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?

 

We need to understand the psychology of drinking

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11138535

Research is demonstrating that problem drinking is more prevelent in some parts of the country compared with others (see above link to BBC news article).   Recent research published by the North West Public Health Observatory has found some stark regional divisions, with two thirds of alcohol related harm occuring in the north. 

Health minister Lord Howe said the government was already taking action to stop the sale of alcohol below cost and to review alcohol taxation and price.  However he acknowledged that increasing the cost of alcohol alone will not tackle the huge amount of alcohol related health problems and crime our nation is experiencing:

"Supply and price are not the only factors fuelling misuse though, attitudes are crucial. We need to understand better the psychology behind why different groups of people drink too much. Legislation or initiatives will not work unless we have a better understanding of what drives people's decisions."

What are your thoughts?

Caught on camera...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/8700638.stm

The link above refers to a BBC news story about a student in Sussex University selling mephedrone to an undercover reporter.  Does the story reflect that criminalising mephedrone has had any impact on its use in the UK aside from increasing the price per sale?

The ban was partly put in place in reaction to a number of deaths associated with the drug, however conclusive evidence of cause of the deaths is yet to be established.   Has criminalising mephedrone had an effect on how many young people are using it and what else could be done to prevent mephedrone related deaths?

 

'Sensible drinking' advice for the injured...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8599878.stm

The above link is to a BBC news story written in regard to hospital staff providing sensible drinking advice to patients coming back for follow up appointments after treatment for an alcohol related injury.  The Royal College of Surgeons of England suggest that outpatient clinic visits offer an opportunity for nurses to motivate people to drink sensibly and to offer advice about alcohol services should their patients require additional support.

"Janet Davies, from the Royal College of Nursing, said that it had recently accredited a training course to help nurses intervene at the right moment.   She said: "The time nurses spend with patients during follow-up appointments provides a valuable window of opportunity to encourage people to think about whether they might be drinking too much and to signpost them to further information and advice."

Do you think that this step will help reduce the number of alcohol related A&E hospital admissions?

1 in 2 weekend ambulance calls out related to alcohol...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/6262963/Two-thirds-of-Scottish-ambulance-weekend-call-outs-linked-to-alcohol.html

The above link refers to an article published in the Telegraph regarding the number of Scottish ambulance weekend calls out that are related to alcohol. The article discusses the statistics that suggest that two thirds of weekend ambulance call outs are directly related to alcohol.

The Scottish Ambulance Service complained that these cases were delaying medics' response times to real emergencies and gave it's backing to 'any initiative' that would see the numbers drop.

“SNP ministers hailed the figures as support for their controversial plan to introduce a minimum price for alcohol, mooted at 40p per unit”.

“This would increase the price of cheap lager and cider brought in shops and supermarkets, but most beverages purchased in pubs and clubs already cost more than this threshold”.

“Cathy Jamieson, the Scottish party’s health spokesman, said: “This situation cannot be allowed to continue because if ambulance crews are attending to drunks they may not be available for a genuine emergency.”

Robert Brown, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said: “Alcohol-related call outs are largely preventable if, as a nation, we can adopt a more responsible approach to alcohol consumption.”

 

 

Heroin supply clinic - cuts crime? Other thoughts?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8255418.stm

The link above refers to the news story published by the BBC this morning regarding three clinics who have been trialling a new approach to address heroin addiction. Over the past 6 months these clinics have been supplying heroin for over 100 heroin addicts – the scheme involves clients attending a clinic twice a day for supervised injecting – unlike previous treatment plans, these clinics are not just using methadone, but also heroin.

The findings that have been reported this morning include a reduction in personal use of street drugs, meaning less money being spent on the illegal drug market and a reduction in crime. However, at £15,000 per person per year the NTA is considering the financial implications of the scheme. Aside from finances (treatment is reported to be three times as expensive as alternative treatment, but roughly three times cheaper than a year long prison sentence), this trial has raised many points...Some about the individual and some about crime and money....
For example, whilst the news report this morning suggested the scheme is designed to stabilise heroin addicts, it said nothing about the end goal – I.e. how long do individuals attend the scheme, what does completing the programme result in – safer using or recovery? Additionally, whilst the report advised that the 127 participants involved in the scheme had failed at other kinds of treatment, they have not reported any details. There is a proportion of addicts who do not successfully complete treatment the first time – this can be due many reasons, not least because the individual has gone into a unsuitable clinic and has been unable to engage. The point is, would £15,000 be better spent on 6 months of rehab where addicts learn to live drug free in a supervised and supportive environment, or do you think this new scheme will path the way to a healthily population and a serious reduction in drug related crime?

