Alcohol and health

[jdaw1]

The government believes it has identified nine types of heavy drinker as it launches a new alcohol campaign.

Research by the Department of Health in England with focus groups found heavy drinkers often fell into one of a number of categories.
…
Name
Characteristics
Key motivations

Depressed drinker
Life in a state of crisis eg recently bereaved, divorced or in financial crisis
Alcohol is a comforter and a form of self-medication used to help them cope

De-stress drinker
Pressurised job or stressful home life leads to feelings of being out of control and burdened with responsibility
Alcohol is used to relax, unwind and calm down and to gain a sense of control when switching between work and personal life. Partners often support or reinforce behaviour by preparing drinks for them

Re-bonding drinker
Relevant to those with a very busy social calendar
Alcohol is the ‘shared connector' that unifies and gets them on the same level. They often forget the time and the amount they are consuming

Conformist drinker
Traditional guys who believe that going to the pub every night is ‘what men do'
Justify it as ‘me time'. The pub is their second home and they feel a strong sense of belonging and acceptance within this environment

Community drinker
Drink in fairly large social friendship groups
The sense of community forged through the pub-group. Drinking provides a sense of safety and security and gives their lives meaning. It also acts a social network

Boredom drinker
Typically single mums or recent divorcees with restricted social life
Drinking is company, making up for an absence of people. Drinking marks the end of the day, perhaps following the completion of chores

Macho drinker
Often feeling under-valued, disempowered and frustrated in important areas of their life
Have actively cultivated a strong ‘alpha male' that revolves around their drinking ‘prowess'. Drinking is driven by a constant need to assert their masculinity and status to themselves and others

Hedonistic drinker
Single, divorced and/or with grown up children
Drinking excessively is a way of visibly expressing their independence, freedom and ‘youthfulness' to themselves. Alcohol used to release inhibitions

Border dependents
Men who effectively live in the pub which, for them, is very much a home from home
A combination of motives, including boredom, the need to conform, and a general sense of malaise in their lives

The story, in a moment of foolishness miserableness, caused me to google: drinkcheck.nhs.uk, scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Alcohol/, alcohol.gov.au, www.hc-sc.gc.ca/…, and www.healthpromotion.ie/alcohol/. None of which acknowledge the major gap in the knowledge of the so-called ‘experts’: there is no experimental evidence, nor any epidemiological evidence, to suggest that quality alcohol over twenty years old does any harm. Sure, rodents fed recently-distilled industrial alcohol show signs of imperfect health — which is entertainingly irrelevant.

[Andy Velebil]

Thats funny...and i cross posted it on , hope thats ok Jdaw1

[jdaw1]

Only if, in each thread, you post a link in to the other.

Edit: and you should copy the BB code (accessible via the quote button) rather than mangling the formatting by copying from the browser rendering.

Edit edit: link â” ’ .

[Overtired and emotional]

I drink because I love the stuff and enjoy the company of ther drinkers.

AS Churchill put it: "Alcohol has put more into me than it has taken out."

[jdaw1]

So I see a BBC news story, entitled ‟NHS alcohol services 'struggling'”. ‟Struggling”, thinks I, using curly double quotation marks, well, the NHS has never offered me a decent drink. ‟Struggling”, quotes I, doesn’t get half-way there.

The NHS is failing to get a grip on the growing alcohol problems in England, a watchdog says.

They are so right, thinks I. Does the taxpayer have any idea how expensive is good old port? Then the story goes downhill:

In particular, the report called on GPs to take more responsibility as the NHS was struggling to reach those at the early stages of alcohol abuse.

at which point I closed the tab and got on with finishing my Martinez 1997.

[jdaw1]

Daily limits on alcohol consumption are meaningless and potentially harmful, experts have warned.

The government says men should drink no more than three to four units per day and women no more than two to three.

Liver specialist Dr Nick Sheron, of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, says these limits were devised by civil servants with "no good evidence" for doing so.

He says the advice runs the risk of people taking it to mean that it is safe to drink alcohol every day.

Dr Sheron's comments follow a report by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee which suggested public confusion about safe drinking levels was fuelling problem drinking.

Dr Sheron says we should go back to using the old weekly limits, which are based on sound research.

The 1987 sensible drinking limits, which set the bar at 21 units per week for men and 14 units per week for women, remained in place until 1995.

