Under-age binge drinkers are consuming up to 20 units of alcohol a week, reports the Independent.

A new survey that looked at the drinking habits of 13,000 14-17 year olds in the north west of England revealed that half drink to get drunk and that one in 20 drink alone. The survey was published by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), and carried out on their behalf.

However it also found that the number of teenagers drinking alcohol at least once a week had dropped by 12% since 2005.

Phil Woolas MP, regional minister for the North West, said: “Although the number of our teenagers regularly drinking alcohol has fallen since the last survey was carried out, the amount that some of them are drinking is worrying.

“The Government’s youth action plan set out a range of commitments including stronger powers to tackle unsupervised drinking in public places and also stressed the important role that the alcohol industry has to play in refusing to sell it to under 18s and marketing their products responsibly.”

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A feature on the Independent website today highlights the emotional cost of the recession.

The Samaritans are reporting a rise in the number of calls, mainly from people worried about money. One in ten calls are related to financial worries, with over half of these being from people worried about job security.

Drinking has also risen, with many people turning to the bottle to help forget their problems. A survey of those who had recently become unemployment or made redundant, one in ten admitted to drinking more to cope with stress.

Relationships are also under pressure due to the recession. Extra stress causes more arguments, and in some cases couples who have broken up and forced to continue living together because neither can afford
to move out.

It’s feared that the psychological stress is only beginning to show in people, and could continue to increase. It seems that it is fear and worry that is causing the most problems - people are most stressed whilst waiting for a decision, rather than when the announcement is made.

Read the feature here…

Families of drug addicts are to be given a drug that can help reverse the affects of an overdose as part of a new trial, reports the Guardian.

In a quarter of over dose cases, a family member is present, but they are left feeling helpless and unable to help the addict, apart from calling an ambulance, and hoping that it arrives in time. It’s hoped it will save hundreds of lives.

The drug, naxolone, is being trialled over 16 different areas by 950 families, with plans to then roll it out to a quarter of a million people. It works by reviving people from unconsciousness quickly, and is administered by injecting it into muscle. The families will be given a kit containing the drug and full training on how to use it.

Read more here…

Speakers at an alcohol summit held in Edinburgh have called for a minimum pricing on alcohol to be put into action in Scotland, reports the BBC.

Alcohol abuse is a major problem in Scotland, with over 42,000 people being admitted to hospital between 2007 and 2008 for alcohol related problems, and nearly half of prisoners claiming they were drunk at the time of committing their offence.

Dr Harry Burns, Scotland’s chief medical officer said: “The health profession is seeing the fall-out of alcohol misuse every year in hundreds of thousands of GP consultations, thousands of hospital admissions and increased rates of chronic illness and deaths.”

The World Health Organization urged Scotland to become the first country to impose a minimum price on alcohol to help reduce excessive drinking.

Dr Peter Anderson, a consultant to the World Health Organisation said at the conference: “Outside of governments which own retail stores for the sale of alcohol, no jurisdiction has set a minimum price of alcohol. Internationally, Scotland is seen as a public health leader.

“You had the courage to introduce smoke free pubs; let us hope that you have the same courage to introduce a minimum price for alcohol.”

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Instead of encouraging smokers to quit the habit and save money, the recession has meant many are continuing to smoke to help deal with stress, reports the BBC.

A survey of 877 smokers and ex-smokers by Ipsos Mori revealed that nearly a quarter of smokers had abandoned plans to try and kick the habit, and 28% said they had simply been too stressed to attempt it.

Around three quarters of those surveyed said they would smoke during times of stress as they found it comforting, and a quarter said they had been smoking more due to stress caused by the recession.

Despite the financial burden of smoking, many smokers had instead given up other items such as cutting back on clothes or food in order to fund their habit.

Jennifer Percival, tobacco policy advisor at the Royal College of Nursing, said:” We know that the earlier people quit, the better, so we need to make sure that those who are delaying quit plans are being offered effective options and support to help them to stop smoking successfully.”

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A new survey shows that there has been a significant increase in young girls drinking, reports the Guardian.

11 to 15 year-olds in London alone consume around 180,000 bottles of lager a week, and girls now drink as much as girls. Hospital admissions, however, are twice as high for girls than boys, due to their lower tolerance levels.

There has also been an increase in alcohol consumption in communities in London that previously abstained from drinking, such as Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, but that children would often keep their drinking habits from their parents.

Chris Sorek, chief executive of charity Drinkaware, said: “Many young people see drinking alcohol as a rite of passage and an ordinary part of growing up, but rather than being ‘cool’, drinking too much can put young Londoners at risk of violence, health harms and unwanted pregnancies. The reality is that many young people don’t actually drink – but those that do can increasingly get themselves into tricky situations.”

Read the survey results…

New patterns in cocaine use could put younger users at even more risk, reports the Guardian.

A new trend amongst cocaine users of mixing the drug in with other substances to allow them to drink for longer is causing health problems for 20 to 30 year olds. However, it is resulting in many users being admitted to hospital with liver and heart problems due to the substances the cocaine is being cut with.

The average purity of cocaine has fallen dramatically over the last 25 years, from 63% in 1984 to 45% in 2005 and 26% towards the end of 2007, but users were not aware of this, and could potentially need to use more of the drug in order to get the same high.

New figures show that over the last year 730,000 people in England and Wales have taken cocaine.

Read more here…

New research from Oxford University has shown that smoking is costing the NHS five times more than previously anticipated, reports the BBC.

The cost of treating illnesses and diseases caused by smoking is around £5 billion a year, whereas previous estimates put the figure at around £1.4 billion.

One if five deaths are the result of smoking, at the figure accounts for more than 5% of the NHS’s annual budget.

Dr Steven Allender who led the research said: “The story is not so much the five-fold increase but that £5bn is an enormous number regardless.

