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Tag: excessive drinking

  • Financial Toll of Excessive Alcohol Consumption

    Although we often hear of the damage done by alcohol abuse to the community and people in general, we seldom consider the huge financial toll of excessive drinking and problem drinking on the economy and on individuals.

    According to a recent American based study, the toll of excessive drinking in the United States is about American $2 per drink (Aus $2.22). It may seem like a small figure but when you consider the amount of alcohol that is consumed, altogether it is a staggering amount and this is just the cost of the expenses caused as a result of drinking not including the cost of the drink itself.

    According to the study conducted by the CDC (Centres for Disease Control), the $2 is accounted for by medical expenses and other costs to society.

    The study by the CDC calculated the societal costs of binge drinking and heavy drinking, excluding what consumers actually pay at the liquor store or licenced venue.

    The study also took into consideration lost productivity at work, property damage from car crashes, expenditures for liver cirrhosis and other alcohol-associated medical problems as well as the money spent on incarceration of drunk drivers and criminals using alcohol. Although the study relates to figures in the U.S it can be compared to the cost of drinking in Oz. The following excerpt from an article on New York Daily News website I found quite informative,

    The CDC estimated excessive drinking cost society nearly $224 billion in 2006, the most recent year for which all necessary statistics were available. That worked out to about $1.90 per drink, 80 cents of which was spent by federal, state or local governments, the researchers estimated. The rest came from drinkers, their families, private health insurers, employers, crime victims and others.

    Most of that was related to binge drinking, in which four or five alcoholic beverages are consumed on one occasion.

    “Binge drinking results in binge spending,” said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden.

    Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/toll-excessive-drinking-works-2-drink-medical-expenses-societal-costs-article-1.964157#ixzz2sr7uKTi3

    The study’s officials also noted a very important point which drinkers should keep in mind – drinking in moderation can have health benefits whereas none have been associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

    Drinkers should remember that when they drink excessively the costs involved are more than those associated with the actual cost of the bottle of wine or can of beer, there are numerous indirect costs and these costs are exaggerated when drinking is done in excess. The article on NYDailyNews.com explains further:

    CDC officials noted that while some health benefits have been associated with, say, a glass of wine each day, there are no health benefits linked to excessive drinking. They also said the new study likely represents an underestimate of the total cost.

    Smoking has been estimated to cost society about $193 billion annually. An older study estimated the cost of not exercising to be around $150 billion.

    Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/toll-excessive-drinking-works-2-drink-medical-expenses-societal-costs-article-1.964157#ixzz2sr7uKTi3

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: Doctors Warn Public about Impact of Excessive Drinking

    RSA staff, even more motivation for you to enforce responsible service of alcohol laws has come to light, with doctors and surgeons across Oz urging the nation to change its culture of drinking to reduce alcohol related harm from accidents and brawls.

    Doctors say the number of people being brought into surgery as a result of drunken violence is unacceptable. Injuries such as shattered jaws and severed tendons are now common in hospitals with doctors now describing much of their work as focusing on ”preventable tragedies” rather than paying attention to the people with natural diseases.

    People suffering from injuries, both self-inflicted and at the hands of some other drunken person are taking up space in hospitals and doctors time, time that could be spent on people with life threatening illnesses.

    I came across an interesting article on SMH.com.au which detailed the doctors’ frustration and the reason for their calls for more responsible drinking:

    Whether those people being wheeled into operating theatres are victims of their own drinking or other people’s, the vice-president of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Michael Grigg, says surgeons were referring to the situation as an epidemic.

    ”Surgeons are now spending an inordinate amount of time on alcohol-related injuries,” Professor Grigg, a vascular surgeon and professor of surgery at Melbourne’s Monash University, said.

    ”As a result of that we have commissioned our own internal report on this issue to guide our advocacy efforts. We expect to come up against the carefully marshalled forces of the alcohol industry. But we owe it to the community to highlight the extent of the damage being wrought by the abuse of alcohol.”

    While surgeons had previously worked with government to introduce legislation around blood-alcohol levels and drink-driving, a vascular and trauma surgeon at Sydney’s Liverpool Hospital, John Crozier, said clinicians were now tackling more alcohol-related injury and violence.

    More than 350 people died in Australia and 14,000 were hospitalised because of someone else’s drinking every year, he said.

    ”The tragedy is so much is preventable,” Dr Crozier said. ”Whether harm is occurring through an impulsive act by an intoxicated young person who ends up injuring themselves or someone else, or someone is harmed through an act of aggression by an intoxicated person, the end result can be horrific injuries and death.”

