London, August 17: A Sharp rise in alcohol-related diseases in Britain has sparked politicians’ calls for tougher control laws on the drinking industry that reverse the government’s prior failing policies.
“We need a radical new approach to alcohol-related problems,” Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary, told.
The calls followed the release of statistics to the Liberal Democrats by the Department of Health, indicating sharp increase in alcohol-related diseases over the past five years.
The statistics revealed that excessive drinking habits have led to an increase in the cases of cirrhosis by 42 percent since 2004, to almost 5,000 cases a year.
The shocking numbers triggered calls for the government to include bans on alcohol advertising and to impose a minimum pricing policy, all moves widely rejected by the drinks industry.
Other measurements urged include awareness campaigns and an agreement with the drinks industry to include more information on labels.
The government has already introduced several initiatives to dismay people from drinking alcohol, but both politicians and experts criticized moves as futile.
“After a decade of government inaction we are seeing the horrendous long-term health problems that alcohol misuse can cause,” said Lamb.
“Ministers claim to be making progress on alcohol misuse but with millions of adults still drinking hazardous amounts these figures are only set to get worse.”
“In many ways we need to look to what happened with the tobacco industry,” said Professor Ian Gilmore, a liver specialist and president of the Royal College of Physicians.
“Initially, the government signed it up to voluntary codes of practice, but then it realized, why would the tobacco industry co-operate with something that hurt its profits?
“These figures should provide a further wake-up call for the government to act.”
According to surveys, a quarter of people in England aged 16 and over is classified as hazardous drinkers.
Killer
Experts lamented that drinking liquor appears to be the number one reason behind the rise of many deadly diseases among Britons.
“A range of alcohol-related diseases are on the increase,” Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, told the Observer.
Just last week, the Cancer Research UK published statistics that showed oral cancer rates for men in their 40s have risen by some 28 percent since the mid-1990s, largely due to rising alcohol consumption.
Rates for women in their 40s have increased by 24 percent over the same period, also due to alcohol.
A report by London Assembly last June found alcohol-related hospital admissions have almost doubled in recent years and calls to the London Ambulance relating to young people drinking have increased 27% in four years.
The Department of Health new statistics confirmed a 41 percent increase in the killer alcoholic hepatic failure – to 1,200 cases a year.
“If you look at other common diseases such as heart and lung disease, the trends are getting better and people are living longer,” said Gilmore.
“But liver diseases, in particular alcoholic liver disease, are bucking the trend.”
Islam takes an uncompromising stand in prohibiting intoxicants.
The general rule in Islam is that any beverage that get people intoxicated when taken is unlawful, both in small and large quantities, whether it is alcohol, drugs, fermented raisin drink or something else.
-Agencies