Addiction, Obsession and Paranoia

Mitch Winehouse is setting up a foundation in his daughter's name to help those with addiction. Today he is meeting James Brokenshire MP about the project. Let us hope that some good comes of this meeting.

But let me make this clear. Government in the UK have no real desire to deal with addiction, or the causes of addiction particularly in relation to addiction to alcohol because of the symbiotic relationship it enjoys with the drinks industry. This is just an outlandish attempt at showboating and soundbites on the back of tragedy and the increased popularity of Amy Winehouse since her death.

I wish Mitch Winehouse well. From all too bitter experience I know the devastation alcohol causes within a family. I am all too familiar with the cruel and murky waters created by an inability to control one's own function. From an earlier part of this blog you can read some of my relationship with alcoholism.

Yet I am not an addict and never have been an addict. God knows I pray that I never become addicted to alcohol, but like millions of normal people I enjoy a beer or a glass of wine.

Unlike the tobacco companies who can say absolutely nothing positive about smoking there is evidence that alcohol is not always bad where no such evidence exists with tobacco. I am not some abolitionist that would see prohibition brought in tomorrow. We all know that the prohibition of alcohol in the US in the 1920's just created a monster called the Mafia.

Yet I am passionate and experienced and committed to making a profound change in the habits of young and old alike so that their relationship with alcohol changes in such a way as to prevent harm to them.

This can only be achieved through long term and totally unbiased education.

Ask the 19000 plus convicted drink drivers who have worked with me personally would they have done the things that they did if they had had the education and knowledge that they now possess? The answer that consistently comes back to me is a resounding no! And on their feedback nearly every person commented at some stage why don't we teach this in schools? Why don't our children know?

Ask the thousands of other people I have worked with over the years and they will tell you the same. Why didn't we know?

It is a tragedy that another young woman's life has been curtailed so young but in reality we are only talking about this because of who she was. If Amy Winehouse had been a checkout operator at some 24 hour store then this would not get any attention at all. And I predict that once the soundbites are over the Government ministers will crawl back into their departments pat themselves on the back and say. We did what we could, now would someone pour me a scotch!

Real education by real people who understand this world now! Or do we have to wait for the bodies to start piling up