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Alcohol 'As Harmful As Smoking'

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painy2

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Alcohol 'as harmful as smoking'

The price of alcohol should be increased, say researchers
Alcohol causes almost as many deaths and disabilities globally as smoking or high blood pressure, researchers warn.
An international team of scientists, writing in the Lancet, point out alcohol is a factor in about 60 different diseases.

The researchers found 4% of the global burden of disease is attributable to alcohol, compared to 4.1% to tobacco and 4.4% to high blood pressure.

And they said that increasing alcohol prices in the UK could cut deaths.

The scientists were critical of the UK, saying that it had not implemented effective alcohol control policies.

The UK is about to introduce legislation allowing 24-hour drinking from later this year.

In many countries that have more liberal licensing hours, binge drinking is far less frequent

Department of Health spokeswoman

Professor Robin Room, of the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs at Stockholm University, is one of the lead authors of the study.

He told the BBC: "The evidence we have is that if you increase the drinking hours then you get more trouble with alcohol."

He said the potential effects on health were not taken into account when changes to licensing laws were considered. "It's a very short-sighted approach."

'Little effect'

The report looks at diseases including cancers of the mouth, liver and breast, heart disease and stroke, and cirrhosis in which alcohol can play a role.

It also highlights the role of alcohol in car accidents, drownings, falls and poisonings. Alcohol is also linked to a proportion of self-inflicted injuries and murders.

The researchers found 4% of the global burden of disease is attributable to alcohol, compared to 4.1% to tobacco and 4.4% to high blood pressure.

We don't know why we drink the way we do and how we could change the culture

Professor Ian Gilmore, Royal College of Physicians

Using data on alcohol cost and UK alcohol related mortality information, the researchers estimate that increasing the price of alcohol by 10% would produce a 7% drop in deaths from cirrhosis of the liver in men and an 8.3% drop in deaths in women.

Restricting the availability of alcohol by reducing the hours pubs and shops can sell it would also affect rates of alcohol-related harm.

Professor Room criticised the emphasis of the UK's alcohol strategy, published in March last year.

"It emphasises measures that really have very little effect. The emphasis is on public information and education. There's not much on taxes."

He added: "A stark discrepancy exists between research findings about the effectiveness of alcohol control measures and the policy options considered by most governments.

"In many places, the interests of the alcohol industry have effectively exercised a veto over policies, making sure that the main emphasis is on ineffective strategies such as education."

'Sensible drinking'

Professor Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Royal College of Physicians' alcohol committee, said: "There has been very little relevant research in this country, so we don't know why we drink the way we do and how we could change the culture."

He said the health impact of alcohol had to be addressed by the government.

There are huge flaws in this theory - no one is saying let's double the price of food to tackle obesity

Mark Hastings, British Beer and Pub Association
"It's easier to demonise the yobs - 'other people'. But 25% of the population are drinking at a potentially hazardous level. And three million people are dependent on alcohol."

The British Medical Association said the government was too slow at tackling public health concerns, such as alcohol abuse.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The government is working with the drinks industry, police and health professionals to increase awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking and make the sensible drinking message easier to understand.

"This is a central focus of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy which clearly sets our plans to tackle issues around the potential harm of alcohol and anti-social behaviour linked to excessive drinking."

She added: "We have no evidence to suggest that flexible licensing hours in the UK will, in fact, lead to increased consumption of alcohol. Indeed in many countries that have more liberal licensing hours, binge drinking is far less frequent."

Mark Hastings, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: "There are huge flaws in this theory.

"No one is saying let's double the price of food to tackle obesity."
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4232703.stm
 
What next? Passive drinking? This sort of alarmist pseudo-scientific nonsense has to stop! While there are serious health issues with drinking but this is just another "Hey, our department might loose it's funding unless we produce some study figures to show we're not sitting around, playing poker!" story.

There is a lurking, quietly advancing body politic who wants to turn us all into classless, careless, personality-challenged clones who's idea of enjoyment is to stare at one tv channel which continuously shows government policy statements without question.

I'm not having it!
 
Well it is a FACT that most people who die have, for most of their life, breathed air! So air is ipso facto the major cause of death.

Just another excuse to over-control a public enjoyment. Word is, some medical bods have recommended that raising the price of alcohol will reduce alcohol-related diseases.

Yeah, like it does cigarettes.

Nothing to do with the fat profits for big companies and the government then?
 
Ah but the extension of the theory goes thus:

"They" say that every cigarette missed allows for a days longer life (codswallop but a popular image).
Thus, every breath missed may be one day longer too.

So...

*Breaths in. Pause. Pause. Breaths out.
One day longer to live.

Repeats ad nauseam and until his head's spinning, eyes blurring and falls over

Wow! What a rush! Anything that feels this strange must be good for me!
 
Well anything is bad for you if you have too much of it :roll:
 
Weeeel, it gives the less scrupulous newspapers something to print and seem at least a little interested in science. Science and alarmism is a cmbination that sells more papers than reasoned fact and good news.
 
Stormkhan said:
There is a lurking, quietly advancing body politic who wants to turn us all into classless, careless, personality-challenged clones who's idea of enjoyment is to stare at one tv channel which continuously shows government policy statements without question.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Over here we call it "The Midwest."

