Stemming the Tide of Alcohol?

When the head of the Royal College of Physicians says we are on the verge of a “tsunami” of alcohol-related health problems, perhaps we should all put down our pints or wine glasses and listen.

Professor Ian Gilmore’s warning is blunt: “The Government are understandably anxious about being seen as a nanny state, but unless they take action their own figures suggest we are moving towards a tsunami of health-related harm.”

There seems to be no shortage of ideas about what to do, with governments in Wales, Scotland and England all coming up with proposals, most of them focusing on the supply of alcohol.

Speaking at an alcohol and drug misuse conference in Swansea, Assembly Justice Minister and former GP Brian Gibbons said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that the effects of alcohol can be just as devastating as illegal drugs.

“The alcohol industry needs to realise it is drinking in the last chance saloon.”

He said the affects of too much alcohol were seen in the streets, hospitals and police stations of Wales, and were costing the country up to pounds80 million a year.

The UK public health minister Dawn Primarolo focused on the role of drinks industry, saying its response to the voluntary code of practice – parts of which were introduced a decade ago – was “disappointing.”

(c) 2008 South Wales Evening Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.