‘The gin-palaces flourish in the slums, and fortunes are made out of men and women who seldom know where tomorrow’s meal is coming from’
These words were written in 1889 by social reformer George Sims in his book How the Poor Live. As demands grow for tighter regulation of the drinks industry, his 120-year-old sentiments still have resonance. While problems may persist across centuries, social factors usually mean that they present in different guises. It is unlikely that Sims could have imagined the exact scale or spread of alcohol-related problems in our more affluent times.
Nursing Standard. 23, 38, 1-1. doi: 10.7748/ns.23.38.1.s1
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