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Alcohol
and its consequences in the North West [Top]
Alcohol is the most potent mood altering
addictive drug that is legal to buy and use; comparatively cheap and readily available
in the UK. People in the UK consume a lot of alcohol. People in the North West
appear to consume considerably more alcohol than the English Average.
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All reports are based on reported
drinking levels, and it is known that surveys tend to understate alcohol consumption.
So although these figures are not precise, they can nevertheless be used for comparative
purposes.
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 Males
in the North West report that they consume 19.3 units of alcohol per week, higher
than the English average of 18.0 units per week and second only to Northern and
Yorkshire where men consume an average of 21.1 units per week.
On average men consume more alcohol
than women, but women’s overall consumption, as well as women’s use of alcohol
above recommended limits appears to be increasing faster than men‘s.
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Estimated average weekly consumption
of alcohol for females in the North West was 8.3, - the highest of all English
Regions and well above the English average of 7.2.
Here in the North West, the proportion
of drinkers who regularly consume risky levels of alcohol is also higher than
national average.
“… Christmas is one of our great festive times … my
appeal this Christmas is for common sense where alcohol is involved.”
Professor John R Ashton CBE. Regional Director of Public
Health
Men and women in the North West are
also more likely to ‘binge’ drink,i.e. drink more than the recommended maximum
of 3-4 units or 2-3 units per day respectively for men and women. 44% of North
West men consumed over 4 units of alcohol on their heaviest drinking day in the
week before the survey (English average is 38%.) And of these drinkers 58% had
consumed over 8 units on this ‘binge’ day. Men in Merseyside drank slightly more
than men from other areas of the North West. The same pattern was seen for women.
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There is a growing body of evidence
to suggest that alcohol use in moderation has positive health benefits. There
is even more evidence to show that misuse of alcohol has serious consequences
for individuals and society as a whole.
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Alcohol
and young people [Top]
An audit of cases of deliberate ingestion
carried out by Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust (Alder Hey) showed that of
children admitted to the Accident and Emergency department in one year (1995)
there were:
391 cases of deliberate ingestion
(including alcohol and other drugs);
246 cases involved alcohol and 57%
of these were girls. This represents a big increase in numbers compared to 1981
when only 20 cases in total were seen in the whole year.
Underage drinking has not increased
in recent years, but the quantity of alcohol being consumed on typical drinking
occasions is increasing.
The most popular drinks were strong
cider, cider, and vodka. (Alcopops did not live up to their reputation and only
accounted for 3.2% of cases) The attraction of cider is that it is comparatively
cheap. Vodka is attractive, because it is easily disguised by sweet soft drinks.
All children either needed resuscitation
or had injuries from assaults or accidents that had occurred while they were intoxicated.
A recent study on young people returning
to the North West from Ibiza found that 96.3% of people aged between 16 - 24 years
drank alcohol, with 18.7% drinking on five or more nights a week.
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Burden
on health [Top]
There are numerous long term health
risks associated with alcohol abuse. However, most alcohol-specific fatalities
recorded result from chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and cancer of the liver.
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People in the North West experience
a considerable burden of disease, ill health and premature death as a result of
alcohol. An indicatior of these problems comes from mortality data for chronic
liver disease and cirrhosis, much of which is caused by alcohol misuse.
As can be seen from the graph, the
burden of liver disease is not spread evenly throughout the region, with some
areas such as Liverpool, North West Lancashire, the Wirral and Manchester suffering
most.
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Drink
Driving [Top]
In 1999 there were 44,750 casualties
in road traffic accidents in the North West, of which 360 were fatal.
780 of these casualties were occupants
of a vehicle in which the driver had failed a breath test. But a breath test is
only taken in a minority of cases and the Department of Transport estimates that
around 20% of all drivers killed on the roads have blood alcohol levels above
the legal limit.
