Middle class over 45-year-olds now the most frequent drinkers

The middle class people over the age of 45 are now the most frequent drinkers in England, new NHS figures show. Middle class over 45s drink more than any other group, figures show. Middle aged people who are on high incomes are the most likely to drink five or more nights a week, according to the statistics. The findings add to growing concern over middle class drinkers and the damage their habits are doing to their bodies.

Earlier this year a report by the National Audit Office, the Government watchdog, warned that 10 million Britons were now drinking to "hazardous" levels. A survey conducted by the NHS Information Centre shows that 30 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women in the highest earning bracket admitted that they had drunk alcohol five nights or more in the previous week, twice as much as in the lowest wage bracket.

The middle aged were also much more likely than young people or thirtysomethings to drink frequently. The highest rate was among men aged 55 to 64, 33 per cent of whom said that they had drunk five or more days out of the last seven. Among women, 19 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds admitted that they drank that often. By contrast just 12 per cent of male and 5 per cent of female 16 to 24-year-olds said that they drank that frequently. And overall 22 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women said that they had gone without alcohol for two days or less in the previous week.

While previous studies have concentrated on younger binge drinkers this is the first to suggest so starkly that middle class over 45-year-olds top the league table for frequent drinking. The survey also found that levels of obesity have almost doubled in 14 years, from 16 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women in 1993 to 24 per cent of both sexes in 1997.

The breakdown of the figures on alcohol contained in the annual Health Survey for England report also show that almost one third of men and more than one quarter of women admit they drank excessively at least one day in the previous week. It also discloses that few people know the recommended daily alcohol limits.

Men are advised to drink no more than three to four units a day, the equivalent of two pints of beer, and women two to three glasses of wine, the amount contained in one and a half standard glasses of wine. Less than a third of people knew their safe limits, the study shows.

The survey also showed that while most knew that they should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, only 14 per cent of men and 11 per went of women knew how much should be contained in a portion, the survey also found. Dr Mark Davies, medical director of the NHS Information Centre and a practising GP, said it was of "concern" that messages of safe alcohol intake, as well as those on exercise levels and healthy eating, did not seem to be getting through to all sections of the population.

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "Labour's neglect over issues like obesity and alcohol abuse will leave a terrible legacy for the next Government to try and fix" and called for urgent action on public health problems. 17.12.08

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Insurers target middle-class drinkers with higher premiums

People who drink more than the recommended alcohol limits are being hammered with huge hikes in life insurance premiums. Firms are getting tough on the rising tide of binge drinking, and many clients are seeing their premiums double. With the Christmas season in full swing, revellers will be shocked to learn that even those with moderate drinking habits are caught up in the new rules, with women particularly affected.

Ministers say one of the largest groups likely to be affected are middle-aged, middle class people, who often drink more than they should by, for example, having a couple of glasses of wine every day after work or with meals. A woman who drinks 21 units a week, not far above the Government's guidelines, could end up paying an extra £50 a year. A man drinking 35 units - two and a half pints of lager a night - could find himself facing extra premiums of up to £100 a year.

And a man who admitted consuming 50 units a week could see his premiums double from £150 to £300 because his drinking would be categorised as 'harmful'. Very heavy drinkers may be refused cover completely.

Guidelines state that women should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week, rising to 21 for men. One unit equals half a pint of beer, a shot of whisky or a small glass of wine. But in reality many consume far more, with official figures showing that 10million adults - one in five men and one in three women - drink at a level which is 'hazardous' to their health.

Many people underestimate the number of units they consume due to the large sizes of wine glasses and double shots of spirits that are put into many cocktails. Insurers say they are reacting to increases in health-related problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, heart problems and certain cancers.

But critics say they are simply cashing in on drinking after raising premiums on smokers. To ensure claimants are not lying about their drinking habits, most life insurance firms are now checking with doctors' notes for signs of alcohol use.

The insurers strongly advise customers to tell the truth about how much they drink. Several companies admitted to refusing to pay out claims if they had evidence that they were drink-related. Companies including the AA, Norwich Union, Legal and General and Direct Line said they would increase premiums for drinkers.

A spokesman for the AA said: 'Heavy drinkers are more likely to suffer from liver disease, high blood pressure and strokes. They are also more likely to have an accident, possibly fall into the road, and they are more likely to be involved in a fight.' Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers said: 'Insurance companies are simply making a normal judgment of risk.'  26.12.08

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Awareness campaings & binge drinking ads don't work say researchers

Health campaigns to curb binge drinking do not work because they demonise young people, say researchers. A study by the universities of Bath and Birmingham found that adverts like the Government's latest £4 million anti-binge-drinking campaign are viewed as unrealistic in the way they portray binge drinking. The TV advert broadcast this year showed young drinkers injuring themselves, being violent and smearing vomit in their hair.

The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, concluded that young people do not recognise their own drinking patterns in adverts which take a negative stance. But they do identify with adverts that promote alcohol as fun and sociable.

The researchers interviewed 89 people in England aged between 18 and 25 over three years and focused on 216 alcohol adverts, both in print and broadcast. Professor Christine Griffin, from the University of Bath, led the project and urged the Government to reconsider their health campaigns.

She said: 'Top of my list would have to be to stop demonising and making generalisations about young people and their drinking. 'We also need to listen and incorporate their views and perspectives.'

Professor Chris Hackley from Royal Holloway College, University of London, who was also involved in the research said: 'The study suggests a radical re-thinking of national alcohol policy is required which takes into account the social character of alcohol consumption and the identity implications for young people.' 29.12.08

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10 million adults drink too much and wine drinkers are the worst, watchdog warns

One in four English adults drinks too much, research by a government watchdog has found. Some 10 million people are consuming alcohol at 'hazardous' levels, with stronger drinks and larger glasses - especially among wine drinkers - contributing to the drinking 'epidemic'.

Middle-class wine drinkers are most at risk, with seven million exceeding medical recommendations and another three million considered problem drinkers. Experts warn the burden of dealing with the problem will cripple the NHS if an effective solution is not found. The report from the National Audit Office (NAO) yesterday warned the NHS is failing to deal with the scale of the problem. It says that GPs ought to be tripling the number of patients they advise on how to cut down drinking.

The official number of deaths from alcohol-related causes doubled between 1991 and 2006 from 4,100 to 8,800, official figures show. But if all related illnesses, such as cancer, are included, the figure tops 15,000. Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said many people did not realise how much they were drinking or did not know the official guidelines. 'Even where people know, it is not easy to translate quantities of drink of varying degrees of strength into "units of alcohol",' he said. 'England is suffering an epidemic of drinking. Many drinkers are endangering their health and well-being and placing a huge burden on the health service.'

Glasses of wine in bars now regularly come in 250ml glasses, twice the traditional 125ml size, while the wines themselves have also become stronger in recent years. The Government recommends a limit of 14 units a week for women and 21 for men, but 31 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women now regularly drink above this level.

'Hazardous' drinkers are women who regularly drink between 14 and 35 units a week and men who drink between 21 and 50 units. Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health Minister, insisted that the Government was doing 'more than ever' to tackle the harm caused by alcohol, including a £10million campaign warning people about the dangers of drinking too much. 29.10.08

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Alcohol-related hospital admissions double under Labour

Alcohol-related hospital admissions have more than doubled since Labour came to power. A damning report says minsters not taking responsibility for binge drinking are to blame. The number going to hospital because of drink soared to 207,788 in 2006/07 - up from 93,459 in the year before Tony Blair took office. These include people suffering alcohol-related liver disease, mental health disorders linked to alcohol, and people with 'acute' intoxication.

But the figures are likely to be the tip of an iceberg, because they do not include those people who injure themselves while drunk - or those who are injured by other drunks. The report by the National Audit Office, the government spending watchdog, also found that the number of alcohol-related deaths had more than doubled in 15 years, to 8,100.

It said the reason for this was that the Department of Health and NHS organisations were guilty of passing the buck on responsibility for dealing with binge drinking. The DoH does not provide enough leadership to primary care trusts, meaning local services to tackle drinking are not well-planned.

Around a quarter of PCTs have not fully assessed the extent of alcohol problems in their areas, and many cannot even say how much money they are devoting to reducing drinking. Instead, PCTs leave everything to local 'drug and alcohol action teams' - but these bodies focus mainly on specialist services for people with severe alcohol addiction, and do nothing to help people who drink too much and are endangering their health.

Tim Burr, head of the National Audit Office, said: 'Alcohol misuse constitutes a heavy and increasing burden on the NHS. If services to tackle alcohol misuse are going to make a bigger difference, PCTs need to understand better the scale of the problem in their local communities.

'With its increased focus on the prevention of lifestyle-related illness, the Department of Health could, for example, do more to convince trusts about the value of timely advice to help people develop safer drinking patterns.' Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: 'England is suffering from an epidemic of drinking. Many drinkers are endangering their health and wellbeing and placing a huge burden on the health service.

'The Department of Health has completely handed over the task of addressing alcohol harm to the primary care trusts. And the trusts have in turn looked to another set of bodies to take the lead in commissioning services. 'Like many drinkers, the PCTs have difficulty focusing on the issues. The Department of Health can no longer remain on the sidelines. It must provide leadership to trusts by setting a framework on how they should approach alcohol misuse.'

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the report made 'sobering' reading. 'It is clear that the NHS needs to urgently up its game both in investing in alcohol services and in having sensible strategies across primary and secondary care to make sure the investment is well spent,' he said. Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: 'People with alcohol problems still face a postcode lottery of access to alcohol services.' 29.10.08

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The metals in your daily glass of wine that have been linked to cancer and Parkinson's

Having just one glass of wine a day could expose the drinker to potentially dangerous levels of metals linked to cancer, heart attacks and Parkinson's disease, scientists warn. A study claims that some wines contain dangerously high levels of naturally occurring metals such as copper, zinc and nickel. The highest levels of contamination were found in wines from Hungary and Slovakia. French wines were third on the list.

