Sunday, December 24, 2006

UK: 24 young people a day treated for alcoholism

UK: MORE than 20 children and teenagers are being treated in hospital every day for alcohol-related illnesses, including mental disorders, poisoning and liver disease, according to newly released official data.

The figures, labelled “staggering” by one of Britain’s most senior doctors, show that in the year 2005-6, during which Prime Minister Tony Blair introduced 24-hour drinking, the number of under-18s seeking treatment for alcohol-related health problems leapt by 13% to 8,894, an average of 24 a day.

The research, released in parliament by Caroline Flint, the health minister, shows that the number treated has gone up by 33% since Blair came to power in 1997.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “This is a staggering rise and it is only the tip of the iceberg.

“The younger they drink, the more likely they are to have alcohol-related problems later in life. It is now commonplace to see men and women in their twenties with end-stage alcoholic liver damage.”

The disease figures released by Flint do not include those people treated for injuries sustained in incidents such as drunken fights or drink-driving. Source.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The main reason that alcoholics are not recovering is because the 12 step groups are being promoted by all the so called professionals that these people go to looking for help.I personally have recovered from severe alcoholism by believing that i have the power within to change the way i lived my life.Rational Recovery, smart recovery, unhooked.com are groups who promote self management and in my opinion are the way forward.A/A has such a large failure rate because it tells people they are powerless and that aa is the only way,that is the biggest load of bull i have ever heard.