Over the Limit: The Truth about Families and Alcohol

Over the Limit: The Truth about Families and Alcohol, warns of a silent epidemic of alcohol misuse by British families. The report warns that too many parents remain oblivious to the negative effects that alcohol can have on their parenting.  An alarming 19% believe alcohol has a positive effect on their parenting ability and 62% of parents say that their drinking behaviour has no impact on their family at all.

Some of the key findings the report highlights are:

• 22% of children live with a parent who drinks hazardously
• 6% of children (around 700,000 across the country) live with a dependent drinker
• 62% of children who were subject to care proceedings were from families with parental alcohol misuse
• More than a third of all domestic violence cases involve alcohol

The report warns of the stark reality of life for families where drinking has reached hazardous levels and is calling for a series of wide ranging reforms including a commitment from the alcohol industry to recognise their responsibility to the wellbeing of consumers by diverting 1% of revenue to fund a new alcohol awareness campaign aimed at families.