However, the wine industry and Britain's food watchdog urged drinkers not to panic, saying that the levels of metals were within recognised safety levels. The study looked at the reported levels of metal ions  -  or charged atoms  -  in around 100 bottles of wines from 16 countries. The metals naturally occur in the soil and are absorbed by growing vines. Researchers at Kingston University in London used a new technique developed by American experts to measure the risk to regular drinkers over many years.

The tool  -  called a target hazard quotient (THQ)  -  gives an indication of risk based on the known safe upper dose for each metal and the likely long-term exposure of someone drinking one glass of wine a day. Professor Declan Naughton, who reports the findings in Chemistry Central Journal, said the only wines that posed no risk to health were from Argentina, Brazil and Italy.

'If you have a THQ of more than one then you should be concerned,' said Professor Naughton. 'In the past we have seen seafood contaminated with mercury with a THQ level of 20. But here we were seeing levels up to 300. It was astonishing and it gives cause for concern.'

Critics of THQs say the technique exaggerates the risk by assuming that all pollutants in food or drink enter the bloodstream. However, Professor Naughton said they actually underestimated the risk to older or infirm drinkers who were more vulnerable to contaminants.

The study found high levels of a host of metals including copper, nickel, zinc, chromium, manganese and vanadium in both red and white wine. Levels of lead were below the dangerous levels. Professor Naughton called for more, urgent, research into the risk to health. 'Excess intake of metal ions is credited with pathological events such as Parkinson's disease,' he said. 'In addition to neurological problems, these ions are also believed to enhance oxidative damage, a key component of chronic inflammatory disease which is a suggested initiator cancer'.

He said the wine industry should take 'urgent steps' to remove hazardous metals during production, and that regulatory authorities should consider putting the levels of metals on the labels of wine. But The Wine and Spirit Trade Association urged drinkers not to panic.

A spokesman said: 'All wine sold in the UK has to comply with European legislation governing ingredients and the wine-making process and UK food safety legislation. 'There is strong scientific evidence testifying to the health benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol.'

The Food Standards Agency said: 'From the information the agency has it would appear that the researchers have used a method that is not widely used in Europe. 'When carrying out research in this area the Agency looks at actual exposure levels and based on previous research into dietary exposure to metals there is no reason for consumers to be concerned.' 30.10.08

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In detail: Nine Types of Heavy Drinker

The Department of Health has identified nine personality types of heavy drinkers who are at risk of liver damage and other alcohol-related illnesses. They are:

De-stress drinkers
Use alcohol to regain control of life and calm down. This group includes middle-class women and men. The researchers said: "They typically have a pressurised job or stressful home life, which leads them to feel burdened with responsibility. Partners often supported or reinforced their behaviour by preparing drinks to help relieve stress";

Conformist drinkers
A are driven by the need to belong and they seek a structure to their lives. They are typically men aged 45-59 in clerical or manual jobs. "They tend to have traditional values and attitudes, with regularly going to the pub being a core part of their weekly, habitual behaviour";

Boredom drinkers
Consume alcohol to pass the time, seeking stimulation to relieve the monotony of life. Alcohol helps them to feel comforted and secure. "They are typically in the 35-50 age bracket and come from both genders, although the bias is towards women";

Depressed drinkers
May be of any age, gender or social/economic group. They crave comfort, safety and security. "Their lives are in a state of crisis and their drinking tends to increase steadily over the period of their depression. They tend to drink very heavily, often at home and alone, over extended periods";

Re-Bonding drinkers
Are driven by a need to keep in touch with people who are close to them. They include men and women of all ages and social classes, who "drink most evenings as they catch up with different sets of people in their lives, including friends, family and partners";

Community drinkers
Are motivated by the need to belong. They are usually lower middle class men and women, who drink in large social friendship groups, seeking stimulation and release from everyday life in the company of others. "If their friends are not in the pub in a particular evening, they would not stay on drinking";

Hedonistic drinkers
Crave stimulation and want to abandon control. They are often divorced people with grown-up children, who want to stand out from the crowd. "They frequently drink to get drunk and could be doing this three or four times a week";

Macho drinkers
Spend most of their spare time in pubs. They are mostly men of all ages who want to stand out from the crowd. But, unlike the hedonistic drinkers, they "want to control and be in control, albeit of others rather than themselves";

Border dependents
Regard the pub as a home from home. They visit it during the day and and the evening, on weekdays and at weekends, drinking fast and often. "They have a combination of motives, including boredom, the need to conform and a general sense of malaise in their lives," the researchers said.

The worring fact is that an individual can belong to many of the personality types and not just one. The NHS has also launched self-help packs, available online and in printed form, telling drinkers how to calculate the medical risks associated with different levels of alcohol intake. DrinkCheck is available at nhs.uk/units 19.9.08

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Coroner warns binge drinkers after 10-pint spree kills barman

A coroner has issued a warning to Britain's binge drinkers after a barman died during a 10-pint bender. Michael Hill, just 23, drank the equivalent of 20 units of alcohol with a friend on leave from the Army, the inquest heard. He passed out on a friend's sofa and never came round. John Gittins, the deputy coroner for central North Wales, said Mr Hill's death should serve as a lesson to others who often drank that amount at weekends.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, he said: 'It is a real indication of the dangers of binge drinking. 'Twenty units is a level that many people have to drink at weekends but I hope his death will provide valuable evidence of the risk of drinking to excess in this fashion.' Mr Hill, of seaside Rhyl, Denbighshire, who was 6ft 5ins tall and known to his friends as 'Ginge', worked in the Long Bar at nearby Towyn and also helped on a stall at Tir Prince market.

His mother, Eileen Harpin, of Rhyl, told the hearing in Prestatyn that she had seen him drunk a couple of times but he could generally hold his liquor. In a statement read at the inquest Mr Hill's 'best mate' Matthew Johnson, who is serving in the Welsh Guards, said he returned to Rhyl on leave on April 17 and the following evening they went out drinking together before going to a party in Mr Johnson's girlfriend's flat.

He said Mr Hill drank vodka and eventually 'crashed out'. The soldier's care worker girlfriend Stacey Whiles told the inquest she was at work when he rang her at 4am to say he was worried about Mr Hill, who was vomiting. 'I told him to put Ginge in the recovery position and to put something under him for him to vomit into, so that he wouldn't choke on his own vomit,' she said. She said that over the phone she could hear Mr Hill breathing heavily. 'I had seen him passing out but not vomiting before,' she said.

When Miss Whiles returned home after 8am she found her boyfriend asleep on the floor and Mr Hill dead on the sofa. She called an ambulance while Mr Johnson tried to resuscitate Mr Hill, but paramedics certified he was dead. Miss Whiles said Mr Hill drank a certain amount every day and had heavy sessions about twice a month. He also used recreational drugs occasionally.

Toxicology tests showed he had 403 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood - five times the legal limit for driving.

Last night friends paid tribute to someone they described as 'an amazing young man'. Sarah Unwin, 19, said: 'Michael was a very special boy. We used to go dancing to a club in Wigan and you could guarantee he'd be the last one dancing. 'He had a lust for life and was an amazing young man.' Hairdresser Kelly Wilson, 19, said she had known Mr Hill since he moved to Rhyl from Wolverhampton about nine years ago. 'He had a lot of friends and if he wasn't working he'd be out having a good time.' 10.9.08

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A quarter of adults drinks excessively as doctors warn of 'tsunami of alcohol-related harm'

A quarter of UK adults are damaging their health through excessive drinking, it was revealed yesterday. Some ten million regularly flout advice on how much to drink, egged on by a licensing industry ignoring its own voluntary code on social responsibility.There is also clear evidence that cheaper booze is to blame for a massive rise in alcohol consumption, as drink prices have halved in 30 years, relative to earnings.

A blizzard of new figures included:
The harm caused by excess drinking is costing the UK £25billion a year in healthcare, crime and lost productivity.
Aound 800,000 hospital admissions a year are due to alcohol-related conditions, 70 per cent more than in 2002-2003.
Heavy drinking is killing 15,000 people a year - including a quarter of all deaths among young men aged 16 to 24.

Ministers were accused of 'dithering' as they hinted they may bring in laws to replace the failed voluntary code and outlaw aggressive discounting, but said they would wait for more evidence before making any decision. Professor Ian Gilmore of the Royal College of Physicians warned: '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.'

Alcohol industry leaders hit back, questioning the findings and accusing the Government of failing to enforce existing laws.
The Home Office commissioned consultants KPMG to assess the voluntary code, which was agreed three years ago and is supposed to stop drinks companies, pubs and bars cashing in on binge drinking. In particular it is meant to stop the trade glamorising heavy drinking, marketing products to youngsters or encouraging rapid boozing through cutprice promotions in bars. Another code is meant to ensure drinks containers are clearly labelled with the units of alcohol they contain. The codes were at the heart of the Government's strategy as it brought in 24-hour drinking.

But researchers uncovered a catalogue of blatant abuses, describing scantily-clad women selling shots of spirits to drunken men in clubs by flirting with them, club DJs urging punters to drink more so they can 'get laid' and bar staff selling alcopops to young customers too drunk to count their change.

In 726 visits they saw only three cases where staff refused to serve a drunken customer. The worst excesses were in 'vertical drinking' venues - the large town centre pubs with no seats where young customers are crammed in. Researchers also voiced concern over cheap supermarket alcohol.KPMG concludes that the voluntary code has failed totally. It blames 'overriding commercial interests' to sell more alcohol, and the lack of enforcement. A separate study at Sheffield University highlighted close links between alcohol prices and consumption levels, while Department of Health figures detailed the level of harm.

