Jist Seen On Sky Nes Pess Preview.....

[Jeza]

Heroin addicts are to be given a free foil on the NHS. I assume this is a free fix. What about free cancer drugs for people who are paying thousands for them. Druggies must be jumping for joy. Free Whisky will be next for alkies.

[EDDIE51]

The alcoholic I know got extra money cash in his JSA , it was not called 'drinking money' or any name like that but he got it every week.
I think it was called 'special needs allowance' or something.

[anneasquith]

special needs allowance is a bit different than '' free booze money '' isn't it ?

[hc4361]

No special needs or any other specific allowance for alcoholics and definitely not tagged on to JSA.

[EDDIE51]

^^ The only 'special need ' he had was booze so it amounts to the same thing no matter what it was called.
He was/is a registered alcoholic if he didn't get his drink it was frightening to see. He would get the 'shakes' and start to hallucinate screaming about 'things that were coming to get him' . I once saw him punch a plate glass window so hard it broke and cut his wrist , he was still screaming for drink while he was pouring with blood waiting for the ambulance. It took 3 medics and a policeman to hold him and get him in the ambulance. He had to be sedated in the end. All due to lack of drink.

[EDDIE51]

^^ it may have been incapacity benefit or something but he got extra every week .

[hc4361]

I agree alcoholism is very real and awful but if somebody dependent on welfare benefits is that bad they would be claiming sickness benefit under whatever name it had then. That is usually more than unemployment benefit.

There are still people on sickness benefit due to the effects of alcoholism under the new regime. There is no way such people are fit for work.

[ludwig]

This looks like utter nonsense. If you're an addict I don't suppose you'd give a t0ss about being handed a free bit of baco-foil.
You're most likely injecting it anyway, and if you're not you soon will be after smoking it for a while.

It's like giving free beer mats to alcoholics to prevent them moving on to vodka. Complete nonsense.

[dave50]

The idea being so that they wont inject with infected needles. As far as I'm concerned, if you are drug addict then you have to face the risks that go with it and if you die then I'm afraid that's the price you pay. There should be no NHS support for those who choose such an obviously destructive path.

[Daffy6543]

Eddie, i've known several alcoholics who got extra money on their income support due to being alcoholics, all of them had children, so maybe the extra money was only given to parents, not single people on JSA.

[ummmm]

Going cold turkey can kill you so they are given extra while trying to be persuaded to get treatment.

[EDDIE51]

The free foil is to try to persuade addicts to smoke the drug rather than injecting it which is much more dangerous due to dirty needles etc.
The foil is special pure foil, the foil you buy for cooking has a thin coating of oil to make it non stick . This oil burns off when the foil is heated hot enough to burn the drug and causes problems for the addict, if they can't get the correct clean foil they just go on injecting which as I said is much worse. It is also easier to quit if you smoke rather than inject so the project has sound backing and will save lives.