With drug addictions there are substitutes available, such as methadone – but not with alcohol. This places significant demands on mental health services at a time when homelessness is on the rise. As many as one in 25 people is classed as homeless in the worst-affected areas of England, according to a survey for Shelter last week. Lobbyists say super strength drinks contribute to premature deaths and the phenomenon of 'young-olds' where people exhibit the health problems of people 20-30 years older than their biological age. Thames Reach is calling for a new 6% strength ceiling on the alcohol content for canned and bottled super strength lagers and ciders.

The main popular super strength lagers at 9%, all brewed by major drinks companies, include Tennent's Super, Carlsberg Special Brew, Skol Super and Kestrel Super.The World Health Organisation claims that “a large body of literature has found raising the price of alcohol to be effective in reducing harmful use of alcohol among drinkers”. Figures compiled by outreach workers say London has 8,108 rough sleepers. Of these, 44% have an alcohol problem, and many consume super- strength drinks. The homeless charity Thames Reach estimates that 98% of its clients drink high-strength ciders and beers. Yes, they are also consumed by people with alcohol dependency problems - that does not necessarily mean that they are irresponsibly marketed". David Poley, its Chief Executive says: "There's no reason really to suppose that these drinks don't have a market amongst responsible adult drinkers.

Of the 4,000 individuals that Thames Reach worked with in 2005, 47% were found to have an alcohol misuse problem and around 800 individuals were addicted to super strength lagers and ciders. Six years ago, the government increased the duty on super-strength lagers. The consumption of super-strength beer fell by a quarter as a result. But, because of resistance from cider manufacturers, the government did not extend the rise to super-strength ciders. In April 2008 InBev UK announced that after careful consideration they would no longer be producing Tennent's Super in 500ml cans - and they will be moving to 440ml in the first quarter of 2008. An alternative solution – advocated by many addiction charities – has been to use increased pricing. So, for an extra 50 pence, you get an extra litre,” points out Martin, who quit the drinks after they gave him a loss of appetite and made him “moody”.Inbev, who manufacture "Tennents Super", have just announced that they are reducing the size of their cans.