3-Year-Old Child Treated for Alcoholism in UK Hospital

An unnamed three-year-old baby has become the youngest person treated in Britain for alcoholism.

The child, who was given alcohol for six months, is one of 13 treated for alcoholism by the by the Heart of England NHS Trust between 2008 and 2010.

Last month, a similar report by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust revealed that four five-year-olds had been treated for drink and drug addictions since 2006.

Nicolay Sorensen, a spokesman for Alcohol Concern, said: ‘To be diagnosed alcoholic, it’s possible this child would have shown a physical dependency. They would have had to ingest enough to cause withdrawal symptoms.

‘Whatever the circumstances, it is a truly horrifying case and raises very serious child protection issues.’