Alcohol abuse is increasing significantly here and in Britain and the trend is worse among women than men, writes Dick Ahlstrom, Science Editor, in Salford
Misuse of alcohol has increased by a third amongst young men but by 70 per cent amongst young women, a professor of addiction psychiatry has warned.
He was giving the results of research on how alcohol abuse is on the increase across Britain and Ireland, particularly amongst the young.
Over-drinking has risen dramatically in these islands stated Prof Colin Drummond, of St George's Hospital Medical School's department of addictive behaviour.
"The worrying thing is the trend is worse for women than men." He also criticised the drinks industry which he likened to the tobacco industry.
He delivered a depressing catalogue of statistics that mapped out the scale of the problem during a session at the British Association's annual Festival of Science, under way this week at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester.
He also commented on moves by the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, and the Government to curb drinking here, praising the effort but doubting whether they would make any difference. "I am encouraged Ireland has taken the first steps," he added. "The trend in the UK and Ireland is upwards, the trend in other parts of Europe is downwards. It is down in France."
The alcohol problem "in the UK is much bigger than the drug problem", Prof Drummond said. While one in 200 on average abused drugs one in three men and one in five women abused alcohol.
A third of people visiting GPs had alcohol related problems. Half of all mental patients abused alcohol and 40 per cent of weekend attendances at hospital emergency units were associated with alcohol, he said. A full 70 per cent of weekend A&E visits after 7 p.m. were alcohol related.
"The problem is they are seldom recognised as having a problem by NHS [National Health Service] staff." Research showed that early intervention programmes could reduce drink abuse by as much as 20 per cent.
The dramatic rise in youth alcohol abuse had a number of factors and Prof Drummond highlighted in particular the involvement of drinks companies.
"I would see the drinks industry very much as like the tobacco industry. The problem is can we afford the price of this negative affect and cost on society?" More money was needed for education to help counter the affects of advertising, some forms of which should be "restricted", he added.
- The chairman of the British Association and Oxford professor, Prof Colin Blakemore, made a dramatic statement at the meeting yesterday, demanding that the leading US-based journal, Science, clarify issues surrounding the formal withdrawal of a report involving research into the drug Ecstasy.
The 2002 paper claimed monkeys given Ecstasy suffered damaged brain function. An accompanying press release agreed by the researchers however indicated that the drug had not damaged but destroyed 40 per cent of cells linked to dopamine, a loss likely to cause Parkinson's disease. The paper was withdrawn when it was proved the monkeys received the wrong drug.
Prof Blakemore called into doubt the review processes used by Science, which failed to pick up simple flaws in the paper.