Double drink prices, urges doctors -

The Telegraph - UK ^ | March 5, 2004 | Celia Hall

[UnklGene]

Double drink prices, urge doctors -

By Celia Hall, Medical Editor (Filed: 05/03/2004)

Doctors called yesterday for the price of alcohol to be almost doubled in an attempt to reduce the harm caused by excessive drinking.

The Academy of Medical Sciences, an independent body of senior doctors and researchers, has concluded that attitudes to drinking need to change.

Click to enlarge The best way to cut the amount people drink is to limit the affordability and availability of alcohol, they say.

The doctors' leader, Prof Sir Michael Marmot, said: "Alcohol is a good friend and a bad enemy. We are not against alcohol. It gives pleasure and also confers health benefits."

However, the academy argues that drinking levels should return to those of the early 1970s when the population drank on average seven litres of alcohol per head a year. This compares with the 11.1 litres now consumed. The figures represent a rise of 50 per cent in 30 years.

They say there is a direct link between the relative cheapness of alcohol and the increasing amounts consumed.

The doctors have called for the price of beer, wine and spirits to be increased to 1970 levels. In relative terms alcohol was nearly twice as expensive 30 years ago, they say.

Sir Michael, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University College London, said such measures would have a greater impact on the pockets of young people who drank too much than on people who drank sensibly. "We believe that if you can reduce the average you will also be able to do something about the heavy drinkers," he said.

"A strategic programme is needed to curb the nation's escalating level of drinking in the interests of individual and public health. The country has reached a point where it is necessary and urgent to call time on runaway alcohol consumption."

The academy's report, Calling Time, also proposes limits on the amount of alcohol people can bring in from Europe and lower drink driving limits - down from 80mg per 100ml of blood to 50mg and to zero for drivers younger than 21.

The report says the current travellers' allowance gives a heavy drinker a 272-day supply.

They say this should be reduced to the permitted level of nicotine imported for personal use which gives a 20-a-day smoker a 40-day supply.

"Educational approaches have been disappointing but this may be swamped by contrary advertising," the report says. "Price modulation usually through tax increase is highly effective, particularly in under-age drinkers.

"A 10 per cent rise in the price of all alcoholic beverages has been estimated to reduce mortality from alcohol-related conditions by seven to 37 per cent."

Prof Ian Gilmore, registrar of the Royal College of Physicians and a member of the working party, accepted that their recommendations would not please politicians. "The report makes it very clear that targeting problem drinkers is not sufficient," Prof Gilmore said.

"It collects the compelling evidence that one of the most effective ways of reducing harm to individuals is to reduce the escalating national consumption of alcohol.

"This challenge makes alcohol an issue for society as a whole, and we encourage a wide debate on the policy options of proven benefit, such as increasing price and limiting access, unpalatable to politicians though they may be. The doctors said that drinking at levels of one or two drinks a day provided proven health benefits but that higher amounts began to do harm.

Deaths from chronic liver disease had risen from 124 in men and 86 in women, aged 45 to 54, in 1970 to 805 and 405 respectively in 2000. Alcohol is responsible for 70 per cent of cirrhosis deaths.

Prof Gilmore said: "I now see liver cirrhosis in people in their 20s and 30s, pretty women, who think they will get a warning sign. But the first thing you know is that you go yellow and your belly swells up. People are not just drinking more, they are drinking younger."

The report says that over 30 years chronic liver disease has escalated by more than 450 per cent.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said the Cabinet was producing its own report on reducing harm caused by alcohol in the next few weeks.

[Damagro]

oops, didn't read your full post before responding. My bad

[tje]

They have nothing to worry about...

[Damagro]

I'm glad we moved to a small farm - I'll start growing my own tobacco and then start adding the beer making crops.......


Just be advised that tobacco is a controlled crop. You are allowed to grow up to one acre for personal use and there are other controls on even that.

[freeeee]

No problem. I had similar thoughts when posting that - government isn't paying anything - taxpayers are.

That's the *funny* part. They take your money, then tell you how to live, with the power of your cash.

[Gabz]

I believe it is only 1/10 of an acre for personal use. You are correct about there being controls on it - only because the grabament doesn't want to lose out on all the cash they make from it.