The British Beer and Pub Association called for 'a renewed focus on individual responsibility and accountability, not just pointing the finger at business'. A spokesman said: 'The Government should address the underlying culture. Legislation is a sledgehammer that will not crack the nut.'
The drinks industry first agreed to include alcohol unit information on all bottles and cans ten years ago. Labels should display the number of units inside and remind drinkers of the Government's 'safe' guidelines. These are three to four units a day for men and two to three for women.

But a decade later, independent monitoring say they found that only just over half of all packaging - 57 per cent - contains such labelling.
Just 3 per cent carried all the information ministers want, including a warning to pregnant women to avoid alcohol. The Department of Health admitted: 'There is now real doubt as to whether the agreement can be implemented to the extent that was originally expected'.

The introduction of round-the-clock drinking almost three years ago was one of Labour's most controversial moves. The Licensing Act swept away longstanding laws on closing times, letting thousands of pubs and clubs stay open into the early hours. Police and hospitals have since complained of dramatic increases in their workload late into the night. In the worst-affected areas, alcohol-related cases in hospital have more than doubled.

Public Health minister Dawn Primarolo played down the impact of the changes yesterday, insisting the upward trends in alcohol consumption and harm were already well established and there is no evidence they have become worse. But hopes of creating a 'Mediterranean-style' cafe culture appear to have come to nothing. 23.7.08

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Alcohol-linked hospital admissions rise 7% in a year - double in 10 years

Hospital admissions linked to alcohol rose by 7 per cent in 2006-07 and have more than doubled since 1995-96, a report from the NHS says. Opposition politicians claimed the increase showed the failure of the Government's policies on public health and alcohol abuse, with “soaring” numbers of heavy drinkers needing hospital treatment.

The data, from the NHS Information Centre for health and social care, showed there were 207,788 NHS hospital admissions in England in 2006-07 with a primary or secondary diagnosis related to alcohol, more than double the 93,459 recorded in 1995-96, and 7 per cent up on the 193,637 recorded in 2005-06. The results cover the first complete year after the introduction of more relaxed licensing laws in November 2005.

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said: “These figures show that the Government's policies on tackling alcohol abuse have completely failed. “The resources invested in services available to help alcoholics is shamefully far behind those for drug addicts. As well as causing chaos in A&E on Friday nights and fuelling anti-social behaviour, excessive drinking results in serious long-term health problems.”

For the Conservatives, Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: “Helping people to live healthily hasn't been a priority for Labour and these figures show the consequences. “These cases put enormous pressure on an already over-stretched NHS. It is particularly worrying that so many under-18s are ending up in hospital because they've had too much to drink.

“Tackling issues like excessive drinking is a social responsibility in which we all have a part to play. But Labour have raided budgets for the promotion of healthy living to meet deficits in the NHS. The Government has failed to show the leadership and cultural change we need.”

Detailed breakdown of the figures shows that 4,900 teenagers under the age of 18 were admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis related to alcohol, such as mental or behavioural disorders or alcoholic liver disease. The drug bill for treating alcohol dependency is also rising sharply. In 2007, 112,267 prescription items for drugs for treating alcohol dependency were also prescribed by doctors, an increase of 20 per cent since 2003.

While more than two thirds of people had heard of the Government guidelines on alcohol consumption, 40 per cent admitted that they did now know what the recommendations were. A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: “The new figures showing a rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions confirm everything we've heard from the frontline staff who deal with the after-effects of heavy drinking.

“What is however particularly dispiriting is the news that the number of people who aren't familiar with the recommended limits has actually gone up. “The Government needs to shape a response that meets the challenges thrown up by this bulletin. Information campaigns are a great first step, but we also need urgent investment in treatment systems that help steer problem drinkers away from harmful behaviour before they develop chronic conditions.”

The figures come after Government ministers launched a new campaign to highlight how many units of alcohol there are pints of lager and glasses of wine as it is feared many are drinking more than they realise. But experts say educational campaigns do not work and prices should be increased instead to curb the growing epidemic of liver disease which is now striking younger drinkers in their 20s and 30s.

The British Liver Trust said 120 people a day were being admitted with alcoholic liver disease. Alison Rogers, the trust's chief executive, said: “Measures taken to curb this worrying trend just aren't working so far, according to these statistics. “This is set to hit England hard over the following years because liver disease can take up to 10 years to develop.

“We need action now to protect people's health, to stop health harm from alcohol spiralling out of control. We seem to be getting on top of cardiovascular disease and cancer, but liver disease is the only one out of the big five on the rise. “Piecemeal action to tackle liver disease just isn't working. We need a coherent Government strategy to tackle liver disease that looks at the complex and inter-related factors behind it, from alcohol and viral hepatitis to obesity and treatment services.”

Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health Minister, said: “We are working harder than ever to reduce alcohol-related hospital admissions, and to help those who regularly drink too much or are dependent on alcohol. “The NHS spends £217 million a year on specialist alcohol treatment and I have just launched a £6 million campaign to make sure people know their units and know how much they're drinking.” 22.5.08

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Tantrums, violence and useless, the £12,000 therapy: what REALLY goes on inside rehab

A beautiful, sunny morning in high summer, but the weather is doing little to lift my spirits. I'm sitting in a group counselling session at Clouds House, the rehab centre in Wiltshire where addicts from all walks of life come in the hope of being 'cured' of their addiction. Deborah, 44, a "recovering" heroin addict is having another tirade. Jumping to her feet, she grabs her plastic chair and repeatedly slams it against the wall. Shrieking, her face is bursting with rage and her fists are pounding the air. No one dares to challenge her. She's frequently shared fantasies about stabbing her parents and isn't one to walk away from a fight.

The group counsellor looks at her blankly and says: "Why don't you sit down and tell the group how you feel?" Deborah curses and storms out while the rest of us breathe a collective sigh of relief. She's discharged days later for abusing the nurses.

I knew rehab would never be easy but I had no idea how common such dramas would be when I checked into Clouds in August 2005 for six weeks to recover from my drink problem. Before entering, I'd had fantasies of healing counselling sessions and inspiring lectures to help me overcome my addiction. I thought it would give me the opportunity to evaluate my life in a calm and supportive environment. Instead, by the time I left, I wasn't even sure who or what I was. Was I an alcoholic, or, an over privileged young woman who partied too hard? And did rehab actually work? I was very doubtful.

The fact is, I was never a classic alcoholic - the sort who had to swallow a stiff vodka in the morning to get out of bed. I started drinking in 1995 when I was 22. At the time I was working for a national newspaper in Canary Wharf, London, and trying to make my mark in a somewhat cut-throat environment. The competition was fierce and as a trainee reporter I struggled to make any impact. As story after story I filed ended up being dropped, I felt like a failure and I found that after a few glasses of white wine in the evening my anxieties dissipated.

It helped that drinking was part of the work culture and it was considered perfectly acceptable to head down to one of the thriving bars on any given night. Several of my colleagues were hardened drinkers with cocaine habits. The more time I spent with them, the more I embraced the party lifestyle. After work I could drink anything up to two bottles of wine in three hours, and at the weekend I'd go clubbing and put away anything up to five bottles of wine with a few cocktails thrown in.

I finally bottomed out in July 2005 when I had a panic attack. I'd been drinking for three days, virtually nonstop, having gone to a wild party at someone's house and slept on the floor for two nights. My hands were shaking and I started hyperventilating and had to go to hospital where I was given Valium. It was an utterly terrifying experience and it signalled a turning point. My body was clearly telling me it couldn't cope any more and I decided to tell my parents my secret - that I had a drink problem.

My parents were utterly shocked and worried sick. I'd been so careful to hide the extent of my drinking from them that they honestly had no idea. Anyway, how could I possibly have a drink problem? I had a high-flying career, good friends, and even a Prada handbag! I looked healthy and ate a reasonable diet. But I knew I needed help and I asked my father if he'd pay for me to go to rehab.

He generously agreed to do so at a huge cost of £12,000 for six weeks' treatment. I confessed all to my boss who was very kind, telling me to take a chunk of unpaid leave and simply concentrate on getting well. My entire family were very much behind me and when my mother dropped me off at Clouds one afternoon I had to walk away from her quickly, so she didn't see my tears of shame.

The large manor house where Clouds is based overlooks rolling green fields with dormitories that house up to six patients. Bizarrely, it reminded me of my old boarding school in West Somerset. I was full of trepidation, as I'd been warned by a former patient and friend that I was going to be housed with drug addicts and alcoholics from all walks of life, some of whom would be coming in to Clouds going through physical "withdrawal" and in grave emotional torment. But I didn't know what to expect. I just knew Clouds was somewhere people battling addictions went to get help.

Ironically, there was a whiff of glamour about it - wasn't it the prerogative of any self-respecting celebrity to go to rehab at some point? Kate Moss, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Britney Spears are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rehab. I was intrigued to learn that the late Paula Yates had been to Clouds (she was thrown out for bedding a fellow patient) and Robbie Williams wrote the song Angels while being treated there. Only last week, singer Pete Doherty was admitted for his ongoing problem with drugs.

But the reality of Clouds was far grimmer than I'd imagined. There were no celebrities except an incorrigible party boy who'd been on the TV show Love Island. Many of the patients were in their 20s and had been pressured into rehab by despairing parents or a court order. Local authorities paid for their treatment. Initially, I felt intimidated because I was afraid they might bully me. Actually, to their credit, they didn't - although one or two patients dubbed me "the duchess" because they said I had a "posh accent".