Sensible drinking

It was then that the government decided to switch the limits from weekly to daily in a bid to curb binge drinking and emphasise the harms of saving up a week's limit to blow in one or two sessions at the weekend - a decision it stands by today.

But Dr Sheron says this was a mistake: "They were turned into daily limits by a community of civil servants and the reasoning behind it is shrouded in mystery and is not largely supported by experts.

"The weekly limits were based on robust studies and were set at a level at which alcohol harms outweigh any putative benefit."

Some studies show that alcohol, in moderation, can reduce the risk of heart disease.

In terms of damage to the liver, the risk begins when regular weekly consumption exceeds about 30 units, said Dr Sheron.

But for other conditions, like cancer, the risk starts at zero and goes up proportionately with the amount of alcohol is consumed.

Daily danger

Although the daily recommendations originally included the important caution to have some alcohol-free days, Dr Sheron this message has got lost.

The advice now warns against regularly drinking over the daily limit and says drinkers should also "take a break for 48 hours after a heavy session to let your body recover."

Dr Sheron said that by setting a daily limit, people might take this to mean they could drink every day.

Dr Rachel Seabrook, research manager at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, agrees.

"The Royal Colleges' recommendation for two days of abstinence a week has quietly disappeared. It was probably dropped to keep the message simple. But that is not a good move.

"And we are quite concerned about the use of 'daily' in the message. It implies that you can drink on every day.

"There should be an explicit warning against this."

Clear advice

A Department of Health spokesman defended the current recommendations saying: "Advice on limits is based on scientific evidence from studies in populations in this country and worldwide about long-term health harms for broadly average, healthy adults.

"The scientific evidence base was examined by an inter-departmental working group in 1995. This has been kept under review since then.

"There are a number of public health campaigns to help people understand government guidelines around drinking alcohol.

"Ongoing and future campaigns will also help people to live more healthily."

In Britain in 2007, 69% of people reported that they had heard of the government guidelines on alcohol consumption. Of these people, 40% said that they did not know what the recommendations were.

Although binges are dangerous and can cause harm - largely through accidents caused by reckless behaviour - in terms of long-term health risks, it is the average amounts consumed over the weeks, months and years that count.

A person who regularly drinks 50g of alcohol a day - around 6 units or three pints of normal strength beer - has nearly double the risk of stroke, high blood pressure and pancreatitis as someone who abstains.

In a snapshot survey for England in 2006, 12% of men and 7% of women reported drinking alcohol every day during the previous week.

In the same year, 23% of men and 15% of women reported binge drinking.

[JacobH]

Playing around with the ‟Unit calculator” on http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tips-and-tools/drink-diary/, I was interested to see that the following Ports are built in:

Code: Select all

Cockburn's Special Reserve, 2
Croft, 17.5%
DOW LBV, 20%
Graham's LBV, 20%
Taylor's LBV, 20%

Perhaps Croft needs reporting to the IVDP for selling understrength Port? And does anyone know what DOW stands for?

More generously the default amount of spirits seems to be a litre, so my nightly gallon of Courvoisier XO shouldn’t be too hard to register...

[DRT]

Code: Select all

Cockburn's Special Reserve, 2
Croft, 17.5%
DOW LBV, 20%
Graham's LBV, 20%
Taylor's LBV, 20%

So, according to this particular UK Government namby-pamby we-know-better-than-you-how-you-should-live-your-life body, one can drink 10 times as much Cockburn SR than most other ports before breaking through their mythical barrier of daily intake? If only Fonseca 1966 had the same rating we could all be happy

[KillerB]

Code: Select all

Cockburn's Special Reserve, 2
Croft, 17.5%
DOW LBV, 20%
Graham's LBV, 20%
Taylor's LBV, 20%

So, according to this particular UK Government namby-pamby we-know-better-than-you-how-you-should-live-your-life body, one can drink 10 times as much Cockburn SR than most other ports before breaking through their mythical barrier of daily intake?

And what sort of life would that be?

[DRT]

Code: Select all

Cockburn's Special Reserve, 2
Croft, 17.5%
DOW LBV, 20%
Graham's LBV, 20%
Taylor's LBV, 20%

So, according to this particular UK Government namby-pamby we-know-better-than-you-how-you-should-live-your-life body, one can drink 10 times as much Cockburn SR than most other ports before breaking through their mythical barrier of daily intake?