Know your limits?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8225029.stm

“English holidaymakers are turning to drink on their breaks with the average adult consuming eight alcoholic drinks a day, a survey suggests. That equates to 80 drinks over the course of an average holiday, to well over 200 units of alcohol. More than a quarter said they ended up drinking three times more than normal. But 70% of the 3,500 adults questioned by the Department of Health said they plan to make September the 'new January' by cutting back.”

Above is a section of an article published on the BBC website. The article mainly discusses how the English population over indulge when they go on their summer holidays and plan to cut back in September (the 'new January').

The advice is:

“Cutting back on alcohol for September is a great place to start; if you find yourself drinking all or most days of the week, start by taking at least two days off each week.”

The basic notion of the article is to find a healthy balance – which in my mind, with all the recent reports about the dangers of binge drinking, does not equate to binging for the whole of your summer holiday and then take a few days off in September. This is a cynical and one dimensional interpretation of a generally good piece of advice, however I am wondering how this sort of information is interpreted by those who do drink 200 units (or more) during their summer break? The article advises that a quarter of the 3,500 involved in the survey stated that they consume three times as much alcohol when on holiday compared to when at home. Although statistics can be misleading, taking the figures from this article, that is suggesting that even when at home some people are drinking 67 (200/3) units per week, which is still way over what the NHS advise is good for us:

 

Men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol per day.


Women should not regularly drink more than two to three units of alcohol per day.

So, should we be more concerned about people who overindulged on holiday where booze is likely to be cheap and free flowing or the 10 million people who regularly exceed (and often quadruple) the recommended daily amount of alcohol from the comfort of their own homes?

 

Pregnancy and illegal drugs - enough info and support or not?

If you want to stop smoking there is a host of government funded initiatives to support you - groups, one 2 ones, telephone buddies, patches, chewing gum, inhalers, giving up plans and tools to help you break your own individual smoking cycle....There is even a section dedicated to helping pregnant mothers to stop smoking (also how father's smoking can impact on unborn children). However, there seems to be a significant lack of readily available information regarding how illegal drug use during pregnancy can affect your unborn child.

It is common knowledge that using any substance when pregnant has the potential to cause negative consequences for developing babies, but it is interesting that you can watch numerous videos of a foetus' reactions to cigarette smoke, but getting the medical facts on how illegal drugs affect your unborn child is not nearly as accessible. Could this be a reflection of our countries determination to ignore wide spread drug use and addiction or is it that the facts, as it were, are still relatively unknown?

Should there me more information on how illicit drugs affect pregnant woman and their developing children even if the facts are still unclear?

 

18.2% abv beer - helping or hindering the war on binge drinking?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8170813.stm

The above links refers to 'Tokyo': a 18.2% abv, £9.99 bottle of beer recently launched by the Scottish brewery, BrewDog. BrewDog says launching such drinks will help to reduce binge drinking:

 

BrewDog founder James Watt said: "Mass-market, industrially-brewed lagers are so bland and tasteless that you are seduced into drinking a lot of them. "We've been challenging people to drink less alcohol, and educating the palates of drinkers with progressive craft-brewed beers which have an amazing depth of flavour, body and character. "The beers we make at BrewDog, including Tokyo*, are providing a cure to binge beer-drinking."

Whilst Alcohol Focus Scotland chief Executive Jack Law has warned that high alcohol percentage beer could cause as much damage as drinking more lower percentage beers:

 

"This company is completely deluded if they think that an 18.2% abv, (alcohol by volume), beer will help solve Scotland's alcohol problems," he said. "It is utterly irresponsible to bring out a beer which is so strong at a time when Scotland is facing unprecedented levels of alcohol-related health and social harm. "Just one bottle of this beer contains six units of alcohol - twice the recommended daily limit."

What do you think? Are drinks like 'Tokyo' adding to or solving a massive problem?

It is vitally important to take into consideration that whilst there are a number of people who can drink sensibly, there are also a large number of people in the UK who have alcohol addictions – an alcohol addiction is not defined by how much you drink or what you drink, but rather how your drinking impacts you life. Thus, one person could drink 3 cans of low percentage lager per night and experience problems attending work, maintaining relationships and develop health problems. Someone who drinks 3 large glasses of whiskey a night is no more of an alcoholic than the person who drinks lager because the abv % is higher in whisky – it all depends on how the alcohol affects your life. Which is why some people drink regularly and can stop and why others can't stop, but drink in physically and psychologically damaging binge cycles.

