Britain's heavy drinkers are costing their country £20 billion per year in health care costs and economic losses, a new report says (www.number10.gov.uk/files/pdf/SU%20interim_report2.pdf).
The government-sponsored report found that “average drinkers” today are ingesting 150% more alcohol than their counterparts did 50 years ago, and that Britons are among the worst binge drinkers in Europe. (Binge drinking is defined as the consumption over a short period of at least 4 pints of beer [or their equivalent] for men or 3 pints [or their equivalent] for women.)
The report says British men participate in binge drinking 40% of the time they consume alcohol, women 22%. Britons are also starting to drink — and drink more heavily — at a younger age. The legal drinking age is 18, but the report says many people aged 16 to 24 are drinking heavily. It also says there has been a 70% increase in alcohol abuse among young British women.
The report says alcohol use is a factor in 22 000 deaths and 1.2 million violent incidents annually in the UK, and it lands 150 000 people in hospital each year. Alcohol-related illnesses and injuries cost the NHS £1.7 billion annually, whilealcohol-related crime costs £7.3 billion. Absenteeism and reduced productivity due to excess alcohol consumption costs an estimated £4.6 billion annually, with another £4.7 million needed to cover the human and social costs. The study estimates that 800 000 to 1.3 million school-age children are affected by their parents' drinking.
However, Britain's £30-billion drinks industry also provides an estimated 1 million jobs and generates £7 billion in tax revenue. Rob Hayward, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, criticized the study's definition of binge drinking, noting that “on this measure, nearly 1 in 5 male pensioners is a binge drinker.”
The government would like to see British drinkers imitate the French and Italians. They tend to consume alcohol at mealtimes, and in smaller quantities. — Mary Helen Spooner, West Sussex, UK