And what sort of life would that be?

That's my point. Their stats prove that the whole concept is flawed and should therefore be ignored.

Derek

[jdaw1]

Alcohol is largely to blame for an "alarming" rise in the rate of oral cancers among men and women in their forties, say experts.

Numbers of cancers of the lip, mouth, tongue and throat in this age group have risen by 26% in the past decade.

Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and is the most likely culprit alongside smoking, says Cancer Research UK.

Each year in the UK around 1,800 people die from the disease.

There are 5,000 newly diagnosed cases per year.

Other risk factors that may be involved include a diet low in fruit and vegetables, and the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which also causes cervical cancer.

Figures produced by Cancer Research UK show that since the mid-1990s, rates of oral cancers have gone up by 28% for men in their forties and 24% for women.

The charity's health information manager Hazel Nunn said: "These latest figures are really alarming.

"Around three-quarters of oral cancers are thought to be caused by smoking and drinking alcohol.

"Tobacco is, by far, the main risk factor for oral cancer, so it's important that we keep encouraging people to give up and think about new ways to stop people taking it up in the first place.

"But for people in their 40s, it seems that other factors are also contributing to this jump in oral cancer rates.

"Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain's continually rising drinking levels."

Oral cancer can be treated successfully if diagnosed early enough.

The most common signs of the disease are ulcers, sores, or red or white patches in the mouth that last longer than three weeks, together with unexplained pain in the mouth or ear.

Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker said: "Many people are not aware of the connection between alcohol and cancer, yet as this research shows, it can be a major contributor or cause of the disease.

"While alcoholic liver disease remains the number one killer linked to alcohol, more and more people are suffering from oral cancers - and record drinking levels have undeniably played a part."

He said it was time to introduce tobacco-style health warnings on alcohol.

"It's a consumer issue - people have a right to know the full range of health risks associated with drinking alcohol above recommended guidelines.

"This research will hopefully help people realise the full extent of the damage that alcohol can do, then they're better placed to make informed decisions about how much they drink."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: "These latest figures demonstrate once again that people are being struck down at ever younger ages with alcohol-related illnesses that they might never have previously associated with heavy drinking.

"There is an urgent need to rethink how we communicate the risks of misuse. The first step is to challenge the widespread notion that the only chronic health damage is suffered by a minority older drinkers."

Translation: we thought tobacco was to blame. Then fewer people smoked but more got cancer, so, what entertainment can we blame next? Ah ha!

[DRT]

Other risk factors that may be involved include a diet low in fruit and vegetables, and the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which also causes cervical cancer.

Interesting that they chose not to seek the opinion of the Fruit and Veg Growers Assosiation or the Anti-Oral Sex Society

[Alex Bridgeman]

Numbers of cancers of the lip, mouth, tongue and throat in this age group have risen by 26% in the past decade.

Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and is the most likely culprit alongside smoking, says Cancer Research UK.

I'd like to point out that the number of cars on the road has more than doubled since the 1950s. Can I suggest increased car numbers also should be investigated as a possible cause.

Also, it may be the case that the number of biros has also changed and might also be a cause of the increased frequency of oral cancers - or does the reference to the unexplained pain in the ear also mean that we are talking about and confusing oral cancers with aural cancers - in which case I would like to suggest that the reduction in the use of 78 rpm gramaphone records might be a cause that needs to be evaluated.

Have I taken this story as seriously as it should be?

[angeleyes]

Just to throw a spanner in the works of Government "guidelines" -

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 23218.html

[mosesbotbol]

What happens if you are member of each drinking type?

[DRT]

What happens if you are member of each drinking type?

They cancel each other out

[jdaw1]

Exercising may get rid of a hangover, but working out cannot undo the damage that heavy drinking may cause, the government says.

A survey for the Department of Health found almost one in five people in England admitted to exercising to "make up" for a heavy bout of drinking.

The poll also found that one in five people drinks more than double the NHS recommended amounts per day.

For a woman this is two small glasses of wine, and one more for a man.

Some people swear by "sweating out" a hangover and carrying out strenuous exercise to help the body overcome the effects of heavy drinking.

