When we asked Ms Wiseman what was preventing people from accessing treatment, she explained that there was a big issue with people being able to accept that they have a problem in the first place. We heard that drinking alcohol in our communities is widespread and public awareness of the associated harms very low. Ms Wiseman told us of NHS workers questioning patients about their alcohol use as part of wider healthcare assessments but failing to recognise high-risk drinking. She explained that they sometimes missed opportunities to refer patients presenting with a different condition for alcohol treatment services and suggested workforce development could help to raise awareness.35