol-focus-scotland. org.uk/ respectively.