Woman's Hour

Last week an editorial in the BMJ reported that before Covid-19 only one in five harmful and dependent drinkers got the help they needed, and now the proportion will be lower. There is concern for those struggling with dependence and those on the brink of dependence. How do you cope with an alcohol problem under lockdown? And what support is out there? We hear the experience of a listener, the journalist Catherine Renton who has been sober for over 3 years and from Julia Sinclair, professor of Addiction Psychiatry, University of Southampton and consultant in alcohol addiction. She’s also chair of the Royal College of Psychiatry’s addiction faculty.Jenny Colgan's latest novel is called Five Hundred Miles From You. It's about a nurse in London and a nurse in the Scottish Highlands. It explores everything they've seen in their careers and whether or not they can help each other.Coronavirus has made visible a group of people who were often invisible – volunteers. Thousands of people signed up to help the NHS as a