Birmingham’s biggest and newest hospital has helped form a unique partnership to take on the challenge of helping people who end up in A&E as a result of alcohol abuse.

Along with other Birmingham hospitals, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) is working with nurses from the Drug and Alcohol Liaison Team, which is part of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and Aquarius to screen patients coming into emergency departments for alcohol problems during Alcohol Awareness Week.

QEHB ran an alcohol awareness stand in its main atrium recently, attracting strong interest from staff and visitors.

One of those helping to run the stand was Jack, a recovering alcoholic who has experienced the transformative power of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and is now playing a role in the project to help others.

He said it was good to see people taking an interest in such a serious issue: “More and more clinicians are becoming aware of the support that’s available to people, and they want to know how best to refer their patients.

“This week has seen good interest from those clinicians, which is very pleasing.”

Jack knows exactly how destructive alcohol can be for people, having battled alcoholism most of his adult life: “I had my first drink in my 20s while I was in the forces, and I progressed fairly quickly to become a heavy social drinker.

"By my late 20s or early 30s I knew I had a problem but didn’t seek any help.”

He describes himself as being “out of control” by the early 70s but he was unaware of the damage he was doing, which resulted in his family having him sectioned. He eventually managed to have himself discharged, and returned to work.

But it wasn’t until 1986, after he had left his original career to open a pub and spiralled into serious drinking again, that his wife finally sought help for him from AA: “I was terrified because we lived in a small town and I thought people would talk about me, and it took me a full 18 months to stop drinking completely.

“AA is a wonderful support service; no-one judges you for what you’re going through.”

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; they are self-supporting through their own contributions.

For information and help, please call 0845 769 7555 or 0121 212 0111, or by visit their website (see "External links" below).

Drug and Alcohol Liaison Team (DALT)

The Drug and Alcohol Liaison Team is a nurse-led service, provided by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, which offers specialist guidance on the medical management for inpatients and facilitating transition between hospital and community.

This service offers a consultation/liaison service to nominated acute medial trusts for patients with an alcohol and/or drug misuse problem. DALT also provides advice, information, withdrawal and stabilisation management, brief interventions and referral on to specialist drug and alcohol services.

The team also provides training in several areas of substance misuse, including medical management and the psychosocial elements of dependence. They review and update the clinical guidelines on drug and alcohol withdrawal management, ensuring that they are current and evidence-based. DALT’s main aim is to raise awareness, improve health information, reduce admissions to hospital due to alcohol-related harm and increase referrals to community alcohol teams where harm has been identified.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust provides a comprehensive mental healthcare service for residents of Birmingham and Solihull, and to communities in the West Midlands and beyond.

Aquarius

Aquarius is a leading provider of alcohol and other addiction services and has been helping people since 1977. The agency helps individuals and communities with problems arising from addictive behaviours to reduce harm either to themselves or others.

The organisation has seven offices in the West Midlands. For more information, please call 0121 685 6340 or 0121 414 0888, or visit their website (see "External links" below).

Al-Anon

Al-Anon is an organisation which helps support the families and friends of people who are living with alcoholism.

Al-Anon family groups hold regular meetings where members share their own experiences of living with alcoholism. Al-Anon does not offer advice or counselling, but members give each other understanding, strength and hope.

For more information, please call 020 7403 0888 or visit their website (see "External links" below).