Alcohol was the subject of the latest Cross Party Group meeting on Substance Use and Addiction which was hosted by Plaid Cymru’s Peredur Owen Griffiths.

The MS for South Wales East, as chairman of the group, hosted Dr Wulf Livingston, a professor of alcohol studies at Wrecsam University and Liam Cherry - a substance misuse counsellor for Platfform.

Both gave presentations about their work at the meeting which was organised by drugs treatment charity Kaleidoscope as secretariats of the group.

Peredur said: “The two presentations from Wulf Livingston and Liam Cherry were excellent and gave a real insight into the depth of the problem in our communities and the potential solutions to problematic drinking.

“It is the most visible drug due to it being legal and it is also one of the deadliest and costliest in terms of social harm.

“There will not be many people whose lives have not been touched by alcoholism or problematic drinking, whether that is through personal experience or through the experience of those closest to them.”

Peredur added: “What we heard during the cross party group is that alcoholism is often a manifestation of a deeper problem such as an adverse childhood experience or endemic poverty.

“The drink is often used as a coping mechanism for underlying issues that remain unresolved. Tackling those issues must become a focus for us in Wales.” 

If you want to support Plaid Cymru and Peredur, please click this link.