Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

100,000 Alcoholics & Drug Addicts and we are funding their addictions. Is the government therefore doing the right thing by stopping benefits unless these addicts receive treatment? Will this work or is it another crackpot scheme to win over the voters? :rolleyes:

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

about bloody time , hip hip hooooray

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

Right thing in my book....but bet they dont implement it!!


Best Regards - Taggy

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

It is the right kind of thing thing to do, but then they will have to have jobs available when the benefit claimants are 'reformed' so given the current climate, could be a bit shortsighted, not much by way of surprise at all.

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

I agree fully with the idea, as long as there is help readily available on the NHS to help these people.

Also I think the idea should be extended to include all kinds of drug addicts claiming benefits e.g cigarette smokers.

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

seems reasonable to me...I would have thought they must have had some treatment to be able to get what I presume is a sickness benifit. :confused:

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

Smokers dont get benefits towards thier addiction polly, but do contribute a sizeable amount towards the benefits/nhs system.

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

if they will not seek help with the problem, stopping the dosh is fine by me. though n important point polly made. IF HELP IS AVAILABLE.

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

And don't forget when an alcoholic spends £100 of benefits on booze the government get most of it back.Not like the people who squander it on food.:hehetable

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

AA & Al-Anon are 2 charities that could guide the government in making a firm policy on treatment. Through research I know there are different types of Alcoholics & Drug Addicts. I also have the advantage of observing & talking to certain social groups claiming Alcoholism/Drug Addiction and receiving Incapacity Benefit/Income Support/Sickness Benefit. Might I also add the average amount they claim is £45.00 more than JSA, plus Housing & Council Tax Benefits. Why should this be? Their addictions have left them incapable of functioning properly until they have a drink/fix, yet people with genuine disablities are often unable to claim anything.
So folks, would it be fair to stop all alcoholic/drug addicts claiming Sickness type benefits in the first place? Should they just be able to claim JSA or it's equivalent and live on what the rest of the population is entitled to? Maybe we should make them do some community work as part of their rehabilitation and give them the chance to prove they can and do want to work.

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

I think they've "floated" this idea to divert us from the scandal of MPs expenses, they won't be stopping any benefits anytime soon.

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

when i was diagnosed with cancer i asked at accrington benefits office for money to buy ciggarettes and the woman looked at me liek i was insane , i argued that money was given to alcholics and druggies so why not

she said if i had cancer i should give up smoking and i said well alcholics shoud give up booze and druggies should give up drugs

seemed logical to me but i dont think it sank in as i didnt get a ciggy fund to buy ciggys :rolleyes:

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

probably because this allowance does not exist.countless people have said to me that alcoholic and drug abusers get an allowance,its not true they get the same money everybody else on benefits get..dont know where this rumour comes from:confused:

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

yes as discussed before it turns out they no longer give extra money to alcholics but reclassified them and allowed them to claim incapacity benefit and disability living allowance but they used to get extra seperate payments for booze

either way they get more money than some poor sod having to survive on job seekers allowance just because they got a habbit which is unfair

jobseekers allowance is a pittance and people struggle like hell just because they dont have a habbit to fall back onto and get extra money for

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

I know what you are saying cmon but I think where it comes from is if you are able to work you are only entitled to JSA but if you are sick through alcohol/drugs you may well get ESA/IB (although IB is no longer available to new claimants) and dependant on how you are affected you may well be able to claim DLA too.

however the govt by bringing in ESA instead of incapacity benefit should help catch those that are pulling a fast one be it drink/drugs/or anything else due to the assessments they now have to go through and also for the first 12 weeks of ESA it is at the same rate as JSA

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

job seekers allowance 60.50 per week

incapacity benefit Long-term basic rate: £89.80 plus DLA

D.L.A Weekly rate

Highest rate £70.35
Middle rate £47.10
Lowest rate £18.65

can you see now why people get annoyed that alcholics and drug addicts get so much more money than somone whos paid NI , preppared to work and not sit in a pub or shoot muck into tehir viens?

even without the disability living allowance they get £30 a week more than people on job seekers and with high rate allowance get £100 a week more than people on job seekers allowance

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

And that is why I think they have abolished incapacity benefit (plus you have quoted long term rates which you had to be on incap for a while before getting) for new claimants...its replacement ESA is at the same rate as JSA for the first 12 weeks whilst you have to go through a medical assessment period

plus you have quoted the old rates :D

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

So very true, just come up with a proposal that takes the scandalous amounts most of our MPs are claiming out of the lime light. Another idea they floated was to take "carers" off the wonderful sum they are allowed to claim and put them on "job seekers allowance". How the hell can you be a carer and a job seeker at the same time? It is a joke as are most policies proposed by this goverment and no doubt the next lot will be the same.
Get out into the real world and then come back with some real policies but won't hold my breath that any decent change will happen soon.:(

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

yeah they just altered but they still get more money than folk on job seekers which is the point i was trying to make lol

druggies and alcholics im refering to not people with good reason to be on DLA etc

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

if your too drunk to walk will they give you a car on mobility ?

hey you never know with this country lol

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

It has become a nightmare to claim DLA lately they have clamped down big time so you would have to have some serious medical problems to be able to get it now and just being an alcoholic/drug addict wouldn't work, you certainly wouldn't be able to get it due to falling over drunk or passing out high anyway!

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

DLA has always been a joke as far as I'm concerned, as I have mentioned before there was the case of Michael who was blind and had no hands(following an accident) who was refused DLA for many years. Ok so he was eventually rewarded it but why/who makes the decisions? They obviously have no idea about living with a disability but they make the decision of what a disability constitutes:confused:
And can I add that the adjudicators are about as clued up as idiots. When we learnt that Ian's mum had terminal cancer the form was filled in by professionals to make things easier but what was sent in return? Just a letter saying "as you have six months or less to live you are entitled to high rate DLA" Who appoints these so called "experts" for these jobs?:confused:

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

Every morning when I log on to Accy Web I know that at least one post from Beni is going to crack me up and put me in a good mood for the rest of the day:D:D

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

Initial claims for DLA Bernie, are processed by people who have no clinical experience, it is only when you appeal and have to go in front of a medical tribunal that medical clinicians get involved. I would always suggest to any one being refused DLA that they appeal immediately, the best way is to seek the advice from Welfare Rites, who are very helpful and will advise on the best way forward

Re: Government proposals to stop benefits for Alcoholics & Drug Addicts.
 

Going through all this at the moment,I have seen three independent doctors appointed by the social and all agree I am not fit to work and need help. both to look after day to day activities and to get around as I can't walk very far,so far nothing.Waiting for the appeal.:confused:

By the way Jay Rites are what they give you on your way out are you trying to tell me something.It was bad enough when I got moved to live in between my doctors and the funeral directors.:eek::eek::D:D