Epidemic needs tough measures
Feb 22 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal
MINISTERS are failing to tackle Britain’s drinking “epidemic” and are working too closely with the alcohol industry, leading doctors said yesterday.
Stronger Government action is needed to cut alcohol abuse, which devastates lives, according to a study from the British Medical Association (BMA).
Whitley Bay GP George Rae, of the BMA Northern Council, backed calls for a raft of measures to be introduced to bring down alcohol related conditions in the young. The BMA also pointed to alarming statistics on how much youngsters, particularly teenage girls, drink as supermarket giant Tesco demanded action on the price of alcohol.
“Anything which can help the problem health-wise we are having with alcohol at the present time has to be welcomed.
“Any measures which would be helpful in getting moderation into consumption of alcohol, particularly in younger people, would be something the profession would welcome.”
In the more recent of his 25 years in the profession, Dr Rae has seen people with liver problems from the effects of binge drinking aged as young as 20.
“It would have been patients in their 50s through lifestyle and alcohol but now it is happening in people’s 20s and 30s,” he said.
“I am seeing even younger people with gout from drinking too much lager.”
UK teenagers are among the most likely in Europe to report heavy drinking and being intoxicated, it said. Tesco said that it wanted to work with the Government on new laws to ensure the “responsible pricing” of alcohol following widespread concern that cut-price booze is fuelling binge-drinking and crime.
Tesco said the Government must deal with the issue because supermarkets are barred by competition laws from taking action together to raise prices, while customers would simply go elsewhere if they acted unilaterally.
The supermarkets have faced criticism for selling alcohol at heavily reduced prices – sometimes below the wholesale cost – as a “loss leader”.
Campaign groups have also expressed outrage that in some cases alcohol can be cheaper than bottled water. The BMA believes the UK is in “the midst of an epidemic” and tough action is needed to stop alcohol misuse spiralling out of control.
The report called for: Higher taxes on alcoholic drinks, proportionate to the amount of alcohol in the product; an end to “irresponsible” promotional activities such as happy hours and two-for-one offers; standardised labels on bottles and cans that state alcohol units, recommended guidelines for consumption and a warning message saying how exceeding guidelines may cause harm; the drink-driving limit to be reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg per 100ml, throughout the UK.