I'm just going to experiment with it this year - I've never done it before - so I don't think I'm going to need to worry too much about big Brother decending upon - after all I do live in Virginia!

[shrinkermd]

Consistent studies show over one-half of all alcohol is consumed by problem drinkers. This proposal will not solve that: what will happen is bootleg entrepreneurs will avoid the taxes and supply the market.

[vetvetdoug]

I am going to add to my stock. The older it gets, the better it tastes. Looks like as good as investment as Enron, Worldcom and Matha Stoowert.

[swarthyguy]

The older it gets, the better it tastes.

Hey, this discussion is about liquor. Leave my sweetie outofit, willya.

[kingu]

"A 10 per cent rise in the price of all alcoholic beverages has been estimated to reduce mortality from alcohol-related conditions by seven to 37 per cent."

A thirty percent swing? Yeah, right. Absolute junk science alert here.

But hey, let's look at this objectively.. Uhh, let's see, where's the figure for the average proof per litre? I know it has to be somewhere in the article..

Still looking...

It's gotta be somewhere here, after all, a near 50% increase in drinking, it couldn't be because people switched from hard liquors to beer and wine..

Huh. Odd that, can't seem to find the figure in here. I mean, they'd have to be using the same figures to compare with, right?

Useless bunk, the whole story, with no data to support the conclusions, a wild supposition as to what would happen. Ooh, I know, let's have a war on drugs, raise the street price on drugs and see if people.. Err... Oh, right, that didn't work either.

[VadeRetro]

When your Guiness looks like that to you, you've had enough. Not enough for a night, enough for a week.

[Damagro]

An acquaintance here planted cotton along the sides of their driveway a couple of years ago for ornamental reasons. Came home one afternoon to find both sides of the drive tilled up ten feet either side of the drive. Moral of the story: be very careful and check with your local ag agent when it's controlled crops

[vetvetdoug]

My family is from McNairy County, Tennessee. We make Thunder Road look like a bunch of soda fountains. We still have some entrepreneurs that make the wild stuff and its smoothe as silk. Prohibition will do nothing but bring out the old boys.

[vetvetdoug]

Do you need a second opinion? It really helps.

[Gabz]

I know exactly what you are saying. I have already planned on going to see the ag agent - only because I don't know what I'm doing!!!!

I realize I'm coming across as being flip - but I'm really not - I do appreciate your cautionary advice.

I just get so fed up with more and more rules, regulations and TAXES on whatever happens to be the politically correct thing (or people) to harass at a given moment. And lately it just seems I've been getting it from all sides - I drink, I smoke cigarettes, I'm conservative, I'm a stay at home mom who is happily married to the father of her child.......sheesh in this day and age it seems I can't win for losing!!!!

[socal_parrot]

I just don't like it....

Four Buck Chuck just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[MEGoody]

Nah, don't want the government doing this. I am all for neighborhood vigilante groups though. The drunk that beats his wife, neglects his kids and is always causing trouble in the neighborhood gets a visit from the 'neighbors,' and he never touches another drop.

[KC_for_Freedom]

just get so fed up with more and more rules, regulations and TAXES on whatever happens to be the politically correct thing (or people) to harass at a given moment. And lately it just seems I've been getting it from all sides - I drink, I smoke cigarettes, I'm conservative, I'm a stay at home mom who is happily married to the father of her child.......sheesh in this day and age it seems I can't win for losing!!!!

Or to put it another way, It used to be a free country. I'm with you on who to blame though, Its the liberals who think we should all be healthy because we share so much of everyone's medical costs. Well, I pay my own medical costs, (and through high prices, a lot of other people's too.) But a few drinks or a smoke sure lowers the stress level, otherwise I might go out and do something about all this government control. And before anyones says it, I know the libs really want total control and that is where they are headed.)

[Damagro]

A stay at home mom married to the child's father? You my friend are truly a minority. Be careful, you may be seized for a Smithsonian exhibit

[Gabz]

I don't think I can really add to what you say.

[swarthyguy]

I'd tell you to put a cork in it! :))