Dispatches: Drinking Yourself to Death

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/dispatches/drinking+yourself+to+death/564762

Just watched this. I have to say I'm not surprised at the results. What I want to know is can you get a liver check-up on the NHS - especially if you have a drinking history?

I couldn't get that page to load for some reason... I even went to the channel 4 website and did a search but the page comes up blank. Anyone else have that problem?

My grandfather is currently drinking himself to death. The whole family feels like he died about 10 years ago. That's about when he gave up. I'm deathly afraid of becoming an alcoholic, so I've never been drunk and when I do drink, it's very limited.

Balmerhon,

Your GP will order blood tests specifically regarding liver damage if you tell him about your drinking history. Hope that helps.

Thanks Suzanne, not for me, though - for DH!

Sorry about the link. I was working but isn't for me now, either. I'll try to repost later.

Balmerhon - The associated article in the Metro yesterday said that the specific ultrasound-based liver test offered on the programme was not available on the NHS. 

I'm not a big drinker, but I really wasn't aware of the number of units of 11% wine that fit in a large (normal home sized) wine glass - 3.8!     And it wasn't even filled to the brim.  It was a pretty interesting show.

Here's more:

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2106246,00.html

I thought it was a good program with a good point, but it did feel very one sided and some of the science seemed a little gray. Of course too much drinking is bad for you and of course the alcohol industry don't want to put death labels on their product, and of course if you buy more you'll end up drinking more. The question she didn't ask (though she got in the face of the companies) was what are the government doing about it? And why, as a culture, is being drunk such a big part of socializing?

C's theory:

In northern europe there is more of a problem with binge drinking because we have a more feast and famine heritage. The most relevant example being that we brew alchol from grain, which won't keep and must be consumed relatively quickly. Whereas, in southern europe there's less of a binge drinking problem because ther is more abundance and, they make wine, which keeps forever and can be drunk at leasure.

It's his pet theory, not too well researched, but quite interesting.

Something the program made me question - is there a huge drinking problem in the US, that we just don't notice as much because so often it's done behind closed doors in people's homes?  I don't know about liquor or good wine, but I know that beer and cheap wine were cheaper where I was from in NY state than they are here - 30 pk of Red Dog for $9 anyone? 

If the rates of liver disease and other alcohol related problems are vastly different - then perhaps price is far less of a factor and culture far more than was credited on the show.

I think that would depend on state laws to an extent.  Lord knows it is more difficult to buy a bottle of anything in PA with bottle shops and state stores than it was in MO with its alocohol in gas stations. 

Aside from which I think some of it is a quality of life issue for those who are not drinking.  I have been harassed and threatened by drunk people much less at home, for whatever reason.

Alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%)
(Note: 16,653 deaths from alcohol-related vehicle crashes are included in both Alcohol consumption above and Motor vehicle crashes below.)

http://www.stopaddiction.com/narconon_alcohol_deaths.html#

Now those stats are from the 2000, published in 2005 in the AMA.

In the UK we have stats from 2004, not an exact science, but close enough.  Also, I suppose I should figure out what they mean by alcohol related deaths, but I am sick with a cold

The alcohol­-related death rate in the UK increased from 6.9 per 100,000 population in 1991 to 12.9 in 2005. The number of alcohol-related deaths has more than doubled from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,386 in 2005.

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1091

So it is much higher in the UK.

WHOOPS!! Make that even higher, the UK does not count road deaths in their alcohol related stats. 

Not only that but the U.S. has seen a reduction of 15,000 deaths from the 1990 estimates, so US alcohol related death rate is going down.

Edited to add this stat from the UN: Per capita recorded alcohol consumption (litres of pure alcohol) among adults (>=15 years)
United Kingdom 11.8  2003
United States of America 8.6  2003


http://www.who.int/whosis/database/core/core_select_process.cfm

So even with differing critera for comparison, the U.S. still consumes less, but not that much less. 

I thought it was pretty shocking and did make me think about how much I drink.  Not as much as some of those people apparently!!

I thought something was odd about those stats, in the UK it is out of the whole population as opposed to just death, which means the UK is actually much lower than it would appear.  But it still seems as if the UK uses a more strict criteria than US.

I think its more a cultural thing.. I can speak from the nursing side of things.. I was absolutely gobsmacked at the Huge number of alcholic related liver disease admissions i've seen here in Scotland versus what i saw in Massachusetts.. Saying that the liver blood tests called LFTs (liver function tests) can pick up cirrhosis however other things can cause it as well. You have to use the blood tests in conjuction with the patients history.
Also the age at which I see it is sooo much younger than back in Mass. therefore all the health related complications set in earlier as well..
We recently had a 43  year old chap who ended up dying as a result of complications from his years and years of drinking.. soooo sad to see a life wasted and to see what it does to the remaining family and friends. He actually looked more like he was 63..
I still don't get the drinking culture here in the UK.. I really don't
I don't drink often.. I just don't see the point of getting sooo wasted anymore.. Don't get me wrong i used to drink when i was in college but as i grew up i saw what it can do and just naturally curbed my drinking habits..
Just my 2 cents on the topic
Kaylesh

I have oftened wondered if the binge drinking here, compared to other European countries, derives from several factors:

1. The drink is spirits/beer vs wine.

2. The young are not exposed to drink at an early age therefore never see adults drinking moderately. So when they do start to drink, it is with mates and they have no role models to base their drinking habits on.

3. The restrictive practice of pubs closing early giving rise to the 'last calls please!'



Just a few thoughts....