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More elderly in London 'seek drink problem help'
There has been a sharp rise in the number of elderly people being treated for drinking problems in London, data suggests.
BBC News: More elderly in London 'seek drink problem help'
Figures compiled for BBC Inside Out London by the NHS Information Centre reveal over the past 10 years, there has been a 163% increase in alcohol-related hospital admissions for the over 65s.
The rate is rising faster for the over 65s than any other age group in the UK, and only north-east England has a higher rate of these admissions than London.
Older people are much more likely to drink every day than those of other ages, according to an NHS study into alcohol use.
Read the full feature on the BBC News website below... -
Video: Elderly people with drinking problems
There has been a rise in the number of elderly people being treated for drinking problems in London, according to figures compiled for BBC Inside Out by the NHS Information Centre.
BBC News: Rise in elderly people with drinking problems in London
Watch a video on the BBC News website... -
Two drink-free days a week needed
People should have at least two days a week completely clear of alcohol, a group of MPs says.
BBC News: Two drink-free days a week needed, MPs' report says
It is one of the recommendations in a report by the Commons science and technology committee, which is calling for a review of all government guidelines on alcohol in the UK.
Read the full feature on the BBC News website... -
Alcohol units guide
A report by a group of MPs has expressed concern that government guidelines on how much alcohol people should drink "appeared to endorse daily drinking".
BBC News: Alcohol units guide
Here we show what the government recommends and what the units actually mean.
Read more on the BBC News Health website below... -
Alcohol fact file
* More than 9 million people in England drink more than the recommended daily limit (Source: NHS UK).
* 20% of the population are risky drinkers, drinking more than the government guidance (Source: NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care).
* 90% of Great Britain respondents reported that they had heard of measuring alcohol in units.
There has been an increase from 54% in 1997 to 75% in 2009 in the percentage of people in GB who had heard of daily drinking limits (Source: NHS Information Centre Alcohol Report 2011).
* Over a million hospital admissions per year are currently caused by excessive drinking, with the total cost to the NHS expected to rise to £3.7Bn if no further action is taken to arrest this increase.
Hospital admissions for alcohol misuse stood at half a million in 2002 and have doubled, now costing the NHS £2.7Bn (Source: Alcohol Concern).
* Drinking a large glass (250ml) of 12% wine (3 units) every day if you're a woman, or two pints of 4% lager (4.6 units) if you're a man, can push you above the recommended daily limits.
* Men who regularly drink more than 2 pints of strong (5.2%) lager, which is more than six units, every day:
- are over three times more likely to get mouth cancer;
- could be three times more likely to have a stroke.
Women who regularly drink two large glasses of 13% wine (6.5 units) or more a day:
- are twice as likely to have high blood pressure;
- are 50% more likely to get breast cancer.
About 15,000 people in England die from alcohol-related causes each year.
About 32% of these deaths are from liver disease, 21% from cancer and 17% from cardiovascular illnesses, such as heart disease and strokes
These figures come from the NHS and Department of Health. -
Background: MPs urge Government to review its drinking guidelines
Read the report of the Government's Select Committee on alcohol published in Janaury 2012.
Parliament: Select Committee alcohol report
Credits
- Series Producer
- Andy Richards
- Presenter
- Matthew Wright
- Reporter
- Wendy Hurrell
