Alcoholics could face losing their benefits unless they seek treatment for their addiction, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell has said.
The Government is exploring whether plans being introduced for drug addicts, which require them to try and get clean before they can get state handouts, could be applied to those with alcohol problems.
Mr Purnell conceded it was more difficult to identify alcoholics than drug addicts but said it was worth having a "serious think" about the idea.
But the Liberal Democrats criticised the plans as "inhumane" and criticised support services for alcoholics.
The Government will commission new research, alongside a review by the Health and Work and Pensions Departments, to look at how the benefits system can work effectively for people addicted to alcohol.
Mr Purnell told the BBC: "We want to see whether there are ways in which, if we can identify people who are alcoholics, we can basically do exactly what we are proposing to do with drug addicts, which is to say that in return for your benefits you should be accessing treatment and trying to get clean.
"Clearly there are issues about how you identify alcoholics, it's not as easy as with drug addicts, but it's something that we want to have a serious think about because it is not of any help to an individual or a family if we just allow them to remain an alcoholic and have their lives blighted by it."
But Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Webb dismissed the idea as "typical New Labour posturing".
He said: "Threatening to deprive people of their basic benefits unless they recover from alcoholism is fundamentally inhumane.
"There are far too few support services for alcoholics, and there is no evidence that people who are threatened in this way are more likely to seek help. This is no more than typical New Labour posturing."