    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/doctors-tired-of-alcohol-damage-20130427-2ilc7.html#ixzz2RwP1T7Vn

    The post went on to explain how every area of surgery is being affected by this epidemic, from plastic surgeons having to repair tendons of youths who get drunk and punch windows or orthopaedic surgeons having to fix the legs of people who get drunk, then have a fall.

    The doctors have called for stricter measures to be employed such as increasing tax on beverages proportionally to their alcoholic content and reducing the availability of alcohol in the community because as they point out prevention is better than cure.

    The post also documents the case of Damien Delgado who lost his leg in the 900 metres between the bar and his home. The man lost control of his ute in the rain and because he had consumed a few drinks before driving his judgement was impaired resulting in a crash which almost claimed his life. Doctors are urging people not to follow in Damien’s footsteps but rather learn from his mistakes and learn to drink moderately and responsibly.

    (Read the full story at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/doctors-tired-of-alcohol-damage-20130427-2ilc7.html#ixzz2RwP1T7Vn)

     

  • Can Excessive Drinking be Harmful to would-be Dads?

    A recent study looked into the harm that excessive drinking can do to men and the children they have later on. WA researchers have urged men to limit their alcohol consumption before starting a family because a link has been identified between alcoholic spirits and childhood brain tumours.

    While the negative effects of pregnant women drinking excessively on their children has been well documented, it has only now emerged that men’s drinking habits too could affect children. This is even more motivation for men to drink in moderation.

    The WA study looked into 690 Aussie families with a child suffering from either acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or childhood brain tumours and discovered that men who consumed up to seven drinks a week in the 12 months before conception increased the risk of childhood brain tumours by almost 50 per cent.

    An article on Yahoo News website explains more about the study and its findings:

    The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research study also found men who drank 21 or more beers a week might also be placing their future children at greater risk of leukaemia and brain tumours.

    Study authors Elizabeth Milne and Carol Bower said with recent data showing 8 per cent of men between the ages of 30 and 39 consumed at least four standard drinks a day, “a large number of men may be putting their future offspring at risk”.

    The study concluded that men, as well as women, “should limit their alcohol intake when planning a pregnancy”.

    Professor Bower said while there was a great deal of research on the impact that women drinking while pregnant had on babies very few studies had looked at the effects of paternal alcohol consumption.

    “We don’t know too much about the causes of leukaemia or brain tumours, so there will certainly be a lot more work being done in this area,” she said.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/16931166/alcohol-alert-for-dads-to-be/

    According to Prof. Bower our entire society is drinking too much and there is evidence that suggests this drinking in fathers, especially of spirits in the year prior to conception may have a negative effect on the child.

    Surprisingly the study found no evidence linking maternal alcohol consumption before pregnancy with cancer in children, but of course there may be other serious consequences for mothers who drink during pregnancy.

    The study also showed some evidence linking wine consumption to a reduced risk of both childhood brain tumours and leukaemia, but according to researchers this did not change the fact that drinking while pregnant should be avoided.

    The article went on to explain:

    Mike Daube, director of the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, said the study was significant and carried important messages.

    “This will certainly need to be further explored, but it shows just how far-reaching the impact of alcohol can be,” he said.

    “While many people – though not enough – are aware that women should avoid alcohol in pregnancy, this tells us that men as well as women should exercise great caution about alcohol use if they are thinking about having a child.” He said the message was especially important because about half of all pregnancies in Australia were unplanned.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/16931166/alcohol-alert-for-dads-to-be/

     

  • Decrease in Alcohol Related Incidents on Adelaide Buses

    According to a report on Adelaidenow.com.au the instances of drunk passengers causing disturbances on public buses is quite a common occurrence.

    The post on Adelaidenow.com.au quoted statistics from Transfield Services which revealed that drunk passengers and those drinking alcohol were responsible for almost half of the incidents on buses travelling on 2 of Adelaide’s busiest bus routes in the past 10 months.

    According to the post Transfield Services statistics show that 432 incidents have been reported since 2 Wilson Security guards were hired in May to monitor the situation. The security guards are tasked with watching bus interchanges, known as hot spots and trouble services which occur on the weekends (Thursday and Sunday nights).

    There were a number of passengers who were drunk and these passengers seem to cause most of the incidents on Adelaide’s buses. There have now been calls for more guards to be hired to protect the safety of drivers as well as other passengers. So far the new guards have had a positive impact on bus safety.

    The post on Adelaidenow.com.au goes on to state:

    Passengers who were intoxicated or drinking accounted for 47 per cent of incidents, while a further 29 per cent were of incidents involved passengers displaying abusive, anti-social and offensive behaviour.

