6k alcoholics on the sick
OVER six thousand recipients of disability or employment allowance in Northern Ireland had alcoholism as their main condition at the end of the 2010/2011 financial year, the Sentinel can reveal.
At March 2011 5,753 Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants were registered with ‘alcoholism’ as their main condition.
Six hundred and seventy nine Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants were also registered as suffering from ‘alcoholism’ and 135 recipients of Attendance Allowance (AA) listed it as a main condition. The total number of alcoholics in receipt of at least one of these benefits was 6,567.