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?

Know your units...

Do you know how many units your usual pint contains or how many are in a high ABV% glass of wine?  How often do you drink more the recommended daily units?  Do you think you could accurately estimate how many units you drink in a week or would you be surprised by the real figure?...

Whilst different drinks vary in size and strength, below is a rough guide to how may units of alcohol are in what you are drinking:

Beer, Lager and Cider:

4% - 330ml Bottle = 1.3 units,  440ml Can = 1.8 units, 568ml Pint = 2.3 units

5% - 330ml Bottle = 1.7 units,  440ml Can = 2.2 units, 568ml Pint = 2.8 units

6% - 330ml Bottle - 2.0 uniits, 440ml Can = 2.6 units, 568ml Pint = 3.4 units

9% - 330ml Bottle - 3.0 units,  440ml Can = 4.0 units, 568ml Pint = 5.1 units

Spirits (40%):

25ml Small Measure - 1.0 units, 35ml Large Measure - 1.4 units (multiply by two for double measures)

Wine (red, wine, rose or sparkling):

10% - 125ml Small Glass = 1.25 units, 175ml Standard Glass = 1.75 units, 250ml Large Glass = 2.5 units

           Bottle = 7.5 units

11% - 125ml Small Glass = 1.4 units,   175ml Standard Glass = 1.9 units,   250ml Large Glass = 2.8 units

           Bottle = 8.3 units

12% - 125ml Small Glass = 1.5 units,   175ml Standard Glass = 2.1 units,   250ml Large Glass = 3.0 units

           Bottle = 9 units

13% - 125ml Small Glass = 1.6 units,   175ml Standard Glass = 2.3 units,   250ml Large Glass = 3.3 units

           Bottle = 9.8 units

14% - 125ml Small Glass = 1.75 units, 175ml Standard Glass = 2.5 units,   250ml Large Glass = 3.5 units

           Bottle = 10.5 units

(http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_084637.pdf)

Researchers in Spain Validate Scale to Judge Work Addiction.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018190670?Researchers%20In%20Spain%20Validate%20Scale%20To%20Judge%20Work%20Addiction

The above link takes you to a news article about the development of the DUWAS (Dutch Work Addiction Scale) created by researchers in Spain.  It is estimated that work addiction currently effects up to 12% of the population of Spain.

To read more look up the Spanish journal Psicothema....

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.”

 

 

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?

 

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.

 

Starting to drink at 10 years old and all we do is print pictures in the paper?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/17/young-people-alcohol

Above is a link to an article published in The Guardian that explores young people's perspectives of teenage drinking – if it's going to be talked about so much in the media then we might as well know what the actual people the media is discussing think about their national portrait 'as a bunch of booze-addled louts'?

The key points raised by the group of 17 young people that were invited to share their opinions by The Guardian and Drinkaware at a youth roundtable, included:

• Young participants thought the media portrayal of young people and alcohol was exaggerated. Nevertheless, many worried about friends, and how much some of them were drinking.

• They copied their parents, who also sometimes used alcohol to cope with the stresses of life.

• One participant thought that the taboo nature of alcohol made it particularly attractive. Others cited doing what other people did, a desire to have fun, relax and combat boredom.

• Many participants had their first drink at 13 or 14; a few were younger. One participant blamed the variety of alcoholic drinks on offer.

• A survey conducted by Drinkaware showed that people in general were starting to drink alcohol at a younger age.

• When shown tabloid press cuttings about young people and alcohol, several participants - but not all - felt the coverage was skewed against them.

• Several participants felt the media encouraged young people to drink.

• All thought schools needed to offer improved education concerning alcohol. It was felt they should offer advice about drinking sensibly, rather than prohibition. · Some thought that peer education worked well; others that young people needed to learn from their own mistakes.

However, perhaps the most salient thing about the opinions of these young people, is the fact that they have all had vastly different experiences of alcohol consumption and hold varied opinions on what would work to improve the stigma of teenage drinking, and moreover and how new schemes to reduce alcohol related problems in our youth population could be implemented. This emphasises the need for a more modern strategy to deal with teenage drinking – as the policeman quoted by Jack, one of the young people involved in the debate stated, 'We know you are going to drink and take drugs but do it somewhere quiet, do it nicely. If you do get drunk, call us. We will help'.

We can't ignore the fact that our young people are started to drink earlier and earlier and that more than just a pint is consumed, but we can start to do is face facts and talk honestly to work out what help young people need – whatever it is, it certainly isn't more stereotypes.

 

Close our only unique specialist young persons unit? = madness

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/15/health-drugs

The above links refers to an article published in The Guardian that discusses the potential closure of Middlegate – Britain's only specialist residential drug and alcohol unit for young people. Whilst the article makes points about the development of new and alternative services to units like Middlegate, it remains a travesty to our society that our only facility geared up solely to deal with severe substance abuse problems in our young population is facing closure – and why? It seems to come down to finances. Treatment is not inexpensive, but it is life saving and whilst intense residential treatment is not needed by everyone, we are kidding ourselves if we think that losing a specialist facility like Middlegate is anything but a crying shame. We need to wake up and stop ignoring the fact that children as young as 11 and 12 are using hard drugs – having a place for young people to get the help they really need, and not just a few counselling sessions a month, is vital for the recovery of many young people; what we need is more places like Middlegate, not to rid our country of the only unit of it's kind.

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

Drugs and Rugby

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/5431474/Rugby-must-address-drugs-problems.html

The article above refers to the steadily increasing number of random drug tests conducted in British rugby that are coming back positive – and not just steroids or performance enhancing drugs, but the same drugs you would expect to find in a club or bar anywhere in the UK. Long has it been considered that sports like rugby only include one drug, alcohol, however, this is changing. As the article suggests, why would rugby players be exempt from using recreational drugs?

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?

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

England and Alcohol - the statistics

http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/alcohol08

Want to know about drinking in the UK? - check out the latest publication from the NHS Information Centre.  Follow the link to read about health issues relating to alcohol in England and view the statistics.  The reports cover topics such as drinking habits and behaviours among adults and school children, drinking related ill health and mortality, affordability of alcohol and alcohol related costs.

Cannabis Crackdown?

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=366759&NewsAreaID=2

As stated in the above link to a publication by The Central Office of Information, the face of cannabis is changing - stronger strains, younger users and harsher penalties - will changing the class of this drug have a significant effect on who chooses to use it?