Other Crime
Alcohol is implicated in approximately
50% of cases of domestic violence. Figures are difficult to obtain, since alcohol
related crime is very difficult to define. However a Home Office study into drugs
and crime found that 25% of arrestees across five cities tested positive for alcohol
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Help?
[Top]
Tips for safe festive drinking from
the Regional Director of Public Health can be found on this web-site. Self–help
and health organisations offer information and support both for those suffering
an alcohol problem as well as family and friends who suffer the indirect consequences
of alcohol.
Check out the following web sites:
For
young people.
About
self help and support groups both for the alcoholic and the affected family.
The
alcohol problem in this country.
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Smoking
in the North West [Top] |
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Prevalence
of smoking in the North West is greater than that for the Nation as a whole for
both men and women. According to the Health Survey for England (1998) 30% of men
and 29% of women in the North West (aged 16 and over) smoke compared to national
rates of 28% and 26% respectively. These rates are the second highest in the country,
with men from the Trent region and women from Northern and Yorkshire smoking most.
In a subgroup of young people returning to the North West from Ibiza it was found
that 62.4% of 16 to 24 year olds smoked at least occasionally, whilst half (49.5%)
were regular smokers. These appear to represent a higher tobacco using group than
the general population of young people. |
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There is
considerable variation in the proportions of people who smoke in different parts
of the Region. This chart shows the proportion of smokers in the North West broken
down by Health Authority. All but five Health Authority areas in the region have
a greater proportion of smokers than England. |
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A higher proportion of current smokers
are heavy smokers (smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day) in the North West than
any other region. An estimated 42% of male smokers and 37% of female smokers in
the North West are heavy smokers, compared to 37% and 29% respectively nationally.
A study of children in the Liverpool
area in 1994 / 5 reported high rates of smoking amongst children aged 10 and 11.3%
of boys and 2.0% of girls smoking at least one cigarette a week compared to a
national average of 1.0%.
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Regional
burden of smoking on health  [Top]
Accountable for in 1 in 5 of all
deaths, tobacco kills in excess of fifty times the number of people killed by
other drugs in the UK. In 1995, over 120,000 deaths in the UK were attributable
to diseases caused by smoking - over a quarter of all male deaths (26%, and 33%
in the 35-64 age group) and 19% of all deaths. Of these, 38% were from cancer,
28% respiratory diseases, 33% coronary heart disease, stroke and other circulatory
diseases and 2% digestive problems.
There is a strong statistically significant
correlation between the proportion of smokers who are heavy smokers (>20 cigarettes
per day) and early death (aged less than 65 years) from coronary heart disease,
lung cancer (aged <75) and all cancers (aged <75) in both men and women in each
English region.
The age standardised mortality rates
for death from coronary heart disease in those ages less than 65, lung cancer
and all cancers in those aged less than 75 are higher for both men and women in
the North West than in any other region in England, indicating the great burden
of ill health and disease experienced by smokers and their families in this region.
Most smokers want to quit and quitting
has never been easier. Nicotine patches and the drug Zyban are now available on
the NHS. Nicotine patches allow you to reduce the effect of nicotine withdrawal.
Zyban, a new drug, is taken for eight weeks and works by affecting the addiction
processes in the brain. It can eliminate the craving for nicotine – forever.
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Quitting
has never been easier  [Top]
Make a New Years resolution to stop
smoking, so that you can enjoy the fresh air and increasing your chances of living
long enough to see your grandchildren grow up.
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The government is committed to reducing
the burden of ill health caused by smoking, so plenty of help is available. You
can call the NHS smoking cessation helpline on 0800 169 0169, or access their
web site.
You can talk to your GP or call Quitline,
on the freephone number 0800 002200, for advice and support.
Visit the quitsmoking.com
web site for more information.
A list of North
West Health Authority contacts who can give details about what help is available
can be found on this web site.
“… Until now smokers wanting to quit have often been
very much on their own. The NHS is now committed to providing support to help
people in ways that have been shown to work.”
Professor John R Ashton CBE. Regional Director of Public
Health
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