Drinks for chronic alcoholics

Social service agencies are looking at establishing "wet houses" in Auckland and Wellington for chronic alcoholics who are "too far gone" to be saved from their drinking.

A Wellington group is putting together a proposal for an eight- to 12-bed house where alcoholics could be allowed to drink but not "binge-drink", keep clean and well-fed, and have somewhere to sleep.

"Everyone has a right to die in a bed," says Downtown Ministry social worker Di Landy, who works with the capital's homeless people.

In Auckland, the national manager of the Salvation Army's addiction programmes, Major Lynette Hutson, is starting talks about a similar facility for alcoholics who are no longer up to taking part in group treatment such as the Army's Bridge programme.

But the idea, pioneered in Britain and Canada, is controversial. The team leader of the Auckland City Mission's detoxification centre, Dimitri Germanov, believes it would be unethical to facilitate drinking that harms health.

"Treatment works. It is always possible, and I would recommend treatment instead of maintaining people on their drinks," he said.

A supporter of the Wellington wet house plan, general practitioner and Salvation Army officer Dr Pat Hill, said some chronic alcoholics were beyond hope for treatment.

"The Bridge would happily have them if they could take part in group work and counselling," she said. "But if people can't communicate, if they are so far gone, then it's a waste of time. This is where the wet house sounds a great idea.

"Our nurse is on a committee for it. She works for the homeless. There is a good feeling here within the district health board and those working with the homeless that this could be a reality."

Di Landy said a wet house would be more cost-effective than leaving people to deteriorate until they had to be hospitalised.

"Some people will actually die there," she said.

"But some will clean up and move on. If only one out of every 10 that goes through those doors makes it, then it's been worthwhile."