Camberwell Council on Alcoholism

The Camberwell Council on Alcoholism (CCA) promoted preventive and diagnostic work in the study of alcoholism as a disease and in the treatment of alcoholics. Founded in 1963, it was the first of the community councils on alcoholism to be established in the UK. It was active in an area of south London where a very visible vagrant alcoholic problem met a growing interest among the doctors of the Maudsley Hospital in the problems of alcoholism as a disease: in particular Dr Griffith Edwards of the Maudsley was very active in setting up this local council. Recent theoretical developments concerning the problem (mainly from the USA) met the 1960s trend towards the development of community-based organisations to deal with social problems, committed to a self-help approach and involved in direct action, education of the public and campaigning. During this early period of the CCA's history the economic climate was favourable, with public money being available to fund projects such as these.

The CCA became involved in the problems created by alcohol over a wide field from the very obvious problem of the vagrant alcoholic to the unsuspectedly large problem of female alcoholism. The pattern of the CCA's activity was to set up groups to deal with a particular problem (e.g. provision of hostel accommodation for homeless alcoholics, setting an Alcohol Education Centre) and then withdraw as these groups became self-supporting ventures. It also liaised with other organisations doing related work. The CCA became inactive in the early 1980s.