Their stories were much sadder than mine. So many never stood a chance of having stable lives. After the nurse went through my luggage to make sure I hadn't smuggled in any drugs or alcohol, I was shown to my dormitory. There were beds for up to six women and the decor was basic with a thin carpet, solitary washbasin and large windows overlooking the garden. I felt lost during the first night, I kept thinking, "How did I get here? Where did it all go so wrong?" and I wept silent tears on my pillow.

I shared the dormitory with a painfully shy young woman who had been living rough in a multistorey car park for weeks and using heroin; a middle-aged woman who confessed she was prone to cutting herself with a razor if she got too anxious; a depressed mother of two in her 40s, and a vivacious young Cockney girl who cheered us all up with singing.

The routine at Clouds was much the same each day. We'd wake up and go to breakfast at 8am. Next, we'd be allocated chores such as vacuuming, cleaning or washing up. Then, there would be around an hour-and-a-half of group counselling, for which we'd be divided into regular groups of up to eight people. A counsellor would sit on each session but would say very little - it was up to the patients to counsel each other. We were encouraged to offer one another guidance, confront each others' demons and talk about our addictions. The idea was that we could help each other recognise our common problems. But in reality it often descended into chaos and tears as patients criticised and belittled each other.

I soon learnt to avoid being confronted by staring vacantly at the carpet. Eventually, I was singled out by my peers and told I was fake, stuck-up and hiding my true self behind a mask of denial. One day a young recovering addict called James rounded on me for being too polite. "You're always saying hello to everyone and asking them how they are. It's just a false act you put on," he said.

"I'm not going to apologise for being middle-class," I replied. Of course, my comment triggered a group argument with people from opposing backgrounds criticising each other until the counsellor finally told us all to be quiet. We'd spend the rest of the day lounging around in a big common room. The boredom was excruciating. We barely had any one-on-one counselling - I often had less than two hours a week in which we never explored anything deeper than how I was feeling about my fellow patients.

My father was effectively paying £2,000 a week for me to sit around doing nothing. The staff claimed that it was important we learnt to "sit with our feelings" and gain insight from the "therapeutic atmosphere". But there was nothing therapeutic about listening to addicts boast about the times they'd flat-lined - taken so many drugs they'd almost died - and alcoholics weeping because their children were being taken into care.

Television was banned and books were limited, although a friend smuggled in Jane Austen novels for me. In the evening we'd have "group workshops", which involved making notes about various aspects of our addictions and asking fellow patients to evaluate our work. Most of the time we simply went through the motions quickly and then went back to playing Blackjack with Monopoly money and listening to our iPods.

The work assignments occasionally handed out were far too simple. For example, we were asked to write about our worst drinking experiences - but we'd already covered this in group therapy. When we actually had lectures they were over simplistic, and patronising to anyone with half a brain. We were asked to perform mimes showing each other how we could enjoy ourselves without resorting to drink and drugs on a given day. I mimed country-dancing.

On the plus side there was a great sense of camaraderie at Clouds. I formed close bonds with people from all walks of life, including a man in his 70s (he claimed he wasn't really a drunk, he'd been set up by another man), a one-time violent thief and a charismatic male addict who had lived rough for years in North London - and who tragically died last summer after taking an overdose. Unfortunately, living in close confinement also meant Clouds was a breeding ground for hot crushes and illicit relationships. I knew of at least two pairs of patients who secretly had sex in the clinic's sprawling grounds and in the dormitories.

What's more, I'm ashamed to admit that I developed an inappropriate crush on a married fellow patient. When I shyly confessed my feelings to him he started slipping me poems across the dining room table and grabbing me for stolen kisses when no one was looking. I wasn't sure what to do; I felt torn between my attraction to him and my conscience telling me to behave, and so I seemed to be in a constant state of anxiety. Although men and women were in separate sleeping quarters it was still possible to creep into each other's rooms after lights-out. At one stage I did cross that line, although I never went beyond a quick kiss and a cuddle - it was too dangerous because if a couple were caught they were immediately thrown out - I know of two couples who met this fate.

Another major problem was exhaustion. It was not unusual to be woken at night by addicts going cold turkey, sweating, thrashing about and screaming into the darkness. Severe alcoholics just hours away from their last drink suffered, too, having hallucinations, tremors and acute anxiety. I didn't understand why patients at this traumatic stage of early detox couldn't be put in separate dormitories until they stabilised. What amazed me more was that these same individuals were expected to attend group counselling. They were so ill it was pitiful and often fell asleep slumped in their chairs.

On the last day as I packed my bags I felt rather tearful about saying so many goodbyes to people for whom I felt genuine affection. But, in truth, I felt I'd have gained more by spending two weeks relaxing at a health spa. I'm sorry to say that within two months I went back to drinking. The problem was my experience actually made me doubt I had a drink problem at all.

My drinking was hardly as serious as that of many of the other patients, one or two of them had even laughed when I told them about my drinking history, as if to suggest it was no cause for concern. I felt that stress and depression had been at the root of my addiction and once I was feeling better in myself I'd be able to drink like other people. I was wrong. Just a few sips of wine were enough to set up an insatiable craving to binge until I was ready to drop.

Rehab may work for some. But it wasn't for me. I found it isolating and ineffective. The counsellors expected all the answers to come from within patients themselves - but if we knew what to do, why would we check in in the first place? 12.11.07

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Wine is worse for brain than beer, scientists reveal in blow for women drinkers

Drinking wine damages the brain more than beer or spirits, scientists claim. They say it particularly affects the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory and spatial awareness, and one of the first areas to be affected by Alzheimer's disease. It could explain why millions forget what they are doing mid-task, or arrive in a room only to forget why they went there in the first place.

The findings will come as a particular blow to middle-class drinkers – many of whom drink wine for its supposed health benefits. Women, who tend to drink more wine than beer, are also more likely to be affected. Recent figures show 36 per cent of women in pubs drink wine, compared to only 21 per cent of men.

Writing in the medical journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, the psychiatrists behind the study compared brain scans from diagnosed alcoholics with those from healthy adults. They found the hippocampus, which is located deep within the brain's temporal lobes, was up to 10 per cent smaller in those who drank. The team of psychiatrists behind the study said: "This is the first study investigating the impact of the type of preferred beverage on brain-volume shrinkage in patients with alcohol dependence."

The study compared brain scans from diagnosed alcoholics with those from healthy adults. In non-alcoholics the hippocampus was 3.85ml. In beer drinkers it was 3.4ml, in spirit drinkers 2.9ml and for wine drinkers it was the smallest, just 2.8ml. The hippocampus is located deep within the brain's temporal lobes and is also one of the first areas of the brain to be affected by Alzheimer's disease. Memory, navigation and spatial awareness can all be affected, and it can also cause feelings of disorientation.

The researchers at Germany's Göttingen University found that beer drinkers also had the lowest levels of a compound in the blood called homocysteine. Other studies have shown the compound is linked to higher rates of heart disease, strokes, brain atrophy and dementia. One theory is that two of the ingredients in beer, B vitamins and folate, may help to break down homocysteine.

Moderate wine drinking has been linked to a host of health benefits, including reducing cholesterol and high blood pressure. Resveratol, a molecule found in the skin of red grapes, has been associated with health benefits including a reduced risk of heart disease, strokes and some cancers.

But research in the International Journal of Cancer last year claimed just one glass of wine a day could increase the risk of bowel cancer by 10 per cent, and over-consumption of any alcohol can lead to increased risk of kidney and liver disease, long-term brain damage and organ failure.

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Just two glasses of wine a day 'can double blood pressure'

A glass or two of wine a day could more than double the risk of high blood pressure, research shows. An analysis of eight studies involving thousands of men and women found that even moderate amounts of alcohol can send blood pressure soaring.

Only three units a day - the equivalent of two small glasses of wine or a pint and a half of lager - more than doubled the risk of the condition, which is nicknamed "the silent killer" because it is often symptomless until it is too late. Blood pressure is a fact of life for 16million Britons - more than one in four of the population - and is the leading cause of death by heart disease and stroke. It can also lead to fatal kidney disease and raises the risk of developing dementia.

The latest research, carried out at the University of Bristol, shows that alcohol intake may play a major role in determining blood pressure. The researchers combined data from eight previous studies involving almost 12,000 men and women. Instead of simply asking individuals to cut back on their alcohol intake and looking at how this affected blood pressure, they took into account the person's genes.

Many of those studied had rogue copies of a gene which has a key role in determining how well the body gets rid of alcohol. Those with the genetic flaw, which is most common among Asian populations, are intolerant to alcohol, and experience facial flushing, nausea, drowsiness and other unpleasant side effects when they drink. As a result, they tend to drink much less than other people. By comparing the blood pressure of those with and without the flaw, the researchers effectively pitted non-drinkers against drinkers.

The analysis showed that men who drank three units of alcohol a day were 2.42 times more likely to have high blood pressure than the non-drinkers. The same is likely to be true for women. However, the researchers were unable to confirm this as most of the work was carried out in Japan, where women drink little, the journal PLoS Medicine reports.

"This study shows that alcohol intake may increase blood pressure to a much greater extent, even among moderate drinkers, than previously thought," said researcher Dr Sarah Lewis. Although further research was needed to firm up the link, she said her analysis was likely to be more accurate than studies which rely on monitoring blood pressure as drinkers cut their alcohol intake. Their results can be affected by factors such as diet and exercise.