But the government's Know Your Limits campaign is trying to impress upon people that while exercising may make you feel better, it does not undo the damage caused by serious alcohol consumption.

While studies are increasingly showing that alcohol - even large quantities - may be good for the heart, organs such as the liver can suffer grave harm - with alcohol being blamed, for instance, for a large rise in cases of cirrhosis.

It has also been linked to a significant increase in the risk of having a stroke.

Might as well stay in bed.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Only if the decanter is in reach

[Zelandakh]

If you are in each of the 9 groups, you may consume 28 units per week per group. Obviously.

Oh and binge lager drinkers who want a fight afterwards should be limited to 28 units per week. Those who drink port to enjoy it and as a social event should continue to drink however a government health warning should exist for keeping apace with Derek!

[jdaw1]

Most people who drink spirits at home pour well over what they would get in a pub when trying to give a single measure, figures suggest.

The government's Know Your Limits Campaign found that among 600 people tested, the average amount poured was 38ml, compared with a standard 25ml.

Those aged 31 to 50 - the most generous pourers - gave an average of 57ml.

For a person thinking they were drinking 7.5 units a week, the extra measures would equate to 17 units.

It could also mean that people wrongly think they are drinking within the NHS recommended limits of two to three units a day for women and three to four units a day for men.

The alcohol industry has been offering free measuring cups with certain mixer drinks this Christmas.

[KillerB]

Most people who drink spirits at home pour well over what they would get in a pub when trying to give a single measure, figures suggest.

The government's Know Your Limits Campaign found that among 600 people tested, the average amount poured was 38ml, compared with a standard 25ml.

Those aged 31 to 50 - the most generous pourers - gave an average of 57ml.

For a person thinking they were drinking 7.5 units a week, the extra measures would equate to 17 units.

It could also mean that people wrongly think they are drinking within the NHS recommended limits of two to three units a day for women and three to four units a day for men.

The alcohol industry has been offering free measuring cups with certain mixer drinks this Christmas.

What are the measurements on "open, insert bottle into mouth and invert"?

[jdaw1]

What are the measurements on "open, insert bottle into mouth and invert"?

The government thinks that’s fine: you aim to drink a whole bottle, you drink a whole bottle. The authorities object to you thinking that you’ve had only a half when you’ve had a whole. HMG seems to approve of whole-bottle measures.

[furrybug]

We're all going to die of something. So, if the proverbial bus should come my way I would hope to be three sheets to numb the pain.

[jdaw1]

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is hoping for some New Year's resolution among his countrymen, as he takes on one of Russia's most deeply-entrenched and prickliest problems - alcoholism.

From 1 January, restrictions on the price of vodka in Russia come into force.

The cheapest bottle of vodka on sale will be 89 roubles (around £1.80; $3) for a half-litre bottle. While that still might sound cheap, the new law is all part of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's plan to tackle alcoholism in Russia.

Russians drink seriously. As a country they get through on average about 18 litres (32 pints) of pure alcohol a year.

Last year, when Mr Medvedev kick-started his campaign, he called Russia's alcohol problem a "national disgrace" and said he was determined to cut that figure by a quarter by 2012.

But combating the consumption of what most Russians consider to be their national drink is a brave political move considering the lack of success his predecessors have had.

The last time anyone tried it was 24 years ago, when Russia was part of the Soviet Union.

Then, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev drastically cut vodka production and did not allow it to be sold before 2pm.

Significantly, perfume was also not to be sold before midday as people were starting to drink that.

!

At the moment, bootleg vodka is available at around 40 roubles a half litre. So even though $3 for bottle of vodka may seem cheap to most people, it is double the price of the bootleg version.

Importantly for the government, the minimum-price law brings in a way of telling what is illegal and what is not, and attempts to claw back some tax revenue.

!

The problem for Mr Medvedev is that, historically, whenever Russia has tried to combat excessive drinking, illicit sales of alcohol have risen.

Experts estimate that bootleg vodka - often made after-hours in legal distilleries - makes up almost 50% of all vodka drunk by Russians.

Such liquor is unregulated and contributes heavily to the country's 35,000 deaths a year from alcohol poisoning.

The medical journal The Lancet earlier this year estimated that half of all deaths in Russia between 15 and 54 were alcohol-related.

!

