Pooka
03-17-07, 12:47 PM
Alcohol awareness campaigns focus too much on young binge-drinkers rather than older people drinking at home, senior doctors have said.
The Royal College of Physicians believes adult alcohol intake is a much bigger health issue - fuelled by an abundance of cheap alcohol.
The college wants alcohol prices raised and its availability decreased.
Health minister Lord Hunt said advice on sensible drinking was aimed at all drinkers - wherever they were.
"I know that the recommendation is that people don't drink every night so the body does have a chance to recover," he said.
"We're doing everything we can and I know that the colleagues I work with in this area want to get these sensible drinking messages out and, wherever you drink, it is important that you take note of that."
'Great sadness'
Drinks firms said they were doing their bit to encourage responsible drinking.
David Poley, of the Portman Group, which speaks for the industry, Britain's drinking culture needed to be changed through a "co-ordinated programme including education".
"That's why the drinks industry is supporting the Drinkaware Trust to carry out this consumer education over the next three years."
But Professor Ian Gilmore, head of the college, expressed concern over the number of adults turning to drink because of stress at work or difficulties at home.
"Quite large sections of the population are drinking quite heavily on a regular basis.
"And one of the great sadnesses is that patients often don't get a warning before serious liver damage sets in."
Recent research by Mintel suggested more Britons drink alcohol than Germans or Spanish.
Their study also concluded that Britons were far more likely to drink at home than their counterparts in mainland Europe.
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6461359.stm)
The Royal College of Physicians believes adult alcohol intake is a much bigger health issue - fuelled by an abundance of cheap alcohol.
The college wants alcohol prices raised and its availability decreased.
Health minister Lord Hunt said advice on sensible drinking was aimed at all drinkers - wherever they were.
"I know that the recommendation is that people don't drink every night so the body does have a chance to recover," he said.
"We're doing everything we can and I know that the colleagues I work with in this area want to get these sensible drinking messages out and, wherever you drink, it is important that you take note of that."
'Great sadness'
Drinks firms said they were doing their bit to encourage responsible drinking.
David Poley, of the Portman Group, which speaks for the industry, Britain's drinking culture needed to be changed through a "co-ordinated programme including education".
"That's why the drinks industry is supporting the Drinkaware Trust to carry out this consumer education over the next three years."
But Professor Ian Gilmore, head of the college, expressed concern over the number of adults turning to drink because of stress at work or difficulties at home.
"Quite large sections of the population are drinking quite heavily on a regular basis.
"And one of the great sadnesses is that patients often don't get a warning before serious liver damage sets in."
Recent research by Mintel suggested more Britons drink alcohol than Germans or Spanish.
Their study also concluded that Britons were far more likely to drink at home than their counterparts in mainland Europe.
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6461359.stm)