Quarter of a million alcohol related deaths in the next 20 years?

Writing in The Lancet leading liver experts say poor alcohol regulation in the UK could lead to quarter of a million deaths in the next two decades. The doctors have suggested that if certain measures are put in place, including imposing a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol, the death rate could be reduced by a third.

The debate continues to rage about how much the coalition government is doing to address the huge issue of alcohol related deaths. Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians asked “how many more people have to due from alcohol-related conditions....before the government takes the situation as seriously as it took tobacco?”.

The doctors, lead by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore said “Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity like soap powder...It is a drug, it happens to be legal, but it is a drug and there are more the 1.5 million people addicted to alcohol. We think, like other areas of public health, like smoking, like seatbelts, there is a strong case for tougher regulation and the most effective regulation would be around price”.

The current situation in the UK has been compared to 1960s France when liver disease deaths were related to the consumption of cheap alcohol – changes in marketing and price regulation altered this situation. Can the same change happen here? Surely as well as a change in price there has to be a significant shift in the way that addiction is recognised and treated? What are your thoughts?

 

'Project Prevention' - positive prevention or social engineering?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8500285.stm

Read the above article for a review of the controversial American organisation, Project Prevention, run by Barbara Harris, whose aim it is to provide drug users with long term contraception or sterilisation to prevent them having children she believes they are unwilling or unable to care for. Who do you agree with?.... Barbara or her critics who claim that her non for profit organisation is a form of social engineering?

'Newsbeat's Booze Calculator'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12254668

Click on the link above to find out how your drinking could affect you in terms of health and finances.  The 'Newsbeat's Booze Calculator' converts the alcohol you consumed into calories, money and units and compares it to how many units are recommended per week.

Are you surprised by your results?�

Designated Drinking Areas

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12204010

The above link refers to a news story called 'Should alcoholics be given drinking zones?'. The link describes a trial that may be conducted in Essex that will see the creation of designated drinking areas in which heavy drinkers are allowed to drink without being moved on the police. Public opinion seems to be mixed about the benefits of this trial; with many reporting that this will create a safe environment for street drinkers and many feeling that designating areas will not help the individuals or the over all problem of alcoholism. This drinking zones trial follows the controversy regarding the decision to create wet day centres around the country. The aim of these wet centres is to 'provide support, help and treatment for severely disadvantage and chaotic people, including street drinkers.....and to tackle the anti-social behaviour problem for city centres in a constructive, non-criminalising way”. What do you think, are wet day centres and designated drinking areas helping the individuals or just moving the problem?

 

 

What is Sex Addiction Anonymous?

What is Sex Addicts Anonymous? (SAA)

“As a fellowship of recovering addicts, Sex Addicts Anonymous offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from sex addiction..... The basic principles of recovery practiced by SAA are found in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Although we are not affiliated with AA or with any other organization or agency, we are, indeed, grateful for permission to modify and apply the Steps and Traditions to sex addiction, making recovery possible for us.”(http://saa-recovery.org/)

What is Sexaholics Anonymous? (SA)

“SA is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover.. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop lusting and become sexually sober. There are no dues or fees for SA membership; we are self-supporting through out own contributions....Our primary purpose is to stay sexually sober and help other sexaholics to achieve sobriety.” (http://www.sauk.org/)

If you need help with sex addiction steps2rehab is here to help. http://www.steps2rehab.com/addictions/sexual-addiction/

 

Self-Service tills and opportunity for under age purchasing of alcohol...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12107971

The above link relates to an article expressing a call to ban self-service tills for buying alcohol. The Scottish National Party's Stewart Maxwell is suggesting to retailers that they act responsibly and voluntarily end the use of self-service tills for the sale of alcohol. It is suggested that having one supervisor overseeing a number of self-service tills makes it difficult to accurately monitor customer's ages, hence allowing under age customers to buy alcohol undetected. Many self service tills require manual authorisation by an assistant when age restricted items are being purchased, do you think this is enough to prevent under age drinkers from purchasing alcohol or should the use of self-service tills be banned for all age restricted items?