[Overtired and emotional]

There was a story circulating years ago that a Russian tank crew stationed in Czecho sold their tank for a crate of vodka. It was supposed to have happened in the 60's, I think. There is, in that tale, heroic and unconquerable simpicity.

[Overtired and emotional]

I just Googled it....... http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 78,1413917

I was twenty years out, but the report was even better than I recalled.

[jdaw1]

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

The research was based on industry sales data analysed by NHS Health Scotland.

It said sales for the year to September 2009 averaged 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person over the age of 18.

The Scottish government said the figure, which had remained static since 2005, was the equivalent of 537 pints or 130 bottles of wine per person.

The new figures come as the Scottish government pushes for a minimum price for alcohol to tackle the country's drink-related problems.

In total, 50.5 million litres of pure alcohol were sold in Scotland last year, enough for every drinker over the age of 18 to exceed the weekly consumption guidelines.

Not even a bottle a week.

[DRT]

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year

Not even a bottle a week.

Some of us no longer live in the homeland so are excluded from the statistics.

[Glenn E.]

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

Something about this study seems suspicious to me.

[DRT]

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

Something about this study seems suspicious to me.

When I was in my teens growing up in Scotland my cousin and I used to be "barmen" at family parties. We had a large family so there would frequently be gatherings of 50 or more at someone's house for a booze-up. Strange as it may seem, there was probably twice as much Vodka than Whisky drunk at those events.

[Glenn E.]

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

Something about this study seems suspicious to me.

When I was in my teens growing up in Scotland my cousin and I used to be "barmen" at family parties. We had a large family so there would frequently be gatherings of 50 or more at someone's house for a booze-up. Strange as it may seem, there was probably twice as much Vodka than Whisky drunk at those events.

I'm surprised that's not a crime in Scotland!

[Alex Bridgeman]

Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

Something about this study seems suspicious to me.

When I was in my teens growing up in Scotland my cousin and I used to be "barmen" at family parties. We had a large family so there would frequently be gatherings of 50 or more at someone's house for a booze-up. Strange as it may seem, there was probably twice as much Vodka than Whisky drunk at those events.

That's be because the Whisky is all exported to the countries where they make Vodka - such is the perversity of international trade.

[jdaw1]

Women can enjoy a tipple and stay slim, according to a study that shows moderate drinkers gain less weight than teetotallers.

Women who drank red wine gained the least, but the results held for other wines, beers and spirits.

Although alcohol contains calories, the US researchers believe the women may have substituted it for other food.

Their work in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed over 19,000 women over 13 years.

The women recruited into the study were aged 39 or over and of normal weight at the time they joined.

Over the next 13 years, on average, they gained weight progressively.

Those who drank no alcohol gained the most weight, and there was an inverse relationship between weight gain and alcohol consumption.

Even after accounting for lifestyle, dietary factors and things like smoking and exercise, the study found those who drank the least gained the most weight.

Moderate drinking was classed as drinking up to about two 150ml glasses of wine a day.

Although the study did not include men, the authors believe the findings may not apply to men.

The women in the study who drank appeared to substitute alcohol for other food, meaning their overall calorie intake did not go up that much.

They say men who drink might not do this.

Also the way men and women break down alcohol in their liver may differ, which help might explain why women do not pile on the pounds.

But British researchers cautioned that people should be wary of concluding they can shed pounds by drinking more.

Catherine Collins, dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said: "It would be a mistake to think that drinking alcohol helps you lose weight."

She rejected the notion that the calories in alcohol don't contribute to weight gain.

"We know that alcohol calories do count. For binge drinkers, for example, alcohol can have a major impact on weight."

She pointed out that the study was based on women who were normal weight when they were recruited.

"These are quite an unusual group, who were likely to be mindful of keeping their body healthy," she said.

"Most women would have gained a few extra pounds by the age of 39.

"To be of normal weight by that age is quite a feat in itself.

"So findings about weight gain among this group may not be translate to others."

She said another limitation of the research was that it did not report how much snack food the participants ate.

"It may be that those who had wine as their treat ate less chocolate and snacks," she said.

[jdaw1]

Drinkers who are overweight face a "double whammy" impact on their liver, research suggests.

Two studies of more than a million UK men and women suggest excess weight and alcohol act together to raise the risk of cirrhosis and other liver diseases.

