Again there’s a story about alcohol in the paper, highlighting the fact that Brighton and Hove has the highest number of hospital admissions due to alcohol in the South East (The Argus, September 2).

Perhaps Brighton and Hove City Council’s new super-heads could strategically consider how to restore the city’s profile as a place that attracts those with healthy lifestyles.

There is a very high cost to pay in the long term for alcohol and drug-related issues. What happens to those children whose parents are victims of mental health problems, or live with parents who suffer from drug addiction and alcoholism? Sue Baumgardt’s letter (Letters, September 2) in this paper was spot on.

The answer is not always in simply educating people about the damage caused by using substances but lies in creating positive opportunities for the future. We need a mental health system which doesn’t rely on psychiatric drugs as a solution. We need to provide people with mental health issues safe, secure, quiet housing away from the threat of violence. People with fragile mental health issues are often very scared due to previous traumas, but proper support will pay off in the long term. Those who have been failed by the education system often leave school without confidence, but could in fact contribute creatively to society if given the opportunity.

Jacqueline Madders
Woodingdean, Brighton