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| Hospital alcohol admissions soar | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Hospital admissions linked to alcohol use have more than doubled in England since 1995, an NHS report shows. | Hospital admissions linked to alcohol use have more than doubled in England since 1995, an NHS report shows. |
| Alcohol was the main or secondary cause of 207,800 NHS admissions in 2006/7, compared to 93,500 in 1995/96. | Alcohol was the main or secondary cause of 207,800 NHS admissions in 2006/7, compared to 93,500 in 1995/96. |
| There has also been a 20% rise in the number of GP prescriptions for treating alcohol dependency in the past four years, the NHS Information Centre said. | There has also been a 20% rise in the number of GP prescriptions for treating alcohol dependency in the past four years, the NHS Information Centre said. |
| The British Liver Trust warned that the health impact of alcohol will only get worse in years to come. | The British Liver Trust warned that the health impact of alcohol will only get worse in years to come. |
| Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, agreed that alcohol was placing an ever-increasing burden on the NHS. | |
| We are talking about a younger age group, drinking sometimes huge quantities, which can be damaging Dr Varuna Aluvihare, liver specialist at Kings College Hospital | |
| "These rises paint a worrying picture about the relationship between the population and the bottle," he added. | |
| The figures include hospital admissions for a specific alcohol-related condition, such as liver disease, but also admissions where alcohol is a contributory factor but not the main cause - such as falls due to drunkenness. | |
| Of hospital admissions in 2006/7 specifically due to an alcohol-related diagnosis, almost one in 10 were in under 18 year olds. | |
| In 2006 there were 6,500 deaths related to alcohol, of which two thirds were men - a 19% rise from 2001 figures. | |
| The north west had the highest rate of alcohol related admissions at 170 per 100,000 east of England. | |
| Teenage drinking | |
| Survey results also contained in the report showed more pupils aged 11 to 15 years who say they have never had an alcoholic drink increased from 39% in 2001 to 45% in 2006. | |
| But those who admit to drinking are drinking more - consuming 11.4 units per week on average, the highest figure ever recorded by the survey. | |
| And 30% of 15 year olds said it was fine to get drunk at least once a week, the poll of over 8,000 teens found. | |
| Among adults in 2006, 72% of men and 57% of women reported drinking an alcoholic drink on at least one day in the previous week. | |
| And 12% of men and 7% of women reported drinking on every day in the previous week. | |
| According to the NHS Information Centre alcohol was 69% more affordable in 2007 than in 1980. | |
| Dr Varuna Aluvihare, a liver specialist at Kings College Hospital said: "We are talking about a younger age group, drinking sometimes huge quantities, which can be damaging. | |
| "We are seeing people in their 20s and 30s. When I started practising, we saw people in their 50s." |