Obese women who drink little more than a glass of wine a day have almost double the risk of liver disease than other women, the researchers said.

A similar effect is seen in men, the British Medical Journal reported.

The authors of the research said "safe" alcohol limits for the overweight may need to be redefined.

Rates of liver disease and obesity are increasing in the UK.

Alcohol is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and there is mounting evidence that excess weight also plays a role.

In the first study, researchers at the University of Oxford studied more than a million middle-aged women in England and Wales.

They found that being overweight or obese increased the likelihood of developing liver cirrhosis.

Dr Bette Liu of Oxford's Cancer Epidemiology Unit said: "We estimate that almost 20% of liver cirrhosis in middle-aged UK women is due to excess weight, while almost 50% is due to alcohol consumption."

The second study followed more than 9,000 men in Scotland.

Obese men who said they drank 15 or more units a week had the greatest risk of liver disease; almost 19 times higher than those who were slim.

Writing in the BMJ, the authors said their findings have important health implications.

They said lower body mass index (BMI) specific "safe" limits of alcohol consumption may need to be defined.

Lead author Dr Carole Hart of the University of Glasgow said: "Further research might show that there could be different limits more applicable to overweight and obese people."

Alison Rogers of the British Liver Trust said the data showed a "double whammy effect" where two causes of liver disease both impact on a person's liver together, and the impact is greater than the sum of the parts.

The Department of Health said liver disease was a growing problem and they were developing a national strategy to manage it.

A spokesperson said: "Prevention is always better than cure and our public health campaigns on drinking and obesity reflects this."

[angeleyes]

A proposed by-law for a minimum price to buy alcohol.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-ma ... r-10846702

It seems to be targeted at those who buy super strength cider and lager; 9% for 500ml will see a min price of £2.25. For the rest of us it'll make little difference (£4.50 for a bottle of wine, £1 for a can of 5% beer (and £7.50 for a bottle port).

Will it work? I fear that the destitute who depend on alcohol will switch to something far worse. Young drinkers will probably find a way of absorbing the cost. With regards to preventing drunken behaviour and improving people's health, to me it seems like a weak measure.

[jdaw1]

The NHS has made a Drinks tracker for iPhone. Happily, we’re exempt, according to one reviewer: ‟But the 'strength' category has nothing between 17% and 37.5% - so I cannot enter sherry, port, sloe gin and lots of other drinks.”

[jdaw1]

The Downside of Drinking
In addition to the immediate risks associated with alcohol use”•loss of coordination, hangovers”•there are other negatives. Here is a look at the most common risks.
by Sara Reistad-Long

Can Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer
The perils of excessive drinking, specifically alcoholism and its attendant health issues, are well documented. Medium to heavy consumption has additional drawbacks. Research presented at the 2007 European Cancer Conference indicates that having three or more drinks a day may increase your risk of breast cancer by 30 percent. This news isn’t as dramatic as it first seems. A typical woman in her 50s already has about a 3 percent risk of the disease, so a 30 percent jump would bump her risk to nearly 4 percent. But most experts agree that this is reason enough to cut back.

Alcohol Can Stress Your Skin
The ethanol in alcohol dilates blood vessels, says David Colbert, a dermatologist in New York City. ‟Initially you might flush a bit during a night out,” he says. ‟But over time too much drinking can stretch the capillaries, sometimes to the point where they expand, giving your face a permanent red hue.”

Drinking Can Lead To Overeating
Alcohol doesn’t stimulate appetite per se, but if you’re struggling to control your eating, drinking can lower your inhibitions and weaken your resolve to steer clear of the cocktail nuts. According to a study published in the April 2007 issue of the journal Eating Behaviors, people who had a tendency to overeat consumed more food when drinking than did others who drank the same amount. ‟Alcohol often weakens our self-control and makes us more likely to prioritize immediate gratification over longer-term goals,” says Keith Humphreys, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In fact, there may be a physiological reason for this. Alcohol uses the body’s glucose reserves, and recently scientists at Florida State University, in Tallahassee, found that glucose fuels the brain and that willpower is weaker when those levels are low. In addition, other research points to low glucose as the reason people crave a big meal the day after a night out.