    The detection rates have prompted calls from the Transport Workers Union to hire more guards to protect drivers and passengers.

    Transfield, which operates 43 per cent of Adelaide’s bus network along the outer northeast and north-south routes through its subsidiary Light-City Buses, said incident numbers had dropped by about one-third since the introduction of security guards.

    Incident reporting before the guards were hired was recorded from driver and public feedback.

    Transfield Services SA general manager Mark Duckett said the security guards had provided greater safety for passengers and confidence to bus drivers.

    Mr Duckett said a third guard was hired in March to provide increased support.

    “We are always looking for ways to improve the journey for our passengers … to increase support covering the city’s rail and bus connections, especially where buses are replacing rail services,” he said.

    One in four incidents in the past 10 months involved suspicious behaviour, trespassing, graffiti and fighting on buses and at interchanges.

    Guards can also check tickets and escort passengers to their cars and their cars are equipped with CCTV cameras, GPS equipment and first aid kits.

    Source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/incidents-on-adelaide-buses-largely-linked-to-alcohol-have-dropped-after-guards-introduced-on-transfield-routes/story-e6frea83-1226625403880

    The post goes on to explain that Transport Workers Union representative Ian Gonsalves said it would lobby the Government for more security guards to increase driver and passenger safety.

    While it is commendable that people are using public transport rather than drink driving, people should not be binge drinking or drinking to the extent that they become raucous and out of hand, especially in public, thereby becoming a threat to public safety.

    When drinking it is vital people do so responsibly and in moderation. Going out for a drink at the end of a hard day’s work is every person’s prerogative and can enhance relaxation and promote socialisation but excessive drinking not only places you as the drinker at risk but can result in behaviour that may land you in hot water.

     

  • New “Booze-Pill” to cut Effects of Alcohol

    Researchers from The University of California claim to have created a pill that can not only reduce the visible effects of intoxication but can actually lower blood alcohol content and therefore reduce liver damage caused by excessive drinking.

    The miracle “booze pill” study was published in the Nature Nanotechnology journal recently and documented how scientists combined 2 enzymes and tested their ability to act as an alcohol prophylactic and antidote.

    The study was conducted on mice that were given a combination of the enzymes. The mice recorded lower blood-alcohol content over time. Although human beings are different to mice, the study has been used to develop the “booze pill” which it is hoped will have similar results on humans.

    Read what this post on Yahoo News reported on the new pill:

    In a study published in the Nature Nanotechnology journal today, scientists combined two enzymes and tested their ability to act as an alcohol prophylactic and antidote. Intoxicated mice given a combination of the enzymes recorded lower blood-alcohol content over time.

    Researchers from the University of California found the blood-alcohol concentration reduced 10.1 per cent 45 minutes after the alcohol intake, by 31.8 per cent at 90 minutes and 36.8 per cent at three hours – compared with smaller reductions when the mice were given alcohol followed by just one of the enzymes.

    To test the pill’s antidote potential, the team injected intoxicated mice with the two enzymes 30 minutes later. The mice were found to have healthier livers and a significant reduction in blood-alcohol concentration, compared with those injected with one enzyme.

    Research author Yunfeng Lu said the work suggested that the artificially produced “nanocomplexes” could provide a method for preventing liver injury arising from the over-consumption of alcohol.

    “Excessive consumption and abuse of alcohol are associated with a range of organ injuries and social problems,” Professor Lu said.

    Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/16163205/tablet-cuts-effects-of-alcohol/

    But drinkers shouldn’t get too excited about the prospect of drinking to their hearts content without any consequences. According to WA Professor, Mike Daube from the McCusker Centre for Action in Alcohol and Youth, the drug is still a speculative concept and cannot be hailed as the answer to society’s drinking problems. According to the professor the problem of excessive drinking is a theoretical one rather than scientific and mice are very different from human beings so it is not guaranteed that the same results will repeated in people.

    In the immediate future, the Professor suggests in the article that tackling the issues of alcohol pricing and accessibility are more important than addressing long term drinking. He also warned that most experimental pills seldom go beyond the laboratory, so relying on this “booze-pill” is not the answer.

    Fostering a culture of responsible drinking is the only way that we are going to achieve a solution to the alcohol fuelled social problems in Oz. One of the ways to do this is by enforcing responsible service of alcohol laws. Don’t serve alcohol to underage patrons or patrons that are unduly intoxicated. Promote responsible drinking in your bar or pub by encouraging people to drink in moderation and not to drink and drive.