Alcoholic liver disease in England

Jump in alcoholic liver disease

Between 1989 and 2003 admissions for the disease increased by 116% in men and 108% in women.

The figures, collated by London’s St George’s Hospital and Imperial College, were presented at a British Society of Gastroenterology meeting.

They underline just how much of a drain alcohol abuse is on NHS resources.

The figures show that there was a rise in admissions in people of all ages – including young adults.

Many health campaigners have voiced concern that changes to licensing laws, allowing more pubs and clubs to stay open for longer, could lead to increases in alcohol-related illness and public disorder in the UK.

Lead researcher Dr Mark Fullard said that with hospitals already struggling to cope with demand, the rising number of cases of alcoholic liver damage was a potentially huge problem.

“The research findings highlight an important problem in public education and health planning and how we are going to manage alcohol related problems in this country.

“If it doubles again, it is going to have tremendous implications for the future burden of care in hospitals.”

All physicians know the long term evils of excess alcohol intake. What I find most interesting is how different cultures handle alcohol. In some cultures, drinking is socially acceptable, but being drunk is unacceptable.

As I view British culture, I see the opposite. Unfortunately, I perceive the same problem in parts of the US culture. Too many college students revel in their drunkeness. Too many patients that I see go out drinking to get drunk.

I wish I knew an answer to this problem. Abstinence (while important for recovering alcoholics) is unlikely to provide the answer.

When my children were adolescents, I stressed the importance of drinking responsibly. I never had delusions that they would not drink. Rather, I pointed out two key features of responsible drinking: Never drive when drinking and Getting drunk makes you the fool. I believe that we need a cultural shift in promoting responsible drinking. But, unfortunately, I am skeptical of the likelihood that it will occur.