Specialised alcohol treatment services are a luxury the NHS cannot afford

Abstract

Is alcoholism an illness or merely a self-inflicted indulgence? Can we afford specialist alcohol treatment services? Do they even work? Should the tax payer foot the bill? Is the lack of such services ‘perverse’? In this lively debate Drs Carnwath and Luty weigh up the pros and cons of controlling the effects of ‘our favourite drug’.