Too Much Alcohol Affects Your Sleep
Sure, alcohol can help put you to bed, since it’s a sedative. But the alcohol will also wake you up later on. Here’s why that happens: ‟To keep your brain alert in the face of sedation, the brain alters the activity of certain hormones. The net effect is excitation that counterbalances the sedation,” says Robert Swift, a psychiatrist and an associate director of the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, in Providence. But the effects of what you drink will wear off well before your system’s countermeasures do. ‟The relaxation effect goes away and you wake up in the middle of the night with your thoughts racing,” says Swift. To soften that imbalance, have your last drink two or more hours before you go to bed; this will help your brain to consciously unwind.

This list omitted the real peril of drinking: cellar depletion. ‟The typical port drinker will initiate the drinking process by extracting from the cellar, or electrical equivalent, a bottle”, explains Professor Tongs of the Centre For Vintage Studies at ThePortForum University. ‟This depletes the stock of bottles in the cellar by at least one, and sometimes more. This process seems particularly strong in France we are investigating whether this is related to higher bread consumption, or to vitamin P deficiency (caused by a diet deficient in large pork pies).”

[DRT]

drinking can lower your inhibitions and weaken your resolve ... [and] ... often weakens our self-control and makes us more likely to prioritize immediate gratification over longer-term goals

I am so glad that I suffer from none of those symptoms when drinking Port. It must be very difficult for those who do have these weaknesses.

This list omitted the real peril of drinking: cellar depletion. ‟The typical port drinker will initiate the drinking process by extracting from the cellar, or electrical equivalent, a bottle”, explains Professor Tongs of the Centre For Vintage Studies at ThePortForum University. ‟This depletes the stock of bottles in the cellar by at least one, and sometimes more. This process seems particularly strong in France we are investigating whether this is related to higher bread consumption, or to vitamin P deficiency (caused by a diet deficient in large pork pies).”

It is hard to believe that in the 21st century most of the world stands by whilst fellow human beings are left to suffer in this way. Surely a well-stocked cellar and a constant supply of pork pies are basic human rights? This really is scandellous. Perhaps we should organise a rock concert and a telethon to help these poor souls in their hour of need?

[jdaw1]

This really is scandellous.

Or is it your spelling that is scandalous?

a constant supply of pork pies

They must be large pork pies. Baby-size pies don’t have vitamin P.

[DRT]

This really is scandellous.

Or is it your spelling that is scandalous?

Appologies for the proposteras spelling.

They must be large pork pies. Baby-size pies don’t have vitamin P.

Noted. For those not familiar with official EU standards for the definition of a "large pork pie" please note that the scale starts at "extra small".

[jdaw1]

The website of The Economist has A map of world alcohol consumption, which happily confirms lots of prejudices. Underneath this article one can comment.

The chart shows consumption by people aged 15+. So I guess it means total sales divided by population of 15+. So this is grossly misleading. In Eastern Europe we start drinking at the age of 8, so if you divided the consumption by the total number of actual consumers, we wouldn't be in the red zone. We are healthier than the chart shows

I find it funny how everyone commenting from a red country is proud and everyone in lighter colors is saying they need to drink more.
I don't think that's what this study was going for.

[Glenn E.]

Feb 14th 2011 1:09 GMT So, the conclusion being that not only have Australians lost the ability to play test cricket, but they don't even know how to drink properly anymore.

Given the other thread we have here, I thought this comment apropros.

[jdaw1]

Despite new evidence that more people are being treated in hospital for excessive drinking, the overall trend is that we are drinking less as a nation. Why?
!
But behind these stories is an unexpected truth - Britons have been drinking less and less every year since 2002.

Men and women of all ages are slowly curbing their excesses and drinking in moderation, according to the annual survey from the Office for National Statistics, which covers England, Scotland and Wales.

It suggests that heavy drinking is falling, abstinence is rising, and young people are leading the drive towards healthier drinking.
!
"In reality, we see a fairly deep-rooted decline in alcohol consumption which dates back to 2004. That's not something you see acknowledged in the media."
!
But that decline started long before the credit crunch kicked in - 2004 according to the BBPA and 2002 by the ONS figures. So what happened?
!

[jdaw1]

Six leading health groups have dealt the government a blow by refusing to sign up to its new "responsibility deal" on alcohol in England.

The deal covers voluntary agreements with the drinks industry on issues such as promotions and labelling, aimed at tackling alcohol abuse.