Liver failure at 22 years old - the tragic story and the wider implications

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/jul/25/gary-reinbach-alcoholic-madeline-hanshaw

Above is a link to an article published in The Guardian over the weekend that writes about Gary Reinbach, a 22 year old who died from liver failure last week. The article discusses his mothers experience of her son's drinking and ultimately his death as well as more general issues, such as should an alcoholic be given a liver transplant if there is a chance they may start to drink again? Surely there is always a chance that an addict will return to drinking or using, but they deserve the opportunity to get into recovery and that requires specialist help.

“Gary Reinbach was denied a transplant because, under guidelines drawn up by the Liver Advisory Group, patients who are likely to return to a damaging pattern of alcohol consumption aren't deemed suitable candidates.”

As Gary's mother discusses and reject, the population have attributed a far proportion of blame to her for Gary's death, but it is also clear that if Gary was eligible for a transplant he may well still be alive, so who should decide if someone should or should not be given a second chance? A key point is that if more alcoholics were treated in suitable rehab clinics then there would not be so much demand for livers or indeed so many alcohol related deaths.

What is most shocking about this tragic story is that a man aged 22 years old could die from a condition that is widely associated with older people who have 40 years old alcohol abuse under their belts. Indeed, even Dr Nick Sheron, a liver specialist has been shocked by the number of liver failure cases he has seen in young people.

“What Luke and his mates have discovered the hard way is what liver specialists like Dr Nick Sheron, of Southampton General hospital, have been saying for some time: that young people who abuse alcohol heavily will suffer the same consequences that older people who've been abusing it for many years do; in other words, their livers will fail.

"I became a liver specialist 15 years ago, and I remember how shocked I was when I first saw a man of 23 with liver failure. But this year already I've seen five people with it in their early 20s. Gary isn't going to be the last death. We're going to see a lot more young people in this state over the next few years.

The lost of this young man's life not only highlights the severity of alcohol abuse, but also emphasises the need for people who are experiencing problems with alcohol to seek help no matter how old they are.

Rise in cocaine use = rise in heart problems

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/cocaine-britain-25-per-cent-rise-in-the-last-year-1759267.html

The above link refers to an article published in The Independent today that discussed the 25% rise in cocaine use that the UK has seen in the last year. The impact this is having is that addicts are getting younger and heart problems are increasing.

“According to the College of Emergency Medicine, the admission to hospital of young adults with heart problems caused by cocaine abuse has become almost routine since 2004.”

Aside from the odd newspaper article or television documentary there is not much public information advising about the significant risk of serious heart problems arising from a short time abusing cocaine. Do you think our young people are aware of what damage they are doing to themselves?

Plight of the Pensioners...

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Plight-of-the-pensioners-who.5458745.jp

The above link refers to an article published in the Yorkshire Post: 'Plight of the Pensioners who are Driven to Drink in Retirement.' This article highlights two things: firstly, that our misconception that only young people abuse alcohol could not be further from the truth and secondly that there is no more readily available NHS help for older alcohol abusers than there is for young alcohol abusers.

When did we first decide to ignore the older generation of substance abusers and just concentrate on streets full of binge drinking teenagers? I'm not saying that young people dying before they are 25 due to drink related illnesses is not a huge problem, but what about those who are shut indoors, ordering alcohol with their weekly shopping, who are not exposed by the media, but need help nonetheless?

The implication is that it is not only drunk 20 year olds who are getting behind the wheel causing accidents or teenagers jamming up A&E departments, the figures in this article suggest that the older generations are contributing to these problems just as much as the younger generation. If you know someone who needs help don't hesitate to get in touch and find out what help is available – whilst government funded services may be scarce there is immediate help available, treatment might not be inexpensive, but it is life saving, no matter how old you are.

Addiction knows no boundaries, it does not discriminate, it is not dictated by age or race or class or sex – it ruins hundreds of thousands of lives – people from all different walks of life.

 

Mind altering drugs and studying?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mindenhancing-drugs-are-they-a-nobrainer-1708988.html

The link above directs you to an article published by the Independent that addresses the issue of mind altering drugs and their place in academia. Whilst the article discusses various drugs that are now becoming popular amongst students, all of which are used widely in other areas (for example Ritalin, used to treat children with ADHD) the main gist revolves around a highly debated suggestion from John Harris, director of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics. The distinguished Professor of Bioethics says it is time to embrace the possibilities of 'brain boosters' and chemical cognitive enhancement.

Do you think it is fair that healthy students take mind enhancing drugs to concentrate harder in exams? If yes, then who should the drugs be made available to? And if no, then what's the difference between taking performance enhancing drugs in the context of studying and getting extra help in the form of tuition?

Regardless of the answer to the above questions, is it too late anyway as all these drugs are easily accessible on the Internet and it would seem that at least some of the world wide population of students have been embracing the concept of mind enhancing drugs for years...

