The mother of a young alcoholic yesterday told an inquiry into the misuse of alcohol in Bradford how when she reached out for help for her daughter it was not there.

The story formed part of the evidence heard by a sub-committee of Bradford Council's Health Improvement Commit-tee, set up in September to discover the extent of the misuse of alcohol in the district and the capacity of public services to cope with the problem.

At its fourth hearing, chaired by Councillor Michael Kelly, the mother described how as a young teenager her daughter would go on nights out and come home "absolutely hammered".

"At first we thought it was just what teenagers do but then the arguments started and she left home and we did not really know how bad it was," she said.

She described how her daughter lost her job, became unreliable and began self-harming. A visit to a local GP resulted in her being referred to Project 6 in Keighley.

However, she continued to drink a bottle of spirits a day and was stealing to support her addiction.

"She ended up in such a state she said she had to go somewhere for rehab," said the mother.

However, when they contacted drug and alcohol services in Bradford the family discovered there was a waiting list of 12 weeks and funding was not available for private treatment.

During this time, the vulnerable young woman was raped twice and even drove her car up to Lawcroft House Police Station whilst over the limit and with a bottle of vodka in her pocket, hoping that by being arrested she would get help.

She threatened suicide, and ended up in Lynfield Mount Hospital.

Help came when the mother persuaded her daughter to contact Alcoholics Anonymous.

"Very gradually she gave up and is without alcohol for five years now," she said.

The mother told the inquiry how she and her daughter believed 24-hour drinking was contributing to the problem. "It is not going to be a café culture as it is our culture to drink, drink, drink," she said.

She called for special clinics to be set up for young people and extra funding for agencies such as AA.

John Dinsdale, co-ordinator of Street Angels, a church volunteer-led organisation which patrols Bradford city centre on Friday and Saturday nights, told the inquiry how girls 18 to 25 were among the most drunk, often before 8pm.

Since starting the patrols six weeks ago he said they had helped a number of young people, including a 15-year-old girl who had been taken out drinking by her own mother and then abandoned after an argument.

Evidence was also given by Jenny Godson, deputy director of public health with Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust, who spoke about the adverse impacts on health of alcohol abuse, including an increased risk of mouth cancer and facial trauma.

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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