But the organisations, including Alcohol Concern, accused ministers of not being tough enough on the industry.

The government said the deal was just one strand of its public health policy.

The groups, which also include the Royal College of Physicians and the British Liver Trust, were asked to sign up to the alcohol part of the deal to show a united front between industry, health and government.

As well as alcohol there are separate workstreams on other issues, such as food and physical activity.

The full details of the responsibility deal have yet to be unveiled, with an announcement expected this week, but under it, the drinks industry would be expected to sign up to a number of alcohol pledges.

'Lack of clarity'

These reportedly include ensuring 80% of products on the shelf are labelled for unit content, raising awareness of the unit content of drinks in pubs and clubs and taking action to reduce under-age drinking.

Quite right to grumble: ‟action to reduce under-age drinking” doesn’t obviously include a 21Y rule for VP.

[JacobH]

Although wine is important to our health, excessive drinking and drinking at any time are not encouraged. So moderate drinking of wine is important and people should also know how to drink wine correctly.
[...]
If people drink wine with food, wine and other food are digested together. The absorption of wine in this way is slowed down to 1-3 hours which allow adequate time for the scavenger of active oxygen. This way of drinking is good for digestion. It also helps to stimulate people’s appetite and inhibit the absorption of alcohol. In fact, the content of alcohol in blood is only about 1/2 than that of drinking without food.
[...]
Some people don’t drink much so that they can not enjoy the health and fun that wine brings to them. According to research made by Australian scientists in 1997, it is better for men to drink 1-4 glasses and for women to drink 1-2 glasses of wine every day.
[...]
The heat energy brought to people in the form of alcohol can not be more than20% of what people need. This is the scientific measurement to the amount of wine drinking. According to people’s difference in height, weight and labor intensity, an adult needs 1200-2400 calories of heat energy for the whole day,? that is? 50-100 calories/hour. So the drinking amount of wine should be 0.4-0.8 liters/day,? that is one or half bottle of ordinary dry wine.
[...]
It is obvious that all of us can benefit from moderate drinking of wine

What would the Portman group make of this?

[jdaw1]

Recommended safe limits for drinking alcohol by older people should be drastically cut, according to a report.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says people over 65 should drink a maximum of only 1.5 units of alcohol a day.

That is the equivalent of just over about half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.

The report says older drinkers are less able to process alcohol and the drink might also interact with medication they may be taking for other ailments.

A group of experts from the Royal College of Psychiatrists says there is a growing problem with substance abuse among older people, who they describe as society's "invisible addicts".

The report says a third those who experience problems with alcohol abuse do so later on in life, often as a result of big changes like retirement, bereavement or feelings of boredom, loneliness and depression.

But the extent of the drinking is hidden because unlike younger drinkers, more older people drink in their own homes, the report suggests.

The problem is exacerbated by the widespread use - and misuse - of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines among elderly people which can interact badly with alcohol.

Compounding the problems are the changes our bodies undergo as we get older which mean we are less able to cope with the effects of alcohol.

The report is calling for the government to issue separate advice on safe drinking limits for older people, with an upper "safe limit" of 1.5 units of alcohol a day, or 11 units per week.

The report's authors warn that current advice - 14 units of alcohol for women and 21 for men each week - is based on work with young adults.

[JacobH]

Royal College of Psychiatrists? Seems an odd college to produce such a report...

[jdaw1]

My father (medical doctor, epidemiologist) is very scathing of this report. Drink contributes to various illnesses over the long term, but provides lots of comfort short term. Which matters for old people, he asks rhetorically.

[jdaw1]

Binge-drinking young women were defined as those drinking more than three pints of beer or more than four glasses of wine at one sitting. Binge-drinking men drank four pints of beer or a bottle of wine.

[jdaw1]

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a bill that officially classifies beer as alcoholic.

Until now anything containing less than 10% alcohol in Russia has been considered a foodstuff.

The move, signed into law on Wednesday, will allow ministers to control the sale of beer in the same way that spirits are controlled.

Russian alcohol consumption is already twice the critical level set by the World Health Organization.

Although vodka has long been the traditional tipple in Russia, beer has soared in popularity, being marketed as a healthier alternative to spirits.

Over the past decade, beer sales in Russia have risen more than 40% while vodka sales have fallen by nearly 30%.