 

 

Shift in drug habits...

This week sees Radio 1 launch Drug Week – offering an accessible and informative debate about drug use in the UK. The link below refers to a Newsbeat page discussing the shift in young people's drug habits. Whilst the article advises that there has been a drop in the use of hard drugs (i.e. heroin and crack) and that more young people than ever are getting addiction treatment, it also emphasises that party drugs (i.e. cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis) are getting stronger and taking them is increasing risky, especially when mixing multiple drugs together. This implies that whilst one problem is decreasing a bigger one is increasing.

 “Alcohol is cheaper and more available, cannabis is far stronger, cocaine is half the price it used to be and you can get half a dozen ecstasy tablets for £10," according to Howard Parker, Professor Emeritus at Manchester University, who coined the term 'ACCE' last year.

Not to mention the fact that alcohol abuse is at record levels across the population and that the statistics publish recently quite possibly do not include thousands of young people who abuse legal prescription drugs, albeit attained by illegal means.

The facts are that drug use in this county, whether legal or illegal, is a big problem and we need a new approach to support our young people – 'just saying no' is no longer a valid preventative measure. It seems that taking drugs is part of the teenage culture and we need more understanding if we are going to nurture our young people to make more informed decisions about what drugs they use and how they use them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/the_p_word/newsid_8084000/8084968.stm

Babies in withdrawal

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/one-in-500-babies-now-born-drug-dependent-1693502.html

This article in The Independent highlights the increasing problem of babies born suffering withdrawal due to their mothers drug use. This problem is getting bigger and bigger whilst government funded initiatives to tackle the problems are getting smaller. More and more specialist units are closing, leaving the few experienced drug and alcohol midwives to deal with unacceptable work loads. The figures in this article are likely to be underestimating the number of mothers to be experiencing drug and alcohol related pregnancy problems and something has to change.

If you are experiencing addiction problems and need some support there are a variety of private clinics who can help – get in touch.

Who should pay for emergency treatment?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5368034/Drunks-should-pay-for-emergency-treatment-think-tank-says.html

As this article in the Telegraph highlights, there is an ongoing debate about who should be paying for emergency treatment?  If you end up in A&E after drinking heavily should the person or the NHS pick up the tab?...and how can we actually work out who ended up in hospital due to their own actions versus the actions of others?...who is responsible?  The article goes on to consider if a alcohol price rise will have an impact on the number of A&E admissions we are seeing, what do you think?

12 months history from 1 strand of hair...

New technology has now developed the ability to conduct in-depth analysis of alcohol consumption. Drug testing on 1 strand of hair can now determine whether an individual has has a long-term alcohol dependency and can provide a history of up to 12 months.  Drug testing is used by the NHS, courts, Local Authorities and solicitors in many different cases, this new technology can now give a new dimension to traditional drug testing which has only been able to provide an insight into drugs/alcohol used within a 4 week period.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/businesstruth/5351561/Drug-testing-Trimega-Laboratories-find-gold-in-hair.html

Alcohol ban in sports?

Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp has stated that he would like to implement an alcohol ban in his football team.  This statement was made following the arrest one of his key players outside a nightclub after an alleged assault (reportedly involving alcohol), however it should not detract from the main emphasis of the article:

"Footballers should not drink. You shouldn't put diesel in a Ferrari. I know it's hard but they are earning big money, they are role models to kids."

Effectively, 1) health should come before drinking and 2) what sort of role models are sports personalities when alcohol fuelled scandal is always in the headlines?

What do you think - are alcohol bans in sport needed and if so where is the line between Harry Redknapp's opinion and the fact that after every Formula 1 race the winners shower each other with champagne?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8045213.stm

World cocaine market - what is the true cost?

How do you measure cocaine?  Is it in sterling or in Euros? Weight or purity? The number of dealers selling it or the number of consumers using it? Or do you measure it by how many people are falling victim to the cutting agents that are used with it?  As recent police seizure figures suggest, it is estimated that only 9% of the cocaine currently being distributed in the UK is pure, the remaining 91% is made up from all kinds of chemicals - none of which are known for safe human consumption.

As purity levels decrease, street prices remains steady - the demand is intense and the risks significant.  Will this have an impact on how cocaine is used in the UK?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8044275.stm

Smoking, drinking and using...are you still thinking advert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1guM9Ydjbac&feature=related

This links leads to an advert that advises of smoking and drinking related illnesses and deaths - the projected statistics reflect the current death rate from smoking, whether it be cigarettes or cannabis and the volume of people who suffer alcohol related illnesses, many of which lead to an early death.  Are you still thinking....