Alcohol Related Hospital Admissions Rise in the UK
by Barbara Lock, MDAugust 31, 2009
Patients admitted to UK casualty departments (emergency departments in the US) due to problems related to alcohol use and abuse have increased from 337,549 in 2004/5 to 448,813 in 2007/8, according to the Telegraph. That's an an increase of 33%. Alcohol consumption is considered to be the direct cause of death for 31,000 people in the year 2005 in the UK, and cost the National Health Service 3 billion pounds in that year.
Starting this week, the Home Office will enact Drinking Banning Orders (DBO), which can be sought against an individual age 16 or older who has engaged in criminal or disorderly conduct while under the influence of alcohol on application to the courts by the police or any local authority, or after conviction of an alcohol-related offence. Under the order, the courts may prohibit the individual from any conduct that the court considers necessary to protect others from the individual's alcohol-related behavior, and must include a prohibition on entering establishments licensed to sell alcohol.
That's good news for anyone who has suffered at the hands of a public drunk, but whether the measures will curb excessive alcohol use in the UK and its attendant health risks remains unclear.
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