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Breakthrough for children of alcohol dependents in moving debate

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Click for video ►

Junior Heath Minister Nicola Blackwood (pictured) agreed no child of an alcoholic should feel alone in a emotional debate on alcohol harm.

“Great social change requires three things: long-term political will, non-partisan partnership and it requires bravery. I have heard all three today,” she said, concluding her speech to a sparsely-attended meeting of MPs at Westminster Hall.

This came after poignant testimony from Labour’s Liam Byrne and Shadow Heath Minister Jonathan Ashworth, who both had alcohol dependent fathers. Byrne described the lack of support he received, as he fell between the cracks in the system.

A transcript can be found here and a video here. ■

For auld lang syne

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Closing the bulging manila file on 2016 will be a relief to many. But, with the ink still damp on the tab marked “2017”, it is hard to avoid a nagging concern about what will fill it.

It is easy to be disheartened. But human affairs on every level are as prone to changing for the better as they are for the worse. This is, in part, because we as individuals and as a species are able to learn, value our advantages, avoid errors and find solutions.

The world as a whole still produces far more material resources than it needs and no end of untapped ideas. Democratic institutions generally function well, despite their missteps. Very few seriously contest their central role in the future.

The checks on democratic power can still minimise the cost of representatives’ errors, restraining moves which unjustly harm people’s interests. Votes cast in a bid to assuage negative feelings can be shifted to viable solutions through listening and persuasion.

We are not locked into an unalterable course as individuals or as societies. What we need are attractive alternatives. Their source is the recognition of common interests, alliances, goodwill and ingenuity. Their attractiveness will only increase if they benefit long chains of interests.

Working for such solutions is not a dreary task, coming with a unique payoff: happiness. Happiness comes, numerous studies find, from our feelings of connection, cooperation and capacity to rebound from mishap. Our buzz comes from building, not hoarding or demolition.

Our world of artificial division, knockabout debate and dented confidence offers fertile ground for initiatives, large and small, founded on more accurate analysis. We all have the chance to receive the rewards of contributing through our curiosity, thought, action and influence.

So, for auld lang syne, for old time’s sake, and for new, there is good reason to look forward to 2017. There is no certainty its opportunities will be taken, but they will certainly be there. ■

Alcohol Companion: bringing 2016 to a positive conclusion

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copy-of-philcain-com-logo-on-paper-2016-sale-munus-paper-1
ACBuyButtonAlcohol consciousness is growing: In the UK one in four women quit alcohol, while almost one out of every two men is trying to cut down.

The trend seems likely to spread. This is something worth celebrating and supporting.

Alcohol Companion can help navigate the change by offering unique insight into the brain science, psychology and medical history that shape our alcohol use. Knowledge gives us a greater capacity to make good decisions and resolve problems.

Visiting the philcain.com bookstore and entering the code FMK4H4MJ will give you a 20% discount on orders made before January 1st 2017.

This is a thank you to “followers” you are invited to share by joining our Facebook event and sharing this link. ■

[radio] The Gin Craze, In Our Time | BBC Radio 4

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Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the craze for gin in Britain in the mid 18th Century and the attempts to control it. With the arrival of William of Orange, it became an act of loyalty to drink Protestant, Dutch gin rather than Catholic brandy, and changes in tariffs made everyday beer less affordable. Within a short time, production increased and large sections of the population that had rarely or never drunk spirits before were consuming two pints of gin a week. As Hogarth indicated in his print ‘Beer Street and Gin Lane’ (1751) in support of the Gin Act, the damage was severe, and addiction to gin was blamed for much of the crime in cities such as London.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084zk6z