Today we publish our alcohol report on what we’ve come to call ‘Risky Drinking’, covered in the Sun Tel, Express, Independent, Telegraph, Huff Post. We have a public health crisis in the making – a ticking time-bomb of alcohol related disease:
- 8 million adults are drinking are drinking above the recommended weekly limits and in most cases, unwittingly increasing their risk of cancer, stroke, liver disease and hypertension.There can easily be 10 units of alcohol in one bottle of wine, and 3 in a large glass of wine.
- We have the most lax regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing in Europe, meaning that we are all – including children – constantly bombarded with lifestyle images equating drinking with success and relaxation.
- There is still much confusion about units amongst individuals and GPs; 80% of GPs surveyed said they thought patients should be asked about their drinking but only 20% actually do. 65% of GPs always ask about smoking.
The burden on the NHS is growing; 35% of attendances at A&E are alcohol related and liver disease has gone up two-fold in the past two decades in the UK while falling across Europe. Yes, we all have to die of something, but you do not want to die of excruciating liver failure or throat cancer – and you are many times more likely to if you if you are drinking a couple of glasses of wine a day.
We recommend:
- Advertising the amount of units on the front of alcohol bottles and cans
- A public health campaign to raise awareness and DH guidance that drinking everyday is not recommended – there is no safe limit
- Screening everyone for alcohol use at the age of 30 and as part of the 40-74 year health checks
- Promoting ‘Brief Interventions’, a proven way where healthcare professionals can review alcohol consumption with patients and direct to appropriate services, resulting in a reduction of units drunk
- Legislating to bring the UK in line with WHO recommendations on advertising
- Minimum pricing of 40p a unit
2020health's Blog 
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