However, the finding appears to conflict with studies which have suggested small amounts of alcohol - around two units a day - cut the risk of heart disease. 4.3.08

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Middle-aged binge drinkers dying in record numbers

A record number of people are drinking themselves to death, according to latest figures showing Britain is on a dangerous alcohol binge. Cheap beer, wine and spirits and a binge-drinking culture are taking an increasing toll as both sexes succumb to the harmful effects of alcohol.

A report from the Office for National Statistics published yesterday shows that 8,758 people died from excessive alcohol intake in 2006, twice the number in 1991. Death rates rose in all age groups but the biggest increase for both sexes was among people aged 35 to 54, a legacy of heavy drinking in their 20s and early 30s. Death rates for women in this age group doubled from 7.2 to 14.8 per 100,000 , a larger increase than for women in any other age group. Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the increase in women's drinking was causing serious concern.

"The new figures are deeply worrying as women seem to be more susceptible to the damaging physical effects of alcohol. This may be due to their smaller size and different fat distribution, but there are almost certainly other factors at play, possibly genetic and biochemical differences. My colleagues and I are seeing more women with serious liver damage than ever before in our clinics. Liver disease is often symptomless until it becomes very serious and so people often have no warning that they are destroying their liver until it is too late."

Despite the rise in female drinking, the death rate among men is twice that for women and the gap between the sexes is widening. Among men aged 35 to 54, the death rate has more than doubled since 1991 from 13.4 to 31.1 per 100,000. The official figures do not include road accidents or other injuries in which alcohol may have played a part, so the true total of alcohol-linked deaths is higher.

Ministers are under pressure to withdraw 24-hour licences for pubs and clubs, introduced to help curb binge drinking by ending the 11pm closing time rush, despite the lack of evidence that the change has increased drinking. But ministers have resisted demands for price rises, which are known to curb consumption. An alliance of medical organisations, including the Royal College of Physicians, has called for an increase in the tax on alcohol and curbs on supermarkets offering big discounts. The NHS Information Centre reported last year that alcohol was 65 per cent more affordable than in 1980 and accounted for only 5.2 per cent of household spending compared with 7.5 per cent in 1980.

More than one in five men and almost one in 10 women binge-drink every week, consuming in a single session more than eight units of alcohol for men or six units for women. 26.1.08

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Alcohol-related deaths double, report shows

The number of people dying in the UK because of alcohol problems has doubled over the past 15 years, the government said today. The number of alcohol-related deaths rose from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,758 in 2006, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics.

The alcohol death rate almost doubled over the same period, rising from 6.9 deaths per 100,000 to 13.4. Between 2005 and 2006, the death rate rose by 0.5 deaths per 100,000. The study found that far more men are dying from alcohol-related causes than women. In 2006, the alcohol-related death rate in men was 18.3 deaths per 100,000. It was more than double the rate for women, which stood at 8.8 deaths per 100,000. Men also accounted for two-thirds of the total number of deaths that year.

The largest rise in deaths in both sexes over the past 15 years has been among the middle-aged.

The death rate in men aged 35 to 54 more than doubled over the past 15 years from 13.4 to 31.1 deaths per 100,000. A similar rise was seen in women of the same age group, rising from 7.2 to 14.8 deaths per 100,000. Although death rates in men and women of all ages rose between 1991 and 2006, the rate for those aged 15 to 34 between 2005 and 2006 remained the same. The death rates for the over-75s also fell: 8% for men, 6% for women.

A spokesman for the charity Alcohol Concern said: "We are particularly concerned that, for the second year in a row, the biggest rise in deaths has been among men aged 35 to 54. And that female mortality has virtually doubled.

"It appears that for a number of younger people who came of age at a time when heavy drinking became increasingly common, the negative consequences are emerging at ever-earlier stages. "Beyond labelling issues and information campaigns, it is vital that the government finally starts investing more in alcohol treatment to help problem drinkers address these issues before the situation becomes irretrievable."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "The new figures are deeply worrying as women seem to be more susceptible to the damaging physical effects of alcohol. "My colleagues and I are certainly seeing more women with serious liver damage than ever before in our clinics. The increase in deaths from liver disease in women from 35 to 54 is a consequence of heavy or binge drinking earlier in life in their twenties and thirties. "As a nation, we need a properly funded and coordinated national strategy to deal with the problem, including increasing the price of alcohol and reducing its availability."

Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "These figures are concerning, particularly when combined with the rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions. Alcohol is cheap, readily available and glamorised by celebrities."

"The government desperately needs to take a tougher approach with the alcohol and retail industry, clamping down on cheap promotions and irresponsible advertising, particularly before the 9pm watershed. "Clear and effective health warnings on alcohol like 'alcohol kills' would also help in raising awareness of the damage that alcohol can have."

The Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Norman Lamb, accused the government of failing to tackle problem drinking. "The doubling of people dying from causes linked to alcohol is a stark reminder of the government's failed alcohol strategy," he said. "Urgent action is needed to tackle the binge drinking culture among young people, which can leave them with health problems for life."

Critics have again called for more effective treatments to be used instead of the failed 12 step disease model of addiction, which is obviously not working. 25.1.08

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Teens as young as 15 are drinking 177 pints of beer a year, report reveals

Youngsters aged 15 and 16 are each drinking the equivalent of 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer a year, research suggests. Up to a third are regular binge drinkers, downing five drinks or more at a time according to the survey. Almost 10,000 15 and 16-year-olds in the North-West of England were questioned for the report.

Professor Mark Bellis, its co-author, accepted the region probably suffers from a bigger alcohol problem than many other parts of the UK. But he said all regions now contain areas where youngsters are drinking too much. An alarming 84 per cent of those surveyed were consuming alcohol, often in public places such as bars, clubs, streets and parks. Of these, 30 per cent were downing five drinks or more during sessions that occur at least once a week - the definition of binge drinking.

Professor Bellis, director of the Centre for Public Health, said: "These figures highlight the sheer quantity of alcohol being consumed by underage drinkers across the North-West. "Sadly, there is still practically no information publicly available on what is a safe amount of alcohol for children to consume or on how parents can best moderate their children's drinking.

"Without a clear message that underage drunkenness will not be tolerated, we will continue to see the high levels of alcohol bingeing and related violence identified in this study. "All too often such bingeing and violence not only damages children's lives but also results in whole communities feeling threatened by gangs of drunk teenagers."

The study was carried out by Liverpool John Moores University, Trading Standards North-West and the Home Office (North-West). Across the region, just under half of 15 and 16-year-olds surveyed drank at least once a week. Of these, 40 per cent of females and 42 per cent of males had been involved in violence following drinking.

The report "conservatively estimates that 15-16-year-olds in the North-West drink around 84million units of alcohol a year in total. It says: "This is equivalent to 44 bottles of wine (or 177 pints of beer) per year for every 15 and 16-year-old in the region, or 67 bottles of wine (269 pints of beer) per year for each 15 and 16-year-old who drinks at least once a month." More than a third of those surveyed admitted buying their own alcohol. 28.3.08

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Millions of women drinking more than they realise because of larger wine glasses

Millions of women are drinking far more alcohol than they thought, according to official figures revealed. The surge has been revealed after the Government was forced to revise consumption calculations because of the trend towards larger wine glasses. It means up to a third of women are drinking beyond safe limits every week - much higher than previous estimates.

The shock statistics also reveal the more you earn, the more you drink - with those in higher income groups consuming 30 per cent more alcohol than the working classes. mOverall, the report by the Office for National Statistics shows that millions of drinkers - men and women - who thought they were sticking within safe limits are exceeding them and leaving themselves at higher risk of liver disease and certain types of cancer.

It confirmsthe warning by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo last year when she said the most serious drinking problem was from middleclass, middle-aged people. She told MPs: "That is where the serious and dramatic harm is increasing." The ONS found that those in managerial and professional jobs drink 15.1 units a week, against 11.6 for those in routine and manual occupations. Those in the very highest income brackets have even more.

Under the old calculation system, a glass of wine was one unit. Now it counts as two units and the change means professionals are drinking up to 50 per cent more than the old figures showed. It confirmsthe warning by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo last year when she said the most serious drinking problem was from middleclass, middle-aged people. She told MPs: "That is where the serious and dramatic harm is increasing."

The ONS found that those in managerial and professional jobs drink 15.1 units a week, against 11.6 for those in routine and manual occupations.

Those in the very highest income brackets have even more. Under the old calculation system, a glass of wine was one unit. Now it counts as two units and the change means professionals are drinking up to 50 per cent more than the old figures showed. 23.1.08

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1,000 victims of binge-drink Britain hospitalised every day

Hospitals are treating more than a thousand cases of serious alcohol-related conditions every day of the year, it was revealed last night. Rates of admissions to accident and emergency for problem drinking and the number of patients seen by consultants for alcohol-related illnesses have both doubled in seven years. The scale of the problem - and the burden it puts on the Health Service - will pile pressure on Gordon Brown to radically overhaul the controversial Licensing Act.

It means that in a NHS hospital wards today alone, there are expected to be 1,222 separate cases of alcoholic liver disease, intoxication, drink related mental or behavioral disorders or drink-related injury. Among under-18s, there was a rise of 40 per cent in those seen by doctors in casualty or in the consulting room over the last seven years. The figures underline the dramatic failure of the Government to combat binge drinking.

A dramatic rise in both admissions to casualty and appointments with consultants occurred in 2005, the year that 24-hour drinking came into force - suggesting that the relaxation of licensing laws is to blame. However, Mr Brown is expected to keep the Licensing Act in place and implement only minor safeguards following a review of the 24-hour laws.

The figures - uncovered by Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley in parliamentary questions to Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo - will be published today."These figures reveal the human cost of the Government's failure to make public health a priority," he said. "These cases are largely preventable and put enormous pressure on an already over-stretched NHS. "It is particularly scandalous that so many teenagers are ending up in hospital. "Labour's plundering of public health budgets to meet deficits has meant we haven't had the leadership and cultural change we need on public health."

