Father of Amy Winehouse Calls For Increased Political Support of Rehab Centers

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If there is a silver lining to be found in the aftermath of Amy Winehouse’s death, it’s that a light has shone on the perils of alcohol and drug addition.

To that end, her father and managers are urging politicians to do more for young people across the UK who are struggling to overcome these woes.

Mitch Winehouse, 60, urged officials to support opening a government-funded treatment center for those citizens who cannot afford private rehab.

Amy and Mitch Winehouse, always her biggest fan and supporter.

“This isn’t about Amy because we were in a fortunate position of being able to fund Amy’s rehab,” he said. “This is about people that can’t afford it.”

Also accompanying Mitch on his visit to Parliament was recovered addict-turned-addiction specialist Sarah Graham, who told The Guardian this:

“We didn’t know [Amy’s death] was going to happen, but we hope it will show that addiction is something that can kill people when they are very young.”

“We should not wait until it is too late.”

“Rehabilitation is more expensive than treatment in the community. Most desperate young people cannot access it. It might be because their dealer meets them at the school gates. It could be that they are getting abused at home.”

Britain’s only National Health Service (NHS) rehab center for young people, Middlegate, in Lincolnshire, closed last year, leaving addicts facing either waits of up to two years for NHS treatment or expensive private clinic rates.

“Rather than money being wasted through the criminal justice system, there could be a reallocation of funds,” Winehouse said. “There was one rehab center for juveniles and that’s just shut down through lack of funding.”

“We need to look at that. We need to be able to help our children.”

Grieving Mitch, who fought for so long to get his daughter clean, is apparently channeling his efforts into helping others. It’s inspiring to see.

In his eulogy of Amy last week, Mitch said he was interested in starting a new foundation “to help those struggling with substance abuse.”

Amy Winehouse’s autopsy was conducted a week ago, but proved to be inconclusive as to the cause of death, pending toxicology results.

Mitch reportedly believes that rather than a drug overdose, abrupt alcohol withdrawal may have caused his daughter to suffer a seizure.