The big insurance companies are trying to phase out anything that might cause them to pay a little money. I heard something about private companies in Michigan making smokers quit. Next, they won't hire blacks because of sickle cell anemia or women because of the tremendous health risk that is pregnancy.

I'm laughing to keep from crying.
 
This Just In: Being born leads to illness and death - 100% fatality rate reported! FACT!

Did anyone ever hear that fantastic hoax about the deadly compound dihydrogen monoxide? Think about it.... ;)

Surely everything in moderation, and we'll be fine? Stick enough carrots in you and you'll probably kill yourself, never mind booze.
 
this just in,

drinking to be banned in public places.Soon pubs/bars etc will only be able to sell orange squash...
 
sjoh9 said:
this just in,

drinking to be banned in public places.Soon pubs/bars etc will only be able to sell orange squash...
Click to expand...

But I can still get shittered in the sanctity of my own home, right? Right? :(
 
If this goes on, we're going to return to the old 1940's and 50's illegal drinking clubs.

If all else fails I'll start one myself. I shall lead a rebel movement against this kind of oppression. I shall start a revolution which shall inspire the masses to strike back at the middle-management, characterless politicians! We shall reclaim our ability, nay our right to enjoy something while considering reasonable risks to health.

I'd start winding the keys on my clockwork killer android army ... but I haven't got one - yet!

Blimey! I'm looking forward to my after-work pints.

In a smokey pub.

Hah!
 
I'd start winding the keys on my clockwork killer android army ... but I haven't got one - yet!
Click to expand...


I will send you my blueprints, i only have a platoon at the moment but...
 
And I can arrange to supply you with all the home brewed turnip vodka you could need.

Some of it is real vintage stuff - up to 24 hours old.
 
When it comes to homebrew, I have more than a little experience. It started with turning orange juice into alcohol then putting it through a home-made still (amazing what you can do with a tea-maker and a 'liberated' fractionating column). Not bad for a boarding school drop-out, huh?
My speciality is mead but can make a killer vermouth and my beers bear close inspection.

sjoh9 - There must've been a fold in the blueprints ... all my robots walk like they're performing the Ministry of Funny Walks sketch.
Back to the drawing board.
 
sjoh9 - There must've been a fold in the blueprints ... all my robots walk like they're performing the Ministry of Funny Walks sketch.
Back to the drawing board.
Click to expand...

No no, all planned to confuse the enemy! ;)
 
I must tell all the old boys in their 70's and 80's sitting in little smoky country pubs, some of which I've known twenty years, that their pints of beer. every night, every week for years, must stop! Or they might not reach 100. :shock:
 
Muslims report worst health

Greets

Health & Disability
Muslims report worst health

Muslim males and females in Great Britain had the highest rates of reported ill health in 2001.

Age-standardised rates of 'not good' health were 13 per cent for Muslim males and 16 per cent for Muslim females. Rates were also high for Sikhs: 10 per cent of males and 14 per cent of females rated their health as 'not good'. These rates, which take account of the difference in age structures between the religious groups, were higher than those of Jews and Christians, who were the least likely to rate their health as 'not good'.

Females were more likely than males to rate their health as 'not good' among most groups. The gender difference was most notable for Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus. Among females, 16 per cent of Muslims, 14 per cent of Sikhs and 11 per cent of Hindus rated their health as 'not good'. These rates were 3 to 4 percentage points higher than their respective male counterparts.

There was little gender difference in the rates for Christians and Jews, and no gender difference for those with no religion. Buddhists were the only group where males were more likely than females to say their health was 'not good'.

If the different age structures of the religious groups are not taken into account, Christian and Jewish groups have the highest proportions of people saying their health was 'not good'. This is a direct result of the older age profiles within each group.

There are marked variations in rates of disability or long-term illness which restrict daily activities between people from different religious backgrounds in Great Britain.

In 2001 the highest overall rates of disability were found among Christians and Jews. However, once age was taken into account, Jewish people had the lowest rates of disability (13 per cent for both males and females). Christians had the second lowest age-standardised rates, at 16 per cent for males and 15 per cent for females respectively.

After taking account of the different age structures of the groups, Muslims had the highest rates of disability. Almost a quarter of Muslim females (24 per cent) had a disability, as did one in five (21 per cent) Muslim males.

In some groups the gender difference in rates of disability was much greater than in others. In Muslim, Hindu and Sikh groups disability rates for females were about 3 percentage points higher than for males. For Buddhists, Christians and those with no religion, disability rates were slightly higher for males than for females.
Sources:
Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics
Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland

Notes:
The general health question in the 2001 Census was 'Over the last twelve months would you say your health has on the whole been Good, Fairly Good, Not Good'.

Age-standardised rates allow comparisons between populations with different age structures. The method used here is direct standardisation using the European Standard Population.

The term disability is used to refer to limiting long-term illness or disability which restricts daily activities. It is calculated from a 'Yes' response to the question in the 2001 Census: 'Do you have any long-term illness, health problem or disability which limits your activities or the work you can do?'
Published on 11 October 2004
Click to expand...

must be all the alcohol they drink???

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=959

or maybe their religion makes them sick??

or the dangers of inferring a causal relationship from a statistical one.

mal
 
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