AROUND 100 people a week are getting help with problem drinking from Tayside Council on Alcohol, writes Marjory Inglis, health reporter.

But demand for the voluntary organisation’s service is set to rise as people who don’t even realise they are drinking hazardous amounts of alcohol are identified through a screening programme being introduced in local GP surgeries.

Gillian Ferguson, TCA’s adult services manager, said many people, particularly women, were drinking well over the weekly recommended limits of alcohol.

“A lot of people don’t consider they are drinking at levels that are harmful,” said Ms Ferguson.

“The levels that can become difficult are so low by most people’s standards. The recommended level for women is only 14 units a week.

“Some bottles of wine are between 9 and 10 units.”

She said “many” people were drinking one or one and a half bottles of wine in a single session without considering themselves problem drinkers.

“Most people will say they don’t drink much because they don’t identify with being out bingeing or waking up drunk in a gutter.

“The biggest increase in drinking is middle class, middle-aged women on wine.”

Ms Ferguson said people did not really know how much they were drinking, particularly those who drank at home and who could pour several “units” of alcohol into a glass.

Locally and nationally health professionals have warned about the increasing numbers of people with severe liver damage and other alcohol-related illness.

The Scottish Government and NHS Tayside have made clear that reducing harmful drinking is a priority. They hope that by stepping in earlier and identifying problems sooner, more serious problems will be avoided later.

Ms Ferguson said that the new GP screening programme would involve doctors taking the opportunity of a patient visiting the surgery to raise the issue of alcohol consumption and offer advice and information about harmful levels of drinking.

NHS Tayside is making substantial investment in the new GP programme but is also backing increased funding for TCA in recognition that its workload will increase as more problem drinkers are identified.

TCA has a team of 26 volunteer counsellors with a regular commitment to the service.

In Dundee there are also two part-time paid counsellors who each work 12 hours a week. Extra funding will be used to boost the number of paid counsellors and increase the number of appointments available each week.

“The GPs will be passing on people who want more in-depth support, and that will be a lot of people,” said Ms Ferguson.