Rock Chick Sick

Sarah Harding has checked herself into rehab because of alcohol problems according to NME. Am I surprised? Not really because living in a fishbowl for 10 years is going to take it's toll on you. Is it going to mean mass hysteria? Possibly, well from the press at least as they all scramble for another story to heap more pressure on someone who is obviously facing some serious challenges at the moment.

Sadly Sarah is not the only one in this situation. In the UK alone it is estimated that 1in 20 or 5% of the drinking population is suffering from a serious issue associated with alcohol. Putting this into reality when you jump on your bus today carrying 70 passengers 3 of them will possibly be addicted to alcohol. In your child's class 3 parents are likely to be addicted. In an average school 2 teachers are likely to be addicted. In a hospital with 200 doctors then 10 of them are likely to be addicted and in every premiership match at least 1 footballer is likely to be addicted. That's what the stats would mean if they spread evenly across the board.

The problem is for those of us in the know is that the stats don't spread evenly and the more pressurised the situation the more likely there is to be abuse of alcohol and/or drugs.

We know the medical profession, the legal profession, the police force, the teaching profession and the military all suffer high levels of alcohol abuse whereas ironically manual workers who are often portrayed as being in the pub constantly do not.

The sad reality is that alcohol services in the UK are extremely overstretched. Not because there is a lack of money but because there is a lack of will by Government. No 11 know that if they go war on the alcohol companies that large amounts of revenue are potentially at risk and in an economy as fragile as the one we have at the moment the risk is simply too great. So the Government are happy to sit back on the advice of the Treasury, look as if they are doing something with smoke and mirrors but in reality are doing nothing. And this is simply not on.

The smoke and mirrors come in the form of the highly paid and overrated academics sat in their ivory towers who half the time wouldn't know a true alcohol problem if it hit them square between the eyes but have made a fortune out of "studying" the problem.

Addiction is not a research paper it is a cold hard symptom of a lack of education and symbiotic relationship between the Government, the alcohol industry and the prohibitionists.

Whilst I wish Sarah well in the journey to conquer her demons we need real funding, for real people to do a real job now! It is no good waiting until the dead bodies start piling up.