Boozy pensioners are increasingly seeking help with problem drinking, according to an alcohol treatment centre chain. The news follows hard on the heels of reports that middle-aged women are to be the target of a government advertising campaign to convince them to curb their intake. And drunken youths who binge drink have long been a cause for concern. So is alcohol abuse in Britain spiralling out of control?
The British Medical Association think so. They are calling for higher taxes on alcoholic drinks, an end to "irresponsible" drinks promotions such as happy hours, and a lowering of the permitted alcohol limit for driving. Its head of science and ethics, Dr Vivienne Nathanson said:
As doctors we see first hand how alcohol misuse destroys lives. It causes family breakdowns, is a major factor in domestic violence, ruins job prospects, is often related to crime and disorderly behaviour and it kills. The NHS spends millions every year on treating and dealing with alcohol problems.
But figures from the Office for National Statistics show alcohol consumption may actually be falling. The proportion of men drinking more than 21 units a week on average fell from 29% in 2000 to 23% in 2006. There was also a fall in the proportion of women drinking more than 14 units a week over the same period, from 17% to 12%. The fall in consumption occurred among men and women in all age groups, but was most evident among those aged 16 to 24.
However, the ONS say the trend towards larger measures and stronger alcoholic drinks, especially wine, makes year on year comparisons difficult. And they have now changed the way they calculate consumption to reflect this trend, so a small glass of wine (125ml) which was classed as one unit now counts as one and a half.
Still, Elliott Joseph says that we are a 'relatively sober nation', but blames the media and government for failing to reflect that:
Far from being a drinker's paradise in which alcohol abuse is spiralling out of control, we are getting drier all the time. Sadly, this is not the message you will be hearing from our sensationalist media. Witness last summer's hysteria over binge drinking amongst young people.
But that's not the view of those often dealing with the fall-out from those who do drink - paramedics, doctors and nurses in A&E departments. An estimated 70% of all admissions to hospital accident and emergency departments at peak times are alcohol-related. Admissions of over-16s related to alcohol nearly doubled from 89,280 in 1995-96 to 187,640 in 2005-06. The number of children admitted over the same period rose from 3,870 to 5,280.
London ambulanceman Xfileman, who blogs at The Paramedics Diary, gives a vivid account of dealing with a drunken woman.
On the street, below a set of steps leading to an estate block, lay a middle-aged lady. She was in the throes of insulting the police officers around her and they invited me to calm her down... 'Why are you lying on the ground?' I enquired. Staring silence. Then a quick reference to the police officers. It took twenty minutes to convince her to talk to me and when she did, she wouldn't stop. I got her life story (recent history) and a request to let her go away with the handsome police officer that she had taken a shine to. 'I fancy him', she said, pointing a gnarled finger in his general direction. The officer was probably 24 years-old. She was at least 50... The crew arrived and she was duly packed off to a better place.
Blogger Bridget Fox, a Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Islington South and Finsbury in London, believes the government should focus on pubs if they want to effect practical change.
If the government's serious about tackling the booze culture, they might start with the excessive markup on soft drinks in pubs. Alcohol drinkers drink more, and more quickly; soft drinks quench your thirst. So even without tax, venues charge much more for lemonade than they do for lager. It might be less newsworthy than attacking teenagers, again. But it could make a real difference.