According to the Department of Health figures, the number of people admitted to accident and emergency for alcohol-related conditions last year was 160,815, or 440 a day. They include young people having their stomachs pumped, serious liver conditions, and being injured in a drunken brawl. The figure has soared by 99 per cent since 2000, when it was 82,073 per year, or 224 per day. Patients seen by consultants for alcohol-related diseases numbered 284,373 last year, or 779 a day - a 95 per cent increase since 2000 when the figure was 144,563, or 396 a day.

The problem among the young has risen sharply - including a dramatic increase following the implementation of the Licensing Act in November 2005 - showing the scale of the problem the Prime Minister faces over under-age drinking. Last year 8,245 under-18s were admitted to hospital via accident and emergency for alcohol misuse, or 22 a day, compared with 6,445 in 2000. Under-age drinkers seen by consultants rose from 6,962 in 2000 to 8,902 last year, a rate of 24 a day.

Alcohol-related diagnoses are defined as alcoholic liver disease, mental and behavioural disorders, and the toxic effect of alcohol. A review by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Home Office, due next month, is expected to say the relaxation of opening hours has not increased problem drinking. However, the figures cast serious doubt over the department's conclusions - which they have allowed to be leaked into the public domain.

Instead of a radical overhaul of 24-hour drinking, the Government is said to be preparing to target under-age drinkers, including encouraging parents to warn their children of the dangers of alcohol, cutting cheap supermarket offers and curbing drinking on the street. The 2003 Licensing Act, which came into force in November 2005, was forced through despite heavy opposition, including a campaign by the Daily Mail.

Don Shenker of Alcohol Concern, said last night: "This is a shocking indictment of the Government's failed alcohol strategy. "The figures provide ample evidence for the need for a very serious look at the price and affordability of alcohol, including the way supermarkets are allowed to sell alcohol more cheaply than water. "The number of off licences still selling alcohol to under age drinkers shows that a much stiffer penalty regime is required."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and a liver specialist, said the figures "fit in with other evidence that measures to stem the tide of alcohol-related health damage are not showing signs of working". "That is why we have been looking for real evidence-based ways of reducing the burden of health damage for alcohol misuse, namely tackling price and availability." 11.01.08

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The ladette effect puts 40% more children in rehab for alcohol abuse

The number of under-18s being treated for alcohol abuse has soared by 40 per cent in a year. Children as young as ten are receiving treatments of up to three years, ranging from residential rehabilitation to specialist counselling. More than half are female, and experts are increasingly concerned about the influence of "ladette" celebrities such as Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen on impressionable girls.

Figures from the National Treatment Agency show that the total number of under-18s in alcohol treatment programmes has risen from 4,781 in 2006 to 6,707 in 2007. The highest rise was among those aged 12 to 14 - up 62 per cent to 953. Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, has called for alcohol advertising to be banned to stem the tide of binge drinking.

He said: "Clearly it's inappropriate for young pop stars, looked upon as role models for young people, to be celebrating or boasting about their misuse of alcohol, and the 'Amy Winehouse factor' isn't helping the situation. "We know girls' bodies are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than boys. "Unless we can stop this heavy drinking culture among young girls, we're more likely to see women with serious liver disease at a younger age in the future."

Frank Soodeen of Alcohol Concern said the figures were the tip of the iceberg. "There are more than 800,000 children below the age of 15 drinking regularly in the UK," he said. "Many of the young people who drink at hazardous levels require a depth of support that is simply not available in the current system." He said fewer than 150 residential detox beds were available for under-18s.

"We are sleepwalking into a public health crisis if young people drink from an earlier age and start to drink more. The problem clearly starts from a very young age and we need to start focusing on these children. Otherwise we will see more and more older children sprawled on street corners." Mr Soodeen added that alcohol consumption affects school performance - and is the cause of 14 per cent of school exclusions.

Professor Mark Bellis, the Government's lead adviser on alcohol, said: "Of 15-year-olds, nearly two thirds have drunk in the past four weeks, and around one in seven of those drinkers consumed enough to vomit. "The reality is that about 30 per cent of all 15-year-olds think it is OK to get drunk once a week. "We need to tackle a youth culture in which drunkenness is commonplace, underage access to alcohol relatively easy and alternatives to drinking far too scarce." Earlier this year, a report found that young girls are drinking nearly twice as much alcohol as they were seven years ago.

It showed that female drinkers aged between 11 and 13 consumed an average of eight units a week, equivalent to four large glasses of wine - more than a bottle. This is 83 per cent more than they were drinking in 2000. Male drinkers of the same age consume an average of 12 units a week, or six pints of beer - a rise of 43 per cent. And a study last year found that 29 per cent of under-18s could buy alcohol in pubs and 21 per cent in off-licences.

The average British adult now gets through the equivalent of 37 bottles of whisky a year, European figures showed recently. But the growing ladette culture means young women who work in offices are twice as likely to drink themselves to death as the rest of the population, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We have invested significantly in young people's substance misuse services and we are determined to go further by reducing the harm caused to young people by alcohol and educating young people and their parents on the very real harm it causes." 5.11.07

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'I'm a middle-class drinker and it's slowly killing me'

My name is Lauren Booth and I'm a middleclass drinker. There, I've said it. According to research into the type of person most likely to be damaging themselves with alcohol, it's people like you and me who are drinking ourselves into an early grave. Spa towns and villages with golf clubs have up to 26.4 per cent of inhabitants drinking at hazardous levels - between 22 and 50 units a week for men; 15 to 35 for women. Not only is it bad for the liver long term, but it's bad for your blood pressure, brain and fertility.

In recent months - particularly since my 40th birthday - I've noticed it's not just my husband and me, but all the couples we know, who feel the need to 'justify' the amount we drink. There was a time when we could just about get away with a hangover on a Sunday morning, but a thumping head and nausea on the school run? That's a little harder to justify. Naomi, a social worker, talks about 'cutting down' as she pours us giant glasses of red wine - you know, the ones that hold half a bottle.

Suzanne, a sculptor, who's been feeling woozy for months, drinks vodka shots 'because it's the weekend'. As for me, three bottles of wine in seven days is a quiet week. Every time I open a bottle, I say: "Next week, that's it - no alcohol for a month!" But I always put it off until the following week. The longest I've gone without a drink (excluding pregnancy) is six days. And that was in the Middle East.

To find out what effect years of social drinking have had on my body, I went to Harley Street for a pioneering new test. Dr Rajiv Jalan is a hepatologist - a specialist in diseases of the liver - at University College Hospital and the Royal Free in London. First, I am given a straightforward blood test. This is the conventional method, available at any GP's surgery, for checking the liver is functioning well. The result? Completely normal. I feel like jumping up and down and shouting: "In your face, government goody-goodies!"

Then it's time for the fibroscan, available only privately. A handheld device the size of an orange sends a mechanical pulse through the surface of the skin. In turn, it sends an elastic wave (a bit like a sound wave) through the liver. This is tracked to see how easily it travels through the organ - one reading takes just ten seconds. A healthy liver is floppy, but if it is injured, damaged or infected, it becomes scarred, making it stiffen.

The stiffer your liver, the more difficult for the wave to travel through the organ - and therefore the more damaged it is likely to be. "If there's fibrosis (scarring), your liver is telling you 'I'm not right' and you need to do something about it," says Dr Jalan. A reading above five is deemed abnormal and may indicate signs of early liver damage.

Anything over ten could indicate serious problems, such as cirrhosis or liver disease. With a reading of 8.8, my liver is 'abnormal'. When Dr Jalan asks if I've been experiencing increased fatigue, irritability and problems sleeping - all things I've put down to the stress of everyday life - alarm bells start ringing. I panic. Why didn't the blood test pick up on anything? Dr Jalan explained that the blood test measures the amount of enzymes that have spilled out into the blood, and this only happens when liver damage is extensive. "We've picked up on things before that, when your liver is merely stressed," he says.

"A low score doesn't mean you don't drink; nor does a high score mean you drink excessively. What it does do is give us an idea of injury to the liver, which can be caused by anything from drinking to hepatitis. "Up to five is normal and wouldn't require any further investigation. Between five and seven could indicate early scarring due to minor infection. Between seven and ten, the liver scarring is moderate. Over ten, it's severe.

"A high score for one person may not be as serious as a high score for someone else. The person's lifestyle, habits and what conditions they suffer from need to be taken into account. "A score of 8.8 may seem slightly elevated, but don't panic, it's not irreversible. "It simply means you need to do something to change your lifestyle - reduce your alcohol intake or, if possible, stop drinking altogether. Then have the test repeated in three months." Hopefully with a lower result. 30.10.07

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Now the DIY liver test kit that tells you when you've had enough

A do-it-yourself test has been created to show drinkers if their livers are damaged. The home kit, which is due to be launched next week, provides a quick and accurate diagnosis. It includes a syringe with which users take a sample of their own blood and send it away to be analysed, with the results being returned within ten days. A similar test on the NHS takes two weeks to turn around.

Patients using the new kit receive a colour-coded reading, ranging from green - classified as "normal" - through to amber and red, which indicates extensive liver damage. The test cannot, however, reveal whether alcohol abuse, hepatitis or obesity is to blame. Further, more specific analysis is then advised. Last night, doctors hailed the £99 kit as a potential life-saver in the battle against alcohol-related liver disease, which costs the NHS £1.7billion a year. Having the test done privately costs £400, with the result available immediately.

