Alcohol-related Liver Disease Numbers Double In Ten Years, UK

Over the past couple of years, there has been a lot of coverage of drinking problems in England. It's been hard to know how much of it is hysteria and how much of the concern is legitimate. This article provides some hard data suggesting that there is significant growth in alcohol related problems.

• Alcohol-related liver disease hospital admissions in the UK have doubled in ten years
• total deaths related to alcoholic liver disease rose by 37%, according to NHS figures.
• In 2004/5 35,400 people were admitted to hospital with an alcohol-related liver disease.
• In 2004/5 21,700 people were admitted to hospital for alcoholic poisoning, versus 13,600 in 1994/5.
• in 2005 25% of 11-15 year old children had had an alcoholic beverage during the previous seven days of being surveyed.
• 33% of men and 25% of women, aged 16-24 had been on a binge drink once during the previous seven days of being surveyed.

I was unable to find precisely analogous numbers for the U.S. I did find that the numbers for past 30 days use of alcohol is 17% for 8th graders and 33% for 10th graders.