The Clifton Clinic Responds to Drink Promotion

The Clifton Clinic Responds to Drink Promotion

News that one of Britain's most popular pub chains is to offer drinkers a recession-beating bargain by cutting the price of a pint to 99p will have brought smiles to many faces.

But alcohol charities and clinics have now accused JD Wetherspoon of promoting binge-drinking and acting irresponsibly.

The Regal, in Cambridge, is one of the chain's 713 watering holes in the UK.

The pub's deputy manager, Karen Davies, confirmed that a bottle of San Miguel or a pint of Greene King IPA were available at 99p, as well as Sailor Jerry rum at £1.29 for a single and mixer, and Blossom Hill wine at £4.99 a bottle.

She also said that the offer was running indefinitely, alongside discounted meals to go with the drinks because of the company's "commitment to responsible drinking".

But Veronica Callahan, of the Clifton Clinic, said it was impossible to put the words 'drink offers' and 'responsible drinking' in the same sentence.

Veronica, who has been free of alcohol for the past nine years, said: "Low drink prices and endless promotions have played a huge part in binge-drinking and alcoholism for years.

"It is not the sole root of people turning to drink but such tempting prices do not help the issue.

"It is irresponsible and quite frankly, shocking, that pubs can get away with this - they are not encouraging people to have a leisurely couple of pints with this offer.

"They are encouraging them to have 10 and maybe even some more expensive shots afterwards.

"What people forget is that alcohol is a drug - a drug worse than heroin."

Another recpvering alcoholic, Lucy Petitt, 28, who has spent only 26 months of her life free of alcohol since she was 16-years-old, said offering a pint of beer for 99p was "obscene".

Lucy, who used to down two bottles of vodka every day, now attends regular Alcoholics Anonymous sessions in the city to keep her habit, which she labels as "alco-hell-ism" away.

She said: "One minute the Government is saying that drinking is bad for us and advising us to stick to the limits.

"But then it lets massive pub chains like Wetherspoon's get away with obscene offers like this.

"My drinking started in Wetherspoon's pubs when I was just 16.

"All I can say is that if I had been that age today (Monday, 05 January), or still in the horrendous world I was in when I could not live a day without drink, I would have been in my element with this offer.

"Offering cheap drinks is not about providing people with a bargain - it is encouraging people to drink more, which just leads to a whole host of things like increased violence.

"The company should be ashamed of itself."