A report published this month found more than a quarter of adults in the most prosperous parts of the country are drinking at "hazardous" levels. Since 1999 there has been a 62 per cent increase in alcohol-related liver disease in the UK , it warned, with middle-class "vinos" - those who regularly drink wine at home - particularly at risk.

Dr Rajiv Jalan, a liver consultant at London 's University College Hospital and one of the creators of the LiverCheck kit, said: "A lot of people want to stick their head in the sand and not admit they have a problem. "Being able to do a test at home might persuade more of them to get themselves checked out. The liver has great powers of recovery, but it is possible to develop quite advanced damage without realising what's happening. "It's clear many people are drinking to excess believing they can get away with it. Hopefully, by taking this test they will see the damage they are doing to their livers and stop drinking." 28.10.07

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Epidemic of middle-class drinkers damaging health with 'hazardous' levels of alcohol

More than a quarter of adults in the most prosperous parts of the country are drinking at "hazardous" levels, a report warns today. The alarming snapshot shows how the middle-classes in well-heeled towns are damaging their health through regular drinking. A league table of local authority areas ranked by how many people consume alcohol at "hazardous" levels is dominated by leafy towns boasting the highest house prices in the country. Seven of the top ten areas are in Surrey. Also at the top of the table is the North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate. The danger level is defined as regularly drinking between 22 to 50 units a week for men and 15 to 35 for women. The report shows that this routine lifestyle - which many will see as totally harmless - is a real danger to their health. The study also identifies a more dangerous category of "harmful" drinking, where people directly damage their bodies through their alcoholic habits. This particular league table is dominated by big urban areas such as Manchester, Liverpool and Salford, where more than 8 per cent of adults are "harmful" drinkers.

But it is the analysis of the "everyday" drinking of the middle classes that is a more surprising cause for concern. At the top of the league table of "hazardous" drinking is Runnymede, an area of Surrey that includes affluent commuter-belt towns such as Chertsey and Virginia Water, alongside Harrogate. Both areas had 26.4 per cent of adults drinking at hazardous levels - a rate of more than one in four. The lowest percentage of hazardous drinkers was found in deprived boroughs of east London. The alcohol profiles for every local authority in England are published online today by the North West Public Health Observatory, part of the Centre for Public Health at Hazardous drinking levels were calculated by building statistical models using mortality rates, hospital admissions rates and other information. Last night Dr Karen Tocque, director of science and strategy for the observatory, said the figures should be a "wake-up call" to older drinkers who don't binge drink, but instead regularly come home after work and open a bottle of wine. "It's people who drink regularly, but not necessarily in huge quantities, who accumulate quite a lot over a week," she said. "It's not hard to do - wine glass sizes are bigger and alcohol content is higher and I think some people are consuming more without really realising it." Both hazardous and harmful drinking patterns are contributing to increasing levels of alcohol-related ill-health and pressures on health services across the whole country, the researchers said. Professor Mark Bellis, director of the Centre for Public Health, said much attention had been paid to binge drinking but less discussion has focused on the damage associated with routinely consuming too much alcohol. He said: "Across England around one in five adults are drinking enough to put their health at significant risk and one in 20 enough to make disease related to alcohol consumption practically inevitable. "We need to tackle binge drinking, but we must also reverse the tolerance that most communities have built up by simply consuming too much alcohol on a weekly basis." Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Most of these are not young people, they are 'everyday' drinkers who have drunk too much for too long. This has to change." The report follows a Government bid earlier this year to target "middle class wine drinkers" who knock back too much at home. Figures compiled by the NHS showed that hospital admissions caused by alcohol had more than doubled in ten years. In June, health ministers announced plans to tackle drinking amid fears that eight million people cannot control their habit. The £10million alcohol strategy aims to flush out "middle class" drinkers who consume twice as much as they should. 16.10.07

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Binge-drinking epidemic increases as alcohol related A&E admissions soar

Emergency hospital admissions caused by binge-drinking and booze-fuelled violence have soared dramatically in the past five years, shocking figures have revealed. Two years after the Government's bitterly controversial licensing reforms ushered in late-night drinking in pubs and clubs, data from hundreds of hospitals across the country show A&E departments are dealing with huge numbers of patients who fall victim to drunken fights or who binge-drink until they are seriously ill.

Health experts warned that people of all ages were 'simply drinking too much', while opposition critics accused Labour ministers of being 'in denial' over the impact of their new laws. The stark figures, drawn from the NHS Hospital Episodes Survey to be published this week, will add to the growing pressure on the Government to rethink its strategy on the harm caused by alcohol. Gordon Brown has already paved the way for a humiliating U-turn, ordering a full review and claiming he would 'not hesitate' to change the law if it was found to be encouraging excessive drinking and lawlessness.

The statistics are drawn from patient records, and reveal the numbers admitted to hospital as emergency cases as a direct result of their own or someone else's drinking. They include victims of drunken attacks, cases of liver cirrhosis or alcohol poisoning and those hurt in alcohol-related accidents including car crashes. The number of men admitted nationwide rose from 714 per 100,000 in 2001-02 to 909 per 100,000 in 2005-06 - up more than a quarter. For women the numbers rose from 396 to 510 per 100,000, a jump of 29 per cent over the same period.

Across England the figures are equivalent to more than a third of a million people being taken to hospital each year because of excessive drinking. The statistics also reveal a stark north-south divide, with the worst problems in the hard-drinking north-east where 1,232 men and 689 women per 100,000 were admitted to hospital in 2005-6. Nine of the 10 worst regions were in the north, with Manchester, Liverpool and Middlesbrough all in the top five. Eastern England was at the other end of the scale, with admissions figures of 743 for men and 425 for women per 100,000.

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 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. "High levels of excessive drinking are contributing to significant ill-health, which has immediate consequences for individuals and also puts pressure on the NHS, the police and the courts."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, called the figures 'very worrying', particularly the fact that the problem has grown steadily year-on-year rise since 2001 in each region. He called for significant increases in drink prices and a review of availability and rules governing promotions, adding: "These data show that we have a serious alcohol problem in this country and measures to date haven't had any discernible effect."

Last month the Mail revealed that late-night serious violence around pubs and clubs had risen almost 130 per cent in once year since licensing laws were relaxed. The figures - originally omitted from Home Office crime bulletins - cover the most serious types of crimes including murder and manslaughter. But this week's hospital statistics point to a much broader problem. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "This is yet more evidence of our broken society. "As well as the real harm alcohol abuse does to young people, it is a major cause of crime. "Yet Labour are in denial about these problems. When it comes to mending our broken society, they are part of the problem, not the solution." A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said almost two million people were now drinking at levels known to be harmful.

She said: "Reducing the harm caused by alcohol misuse is a top Government priority. "We are working hard to help people take personal responsibility for their drinking and its impact on their health." 15.10.07

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A third of GCSE pupils get drunk - and many are using drugs as well

More than a third of GCSE pupils get drunk at least once a month, a survey by school inspectors reveals today. And more than a fifth of young teens abuse drugs or solvents every month. The first poll of its kind - covering more than 111,000 pupils - prompted warnings that alcohol and drug misuse threatens the health and prospects of a generation.

Experts said there was evidence children from middle-class families were more likely to drink heavily and experiment with drugs than youngsters from the inner cities.Many drink regularly with their parents' approval while their greater spending power means they can more easily indulge their curiosity about drink and drugs.

Ofsted inspectors uncovered the scale of the problem in a survey which questioned pupils of 10 to 15 about their attitudes to school, experiences and worries. Among 14 and 15-year-olds, in the first year of two-year GCSE courses, the proportion admitting to getting drunk at least once in the past four weeks was 37 per cent, although the survey offered no definition of "drunk" and some may have exaggerated.

A further seven per cent declined to answer. One in five 10 and 11-year-olds said they had had an least one whole alcoholic drink, while 13 per cent would "prefer not to say". Across all 10 to 15-year-olds, one in five had indulged in under-age drinking at least once in the past month. A similar proportion admitted smoking. One in seven secondary pupils had taken drugs or solvents in the past month. Among 14 and 15-year-olds, the figure rose to more than a fifth. The most common drug was cannabis, but a hard core had tried cocaine, LSD and ecstasy.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and a liver specialist, said he was particularly concerned that children appear to be getting drunk regularly. He said: "Getting drunk is a risky behaviour in terms of accidents, unwanted pregnancies, rape and STIs and there is evidence that young people who start drinking heavily are more likely to become dependent on alcohol and have alcohol problems in later life."

He called for a ban on alcohol advertising before 9pm and a crackdown on sales to under-age drinkers. Dr David Regis, of Exeter University's Schools Health Education Unit, said his own studies had shown that middle-class pupils were just as likely, if not more so, to experiment with drink and drugs. He said: "We need to get away from this idea that the inner cities are the dark heart of our society and in the leafy shires nothing bad ever happens. In the affluent shires, there's a lot of money spent on drink and youngsters are jumping in with gusto."

He added that parents who believe they are acting responsibly in giving their children controlled exposure to drink may not be getting the right messages across. The TellUs2 survey, produced jointly with the Government and Ipsos Mori, also provided a more positive picture. The vast majority of children considered themselves healthy and said they exercised at least three times a week. Nearly three-quarters said they had never smoked a cigarette and 80 per cent of older children said they had never tried illegal drugs.

The study found that children's biggest worry was their exams. Many were also concerned about classroom indiscipline. Forty per cent wanted quieter and better-behaved classmates while 30 per cent said they had been bullied at least twice in the last four weeks. Fourteen per cent said they did not feel safe at school.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "This survey shows that the majority of children and young people feel happy, safe, enjoy life and are doing well at school. "But there are challenges and pressures that we need to address with decisive action." Ministers will be set performance targets based on the survey, including bringing down the figures on substance misuse and bullying. 16.11.07

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Number of alcohol-related cases doubles in a decade

Alcohol-related hospital admissions doubled in the past decade, according to figures released today. The news comes as doctors prepare to debate measures aimed at tackling what they say is the "worrying" rise in deaths and disease related to drinking. Figures out today showed the number of under-16s admitted to hospital owing to alcohol has risen by more than a third in the past 10 years.