“There’s two different ways of looking at this - one is if nobody smoked we would save £5bn but the alternative view is this is an enormous health problem and should be moved back up the policy agenda.”

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Despite another crackdown on illegal drugs, it’s feared that drug manufacturers and dealers are already one step ahead, reports The Independent.

BZP, a worming treatment for cattle, but with effects similar to ecstasy is due to be classified as a Class C drug, however, manufacturers have already begun making a different drug, with similar effects to cocaine, that will be entirely legal.

Mephedrone has a very cheap street value, and is sometimes marketed as plant food, is another such ‘legal high’, and is similar to amphetamines. Several countries have already banned it, but many believe the UK is behind on this issue.

The UK is slow and behind the times in banning BZP,” said Dr John Ramsey, a toxicologist at St George’s University of London, who is also the director of Tic Tac Communications, a drug analysis body that studies recreational drugs. “We can’t rely on the Home Office to play catch up when it comes to these drugs. We need a sensible debate in the media about their potential risks.”

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New figures released have shown that Britain is sinking deeper into dangerous drinking habits, reports the Independent today.

New figures published by the NHS Information Centre shows that one in three men and one in six women drink to a point where they are in danger of suffering from mental health problems such as depression, and are likely to cause damage to their liver. One in ten men and one in 25 women exhibited signs of being dependent on alcohol - suggesting that developing alcoholism is likely.

Over the last five years the number of people being admitted to hospital due to alcohol has risen by 70%, putting a huge strain on the NHS and costing around £2.7 billion.

Professor Ian Gilmore, an alcohol expert said: “The pivotal role of increasing affordability of alcohol over the last few decades as a key factor in increasing consumption and harm has been yet again confirmed.”

Read more here…

New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that the number of women drinking harmful amounts of alcohol has risen considerably, reports the Guardian.

In 1998, 8% of women were classed as binge drinkers, a figure which rose to 15% in 2006. There was also a narrowing of the gender gap in binge drinking, as male binge drinking only rose by one percent, to 23%, over the same period of time.

The largest rise was in women over 65, who are now consuming on average 5.1 units, a rise from 2.7 units. The research also showed that, despite stereotypes, there had in fact been a reduction of 9% in the number of men aged 16 to 24 binge drinking.

Lesley Smith, from Oxford Brookes University, who helped lead the study said: “Many people will be ­surprised to learn that young men’s drinking, including binge drinking, has gone down in recent years, while middle-aged and older people’s drinking has increased.”

Read more of the figures…

Research shows that children whose fathers suffer from mental health problems are more likely to suffer themselves, reports the BBC.

Reviewing previous research, the team from Oxford University said too much emphasis had been placed on mothers’ mental health rather than fathers, as mothers are considered to provide the most childcare. However, with shifting roles within the family, fathers often now have more of an impact on their child’s upbringing.

The children of parents who are depressed after the birth are more likely to experience emotional or behavioural problems. A child is also ten times more likely to develop bipolar disorder if their parents suffer from it.

It’s also thought that boys are affected more by their father’s mental health than girls, particularly if the father suffers from alcohol addiction.

Professor Paul Ramchandani, who led the team re-analysing the research said: “Fathers are more involved in child-rearing in countries including the UK than they used to be. In years gone by, if fathers were depressed and distant it may not have made much of an impact. We now need a more general understanding of what effects psychiatric problems in fathers can have on children.”

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One in ten American children are addicted to computer games, reports the Times today.

New research has shown that young children who play games exhibit signs of a gambling addiction such as becoming irritable when not playing, and lying about how much they play.

1,178 children aged between 8 to 18 were surveyed, and over 90% played computer games. A fifth of the children said they had performed badly in exams or schoolwork as they been playing games instead of studying. A quarter said they played games to escape problems.

It is thought that a having a gaming addiction and doing badly in school are linked, but which one develops first is unclear.

Douglas Gentile, from the National Institute on Media and the Family at Iowa State University, where the study took place, said: “While the medical community currently does not recognise video game addiction as a mental disorder, hopefully this study will be one of many that allow us to have an educated conversation on the positive and negative effects of video games.”

Read more results from the study…

Children who have brain damage caused by their mothers drinking during pregnancy will get special help in school, reports the Guardian.

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) affects over 6,000 children every year, and symptoms can range from behavioural difficulties to physical disabilities to hyperactivity.

£50,000 is being put forward by the Training and Development Agency, who help educate those who work in schools, to help fund a research project into the affects of FASD on learning, as well as help provide solutions to help those with the disorder.

Over the past 12 months there have been many conflicting reports on whether expectant mothers should drink during pregnancy, with the Government recommending avoiding alcohol completely, but the NHS advisory body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence saying small amounts of alcohol were fine.

The rise in binge-drinking could also cause more cases of FASD.

Read more here…

Health professionals believe that banning cheap alcohol will help to reduce Britain’s binge drinking habits, reports the BBC website today.

A survey carried out by the Royal Colleges of Nurses and Physicians showed that 80% of the 205 doctors and nurses polled wanted to see minimum pricing for alcohol - as recently suggested by England’s chief medial officer Sir Liam Donaldson.

These proposals however were rejected by Gordon Brown, although the Scottish government has announced plans to ban cheap alcohol promotions and to implement a minimum price per unit.

Those surveyed work with those affected by alcohol abuse, and nearly three quarters said more resources were needed, and 88% said that funding was not keeping up with the demand.

Dr Peter Carter from The Royal College of Nursing said: “Nurses have said time and time again that the government must take more drastic action to tackle the growing issue of alcohol misuse.”

“Better regulation of the labelling, sale and advertising of alcoholic drinks, as well as widespread education on the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, is needed to curb this significant problem.”

Read more here…