PEOPLE in Wales need to be more honest about their relationship with alcohol, a leading charity has said.

Alcohol Concern Cymru says it is easy to think that problems with alcohol are "someone else's problems" rather than something closer to home.

The charity is calling for an end to the stigma around admitting a drink problem and seeking help for it, and urging the Welsh Government to invest more cash in treatment.

In response, Cardiff Bay said alcohol remained a priority as part of its £40 million substance misuse strategy.

Alcohol Concern Cymru manager Andrew Misell said: "It's very easy for us to think of alcohol problems as someone else's problem.

"When we asked people what they thought of as an alcohol problem, nearly half said it meant drinking every day, and many others referred to extreme examples such as when someone was too drunk to walk, or got into fights.

"These comments show how keen many of us are to put some distance between our own drinking habits and those we see as having a drink problem.

"In reality, the line between sensible drinking and alcohol misuse is not always clear and many of us cross it from time to time."

A new report by the Welsh charity, called Everyone's Problem, argues that the way alcohol is marketed and glamorised by the drinks industry reinforces the idea that people with a drink problem are somehow unlike normal drinkers.

According to the report there were 15,314 referrals for treatment for alcohol misuse in Wales in 2010-11 — 53 per cent of referrals for all forms of substance misuse.

The charity is calling on spending on alcohol services to remain a Welsh Government priority — with the figure listed separately from that for other kinds of drugs — for accurate recording of the numbers of people with alcohol problems and those seeking treatment, and for better planning of services.

Mr Misell added: "Getting rid of the stigma around drink problems is not easy given the drinks industry's insistence that alcohol is a neutral product that only causes problems in the hands of irresponsible consumers — a so-called mindless minority. We need to be honest with ourselves and recognise that while alcohol is a familiar part of most of our social lives, it is also a toxic and addictive substance."

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said alcohol remained a priority in its substance misuse strategy.

She also said that Cardiff Bay wanted the UK government to take tougher action on issues such as alcohol pricing or licensing — or to devolve the power to take such action to Wales, a call repeated by Welsh Health Minister Lesley Griffiths earlier this month.

The spokeswoman said: "We would like to see a minimum price per unit of alcohol introduced in Wales. We have also requested power to legislate on alcohol licensing but this was rejected by the UK government.

"At a time when the UK government is cutting many budgets, the Welsh Government has demonstrated its commitment to substance misuse services by protecting levels of investment."

jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk