'Rehab is for Quitters' sign put up outside Alcoholics Anonymous meeting

A billboard outside an off-licence which states "Rehab is for Quitters" has been slammed for "taunting" alcoholics.

The sign outside wine shop Bacchanalia in Victoria Road, Cambridge, has offended residents and members of Alcoholics Anonymous because the message is shown opposite a meeting place for people battling addiction.

Members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meet every week in St Luke's Church, also in Victoria Road, where they "share their experience, strength and hope" in a bid to survive the "killer disease" of alcoholism.



The street also houses a homeless hostel where some residents and visitors of the church-run refuge are battling with alcohol problems.

Kirsten Lavers, editor of the Willow Walker, a magazine written by the homeless and ex-homeless in Cambridge, slammed the provocative sign as "out-of-step". She said: "It could be taken in a flippant way but in reality going into rehab is an extremely brave insinuating it's a coward's way out is crass and insensitive."

Owner Paul Bowes was unavailable for comment as he was at a wine-tasting event in London. But Ed Read, who manages sister shop Bacchanalia in Mill Road, said: "This is just a bit of harmless fun and not meant to offend anyone."