More Dumbarton youngsters seek help for drink problem

Oct 3 2008 by Tina Kemp, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A DUMBARTON alcohol counselling agency is dealing with its highest ever number of young people in two decades.

The past year has seen more youngsters than ever before referred to the Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol.

Figures show 160 – a THIRD of the Westbridgend-based agency’s total number of referrals – are aged under 25.

But in spite of the pressures of more clients and a loss of key funding, DACA manager Cathie Dennett says the agency’s core work is secure – and more needed than ever before.

The latest annual report from DACA shows it received 317 new clients in the 12 months up to March this year.

The majority – 69.72 per cent – were men, with 17.03 per cent in the 26 to 35 age group.

For women – 96 of whom were referred to the counselling service – it was the 36 to 45 age group which were experiencing the most problems with alcohol.

Out of the total of new clients seeking help, 33 of the men and 14 of the women were aged between 18 and 25 – almost 15 per cent. A further 11 – six males and five females – were under 18.

The majority of clients – 42.59 per cent of men and 18.3 per cent of women – were unemployed and the majority were single. Almost one third had children aged under 16.

DACA reported that out of more than 3700 counselling sessions, 64.51 per cent of outcomes were “good” and a further 31.86 per cent “poor”.

Ms Dennett said: “Our funding has changed quite dramatically this year as monies from the Community Regeneration Fund and Youth Crime Fund ceased however, thanks to West Dunbartonshire Council and Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, our core work is more secure and in demand than ever.”

Initiatives such as the Intermediate Labour Market programme – a pilot education and training scheme for people with a history of substance misuse – and the Young Person’s Alcohol Project have proved hugely successful.

Supporting and educating youngsters is a key element of the work of DACA, which recently held its 22nd annual general meeting. In the past year it has reached 680 young people aged nine to 21 through alcohol education and awareness workshops.

The rise in referrals – particularly among young people – reflects West Dunbartonshire’s high rates of alcohol abuse. Drinks like Buckfast and alcopops are the most popular drinks among youngsters.

Recent research has shown almost a quarter of the area’s residents are estimated to exceed the recommended weekly units of alcohol.

A recent report by West Dunbartonshire Community Health Partnership revealed that more than 17 per cent of S1 to S4 pupils in the area admitted to drinking one or twice a week. A total of 30.5 per cent of fourth year male students drank the most. More than 22 per cent of all pupils surveyed reported being drunk at least once or twice a month.

The incidence of cirrhosis – commonly caused by alcohol abuse – has steadily increased in West Dunbartonshire since 1985.