What is a Wet Clinic?

The staff of BDP's wet clinic inside The Wild Goose Drop-in Centre, Bristol. — The staff of our wet clinic inside The Wild Goose Drop-in Centre, Bristol.

Being severely dependent on alcohol can mean that things that most of us don’t find challenging can become a real struggle. One of these things is accessing healthcare through a GP. If you are severely dependent on alcohol, stopping drinking suddenly is dangerous and can lead to seizures and fatalities: you do not have a choice to stop drinking. This can make lots of things challenging, including attending appointments or accessing services, as they don’t permit drinking or require you to be sober.

This is where our Wet Clinic steps in.

So what is a Wet Clinic?

A wet clinic is a friendly, welcoming setting where people can access health care and support without the need to stop drinking and are able to have alcohol on site. This increases access to care for people who often feel excluded from traditional health care settings. Bristol’s Wet Clinics are a lifeline for this particularly vulnerable population, who often have multiple chronic health conditions which risk remaining undiagnosed and untreated.

BDP’s Wet Clinic

BDP runs two Wet Clinic sessions each week in collaboration with the Homeless Health Service. At these sessions, people can access support from a nurse, GP and a specialist BDP alcohol worker.

‘[Wet Clinic] is a lifeline in so many ways. Nowhere else can you just drop in and be seen for your problems, and the staff are bloody good people who go beyond their remit to help you. It’s the first step for many people and helps to slowly gain confidence in speaking to services.’
Steve – Service user