ESA - inability to work due to alcohol problems.

[Cotswold1964]

Hello there, I am new on here.

 

Without wishing to go on, in the last year my wife and the children have left due to the alcohol, I have been made redundant partly due to the fact that I had been drinking in work on occasions and I am now about to lose the house because I have been forced to sell with redundancy money running out.

 

I am currently receiving ESA at about £65 a week ( is this right? or is it just a temporary rate until I am ATOS assessed?)

 

I have my ATOS interview in a week and a halfs time. I know there is a section in the medical questionaire about dependencies, but then there seems to be no mention of it in the assessment criteria!

 

I am obviously not fit to attend interviews nevermind working, what happens in my case, does anybody know. I can't find any information when searching this site or by googling anything to do with alcohol and ESA!

 

I appreciate this is self inflicted but I have suffered from anxiety issues and depression for the last 8 years on and off and I have gradually become more and more reliant on alcohol! I am hopefully going to be admitted to an NHS detox unit around christmas time.

 

Any help would be gratefully appreciated

 

Thanks

 

Cots

Edited November 25, 2010 by Cotswold1964

[emmaf01]

Cotswold, we aren't here to judge- just to support each other where ever possible.

 

If you can take with you to the interview any letters/proof you are awaiting to go into treatment/detox, that might be helpful. Apaprt from that, perhaps a statement you could write mentioning your anxiety/depression issues and any letters of support from specialists. If you can hand over copies of these and get a receipt from them.

 

I can't say it will have any difference to the outcome with ATOS- if you read some threads about other people's experiences you'll understand they don't really follow much reason. But it might stand in good stead for a future appeal.

 

Good luck with getting your treatment and I hope it works for you.

[Cotswold1964]

Thanks emmaf01 for your reply

 

I have a pre-admission letter for the detox unit so I will take that. I have previously been under the care of Psychiatrists and Psycholgists, but this was 1 or 2 years ago and I guess it was determined my condition was made worse by the intervention of alcohol. I have detoxed 4 times previously and gone on to relapse - so again I do not feel able to work now.

 

It would now be difficult to obtain any statements from those specialists that I need time out to recover - but that is what I need.

 

Again it seems crazy that 3 GP's in my surgery have signed me off as unable to work, yet an ATOS " health proffesional" will probably deem me fit to work!

 

Are there no people that have a dependence on drugs or alcohol on this forum who could share their experiences?

 

Hopefully

 

Thanks

 

Cots

[emmaf01]

There might be some further back if you use the search button. Unfortunately it just depends who is round an about at the moment. I'm sure people have mentioned in previous threads that part of their health issues are present or past addiction issues.