There were 5,280 NHS hospital admissions in under-16s in 2005/06 - a rise of just over a third on the 3,870 figure for 1995/96. There were also 187,640 NHS hospital admissions in 2005/06 among adults aged 16 and over related to alcohol. This is almost double the 89,280 admissions in 1995/96. The Information Centre for health and social care released the figures. The figures released today relate to England. They showed that alcohol is "more affordable than ever", according to the centre.

In 2006, alcohol was 65 per cent more affordable than it was in 1980 and household spend on alcohol has increased steadily since 1980, the figures showed. However, expenditure on alcohol as a proportion of total household spend has been decreasing steadily - from 7.5 per cent in 1980 to 5.2 per cent in 2006. In 2005, 73 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women said they drank an alcoholic drink on at least one day in the week before they were interviewed. A total of 13 per cent of men and 8 per cent of women said they had drunk every day in the previous week. And 34 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women had drunk more than the recommended number of units on at least one day in the previous week.

Almost one in five (18 per cent) of men and one in 10 (8 per cent) of women had drunk more than twice the recommended daily intake. The Government recommends men do not regularly exceed three or four units a day and women do not exceed two or three units a day. One unit is equivalent to a small glass of wine, half a pint of beer or one pub measure of spirits.

In May, the Government announced that alcoholic drinks would get new warning labels in a voluntary agreement between ministers and the industry. All drinks will be expected to carry details of units and recommended safe drinking levels on their labels by the end of 2008. At present, bottles and cans carry percentage details of alcohol and most carry unit information.

But the Government also wants safety advice for pregnant women - that they should avoid alcohol altogether - on labels as well as the recommendations for safe drinking. Older people were more likely to drink regularly, the figures showed. More than a quarter (28 per cent) of men and 18 per cent of women aged 45 to 64 drank on five or more days in the previous week compared with 10 per cent men and 5 per cent of women aged 16 to 24.

However, younger people were more likely to drink heavily - so-called "binge drinking" - with 42 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women aged 16 to 24 drinking above the daily recommendations. This compared with 16 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women aged 65 and over. The recommended weekly limits set by the Government are 21 units for men and 14 for women.

The figures showed that 24 per cent of men drank more than their recommended limit in an average week as did 13% of women. In 2005, 6,570 people died from causes directly linked to alcohol - 4,160 from alcoholic liver disease, of which 67 per cent were men. Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures released in February for the whole of the UK showed there were 8,386 such deaths.

But charities have put the real figure at more than 22,000 premature deaths a year and, three years ago, Government estimates ran at 16,000 to 22,000 deaths a year. The charity Alcohol Concern estimates 60 people die every day from drink. Today's report from the Information Centre found that while 69 per cent of people had heard of Government guidelines on how much to drink, more than a third of those did not know what the recommendations were. Almost a third (32 per cent) had seen units of alcohol displayed on drink labels compared with 2 per cent in 2000.

In 2005, 45 per cent of pregnant women did not drink at all during pregnancy, while 39 per cent drank less than one unit a week and 8 per cent drank one to two units. Professor Denise Lievesley, the centre's chief executive, said: "These figures show some worrying trends about the effects on society of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. "The doubling of alcohol-related hospital admissions and increases in serious illness and death caused by alcohol gives cause for concern. "We hope Government and other policy makers will use these figures to inform the development and implementation of policies to help reduce the harm that excessive alcohol consumption can cause."

Doctors voted in favour of a motion calling for a reduction in the drink drive limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg per 100ml. 26.06.07

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Alcohol-induced illnesses soar

Alcohol-related illness in England has soared over the past 10 years, an analysis of medical data showed on Friday. The figures will add to concerns over binge-drinking and alcohol-fuelled crime following the government's relaxation of drinking hours last November.

Hospital admissions for alcoholic liver disease more than doubled to 35,400 in 2004-5 from 14,400 in 1995-6, according to a report from the National Health Service. Admissions for alcohol poisoning rose to 21,700 cases from 13,600 over the same period. In-patient hospital care for individuals with mental health or behavioural disorders from alcohol abuse jumped to 126,300 cases from 72,500, a rise of 75 percent over 10 years. "It shows we cannot underestimate the effect of alcohol on health," said Denise Lievesley, chief executive of The Information Centre, the NHS special health authority which compiled the report. "By presenting this data, we hope that health professionals will be better equipped to put their work in context and to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol misuse."

The Department of Health said it was launching a joint campaign with the Home Office later this year to promote sensible drinking among young people. "We know that alcohol misuse has a devastating effect on millions of lives each year," a health department spokeswoman said.

"That is why we are working with the drinks industry, police and health professionals to increase awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking and make the sensible drinking message easier to understand." Earlier this month, the ambulance service said emergency calls had doubled following England's opening 1-0 World Cup victory over Paraguay after drunken fans injured themselves fighting or falling over. 1.7.06

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Government crackdown on middle class drinkers

Middle-class drinkers who enjoy wine at home are to be targeted in a government crackdown on drunkenness. The government wants to highlight the health related problems caused by alcohol abuse to ease pressure on the NHS. Plans to be revealed by the Home Office today will show that older drinkers who enjoy wine in the home are seen as part of the problem as well as under-age drinkers and binge drinkers. Reports also suggested that binge drinkers could be made to pay for any damage they cause and treatment they need for injuries.

The Home Office expect the strategy to raise public awareness and help reduce the £20billion a year spent on crime and health costs associated with alcohol abuse. Doctors' leaders have also called for warnings to be displayed in pubs and restaurants detailing how many units are contained in each drink served by the glass.

It is thought that older drinkers are at risk of severe health problems because they often unknowingly exceeding the safe levels of alcohol drinking in the home. "We want to target the older drinkers, those that are maybe drinking one or two bottles of wine at home each evening," a Whitehall source told The Times. "They do not realise the damage they are doing to their health and that they risk developing liver disease.''

A Home Office spokesman said that older people needed to be made aware of the dangers just as much as younger drinkers. "There will be three key points addressed - under-age drinkers, binge drinkers and older-drinkers. "It's all about public awareness. Young people will be a big focus. But some adults don't realise they are doing harm to themselves," he said. "Some adults are drinking dangerously but don't know it."

The British Medical Association will investigate measures used in other countries such as United States and Sweden as they look to try and cut excessive alcohol consumption. Last night Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians revealed his support for the focus that is being placed on the drink - related problems. "We really need the spotlight more on health. While crime and anti-social behaviour is important it's too easy to concentrate on that because it's somebody else causing the trouble. "When you look at health it's more uncomfortable because there is a very significant percentage of the population already drinking at hazardous levels."

Professor Gilmore also called for higher alcohol taxes to make drink less available to curb consumption. "We know from international evidence that it's measures that tackle price and availablity where one can really make a difference. "There is a very clear link between price and consumption. It's never been cheaper in real terms than it is now." Plans have already been unveiled to make sure all alcoholic drinks carry labels detailing the amount of units contained by the end of next year.

But the British Medical Association said that information on how many units of alcohol are contained indrinks should be clearly displayed in pubs and bars. "Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the BMA said: "It is not the nanny state. It is about informed choices It is hard for the average person to work out how many units are in a drink these days." 5.7.07

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Mothers-to-be who have one glass of wine a day need help, says doctors

Pregnant women who drink as little as a small glass of wine a day should be counselled over their consumption and urged to stop, senior doctors said yesterday. The British Medical Association says all women with a "confirmed or suspected" history of "low-to-moderate" alcohol consumption should be helped to cut down on their drinking once they try to start a family.

But last night some doctors described the advice, sent out to all GPs, as heavy-handed in the absence of clear evidence that low levels of alcohol can harm unborn babies. Critics also said the numbers of women involved could be astronomical - and that the advice sessions could be costly.

Evidence that heavy drinking can cause defects in children is more conclusive. Around 100 babies a year are born with foetal alcohol syndrome, which causes low birth weight, flattened features, heart and kidney abnormalities, deafness and brain damage. In addition, as many as 7,000 British babies a year may be born with the less serious foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which causes attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity and poor co-ordination.

The BMA says any woman who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy, and who has a suspected or confirmed history of alcohol consumption at low-to-moderate levels - 1.5 units a day - should be offered brief counselling to help them stop drinking. The one-to-one sessions, which would be carried out by GPs or midwives, would cover the dangers of drinking on unborn babies. Women would be encouraged to set daily targets for drinking and handed leaflets.

For those drinking more heavily, such as those having six units (three glasses of wine) on a night out, GPs should suggest they attend a specialist organisation. BMA head of science and ethics Vivienne Nathanson said: "If someone is drinking moderate levels, then brief interventions can help.

"The cost of treating a child with foetal alcohol syndrome is £1 million over a lifetime so the cost of a few thousand to provide these interventions is well worth it." But Professor Andrew Shennan, an obstetrician with the baby charity Tommy's, said: "If GPs follow this rule there will be an awful lot of people requiring intervention. "At first sight the potential cost looks quite staggering. Maybe it would be better to target help at those who really need it.

"There is no evidence that low amounts of alcohol are harmful and it is not unreasonable to have the occasional drink." Last month, the Government revised its guidelines to mothers-to-be, telling them it would be safer to stop drinking altogether. Failing this, they should limit themselves to one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week. 5.7.07

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