As many as 3400 lives could be saved each year in the UK if minimum alcohol prices are introduced, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health.
NHS Leeds is backing the proposals drawn up by Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, which recommend a minimum price per unit of alcohol set nationally. The plans would mean that no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol they contain.
Luke Turnbull, NHS Leeds’ Alcohol Services Commissioning Manager explains, “Thanks to years of campaigning people now understand the serious health problems associated with smoking. However, many of us just don’t realise the devastating effects alcohol can have on people’s lives; both physically and emotionally. Research shows us that by introducing a minimum price for alcohol we can actually reduce ill health and save thousands of lives every year.”
Alcohol is also the third most frequent cause of death after hypertension and tobacco according to the World Health Organization. It accounts for an increased risk of many health problems including stroke, heart disease, depression and a range of cancers.
Scientific evidence shows:
• Men could be three times more likely to have a stroke and three times more likely to get mouth cancer if they’re regularly drinking more than two pints of strong lager a day; and
• Women are 50% more likely to get breast cancer and twice as likely to have high blood pressure, which could lead to a stroke or a heart attack, if they’re regularly drinking two large glasses of wine or more a day.
Alcohol consumption is also known to increase the likelihood of domestic violence against adults and children, road traffic accidents and violent crime.
As well as saving 3400 lives a year, a minimum pricing plan will also bring the following benefits:
• Reduced high risk drinking by 10%.
• Reduce hospital admissions from alcohol-related injury or illness by 97,000 nationally per year.
• 296,000 fewer sick days from work a year, boosting the nation’s economy.
• £1 billion of taxpayer’s money saved per year in costs associated with alcohol-related harm.
“Some people’s perception is that bringing in a minimum price for alcohol will ‘punish’ so-called responsible drinkers and endanger livelihoods in the pub trade. In reality, the actual cost to these people will be close to an additional £14 per year and the minimum pricing won’t affect licensed premises.
“The way that alcohol is sold in shops promotes bulk buying and if we buy more, we drink more. It also means that children and young people have more access to alcohol in their own home and because we buy in large quantities we are less likely to notice if a few cans go missing.
“If minimum pricing plans go ahead it would mean that most bottles of wine would not be sold for less than £4.50,” explains Luke, “The drinks that are more likely to be affected are those which have a high alcohol content but are relatively cheap, such as super strength lager and industrial ciders; the kind of drinks favoured by underage drinkers and dependent drinkers.”
The estimated cost of alcohol misuse for England and Wales is approximately £20bn a year, which equates to over £450 for every adult in the country, and about £275 million for Leeds. This is made up of alcohol-related health disorders, crime and anti-social behaviour, coupled with a loss of productivity in the workplace. Additional problems also exist for families who misuse alcohol with an ensuing high risk of domestic violence.
Notes
Over 9,000 people in the UK die from alcohol-related causes each year. The World Health Organisation estimates that 20% of alcohol-related deaths are from cancer and 15% are from cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke, while 13% are from liver disease.
The cost to the NHS of treating alcohol-related illness is quickly catching up with the cost of smoking, estimated at £5 billion a year (Department of Public Health at Oxford University). Already an estimated £2.7 billion is spent treating people with alcohol-related illnesses and this figure is predicted to increase significantly over the next few years.
The Know Your Limits campaign has compiled some top tips for those wishing to reduce their alcohol intake:
• Measure it: for the easiest way to keep track of how much you’re drinking, use a measure at home when you’re pouring drinks for you or your guests.
• Dilute it: give yourself a longer drink by adding water, sparkling water or a soft drink to your spirits.
• Reduce it: if you’re drinking wine, simply choose the smaller glass and fill it up slightly less. You’ll hardly notice but it all adds up.
• Try it: be brave and try lower alcohol alternatives. There are many more, high quality low- or no-alcohol beers and wines available now so give it a try.
• Alternate it: slow down your speed of drinking by having a non-alcoholic drink, such as water or orange juice, in between alcoholic drinks.
• Remove it: don’t keep alcoholic drinks in your home at all for a month and see the impact on your life.
• Save it: as an added incentive, put the money you’d normally spend on alcohol for the home in a piggy-bank and see how much you’ve saved by the end of the month.
• Log it: keeping track of your alcohol intake can be a real eye-opener. Fill in a drink diary on www.nhs.uk/units or download the new Drinks Tracker from NHS Choices at www.nhs.uk/alcohol.
• Just do it: many of us know we’d ideally want to cut down how much we drink, so start today and take it one day at a time.
Other advice includes avoiding alcohol for at least 48 hours after a heavy drinking session; eating a decent meal before going out; avoid buying in rounds, it costs you more and can make you drink more; and recording your drinking using the iPhone app or desktop drinks tracker available at www.nhs.uk/units