ABSTRACT
For many decades alcoholism has been neglected by psychiatrists. In Britain, charitable bodies such as the Alcohol Education Centre, the National Council on Alcoholism and the Medical Council of Alcoholism have developed in order to remedy the deficiency of public and professional education in this field. The 1962 Memorandum was based upon a belief that alcoholism was a condition of a psychiatric nature which a person either had, or did not have, and for which he ought to have treatment. The services in a community should be so organised that treatment is available to all those harmed by their own drinking, or the drinking of someone close to them. Traditionally medical training has been well served by the apprenticeship system, and without doubt the specialist ought to have a full-time apprenticeship to the kind of multidisciplinary community-based service described earlier.
