Merseysiders still misusing alcohol

Oct 15 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

NOTHING less than a major shift in drinking habits will solve Merseyside’s alcohol crisis, the region’s most senior public health officer warned last night.

The area’s status as a binge-drinking blackspot is expected to be confirmed tomorrow when the Department of Health publishes its annual “hospital episode” statistics.

The figures will show that nine out of 10 areas with the highest rate of emergency admissions are in the North, with Liverpool in the top five for both men and women.

The new figures will also show the number of people admitted to hospital due to alcohol-related conditions has risen significantly in the past five years.

Health experts across the region said the statistics were “very worrying” and last night health chiefs vowed to work towards reducing alcohol-related harm and ill-health in the city. Doctor Paula Grey, director of Public Health for Liverpool, said: “We are determined to reduce alcohol-related harm and ill-health in the city and will be publishing an ambitious Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy on November 7, which includes a target to reduce alcohol-related hospital admissions resulting in a 24-hour hospital stay by 5% over the next three years.

“But let us be clear that there are no quick fixes.

“A shift in drinking culture is required. These figures are the result of the drinking patterns of people in our city.

“We know that people in the North West are more likely to drink over the daily recommended limits for alcohol on at least one day in the week.

“We are committed to raising people’s awareness of the impact of alcohol misuse on their health. In this year alone, Liverpool PCT has invested over £250,000 in social marketing campaigns targeted at high-risk groups and over the last three years, we have invested over £1m into tackling alcohol-related harm.”

Professor Mark Bellis, director of the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, which compiled the information, said: “The figures show an increase in the levels of alcohol problems in the population.

“A lot of attention is paid towards binge drinking in younger people.

“But large numbers of people of all ages are simply drinking too much.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said there are close to two million people drinking at levels known to be harmful and said reducing the harm caused by alcohol misuse is a top Government priority.

carolineinnes@dailypost.co.uk