When I first read The Telegraph’s headline, “Three in four people in A&E at weekend are there because of alcohol,” I naturally assumed the television channel A&E’s Intervention shot a reunion show and I got kind of excited. Not that I would be happy to learn that the reality show’s former subjects had come together for a weekend and simultaneously relapsed, but you can’t fault me for knowing what would make good television. However the somewhat deceptive article title addresses actual reality—that Brits’ alcohol-related health issues account for up to 70% of weekend emergency room (that’s “accident and emergency” or A&E) visits in the UK.
Drinking Themselves Under the Table
What that means in English (the language, not the country) is that binge drinking in England is getting out of control. Three out of four people who end up in an emergency room or some kind of paramedic-related incident, do so because they drank too much. And while I have always known Brits to brag about how they can handle their liquor, this isn’t the first we have heard about England’s binge drinking epidemic. In fact, their young adults have been dubbed the century’s heaviest drinkers.
It’s all fun and games until someone ends up on a stretcher. And according to Dr. Jim Connolly, of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, that is happening more and more frequently. Based on data collected between 2012 and 2013, researchers estimated that alcohol-related problems cost the UK’s National Health Services approximately £1 million a year, making them more costly to treat than the elderly. This sure makes shots seem like nothing to LMFAO about.
Why the Short Tab?
While nothing directly points to the steady increase in alcohol abuse over the last decade, some theorize it has to do with the accessibility of booze. Dr. Clifford Mann, President of the College of Emergency Medicine, says that alcohol is too cheap—sometimes cheaper than a bottle of water—and young people are buying it and using it to “pre-load” before going out with their friends. He feels the solution is to raise the price of liquor to a minimum of 50p per unit.
Although I would agree that pre-gaming (drinking at home before going to a bar) plays a major role in over-consumption, I would argue this choice is a result of booze being too expensive, not too reasonably priced. Although it might be cheaper to buy a bottle of vodka and have a few at home before going out, that is only because it’s nearly unaffordable to drink in a bar like a civilized person these days. I don’t drink but my boyfriend does and for him to enjoy three Old-Fashioneds, it can cost upwards of $50.
Money Probably Not the Issue
Either way, I don’t think raising the cost of alcohol is the solution. Just looking at the cost of OxyContin, and how many people are addicted to it, shows that when it comes to getting fucked up, money isn’t really an issue. People will find a way to get what they need. In fact, raising the cost of booze could end up driving people towards other, more affordable but possibly more hazardous vices. If you want to fix the problem of destructive binge drinking, the solution lies in why people are more reliant on alcohol than ever before. Social issues like employment, the lack of metal health resources and even the effects of social media are more likely to blame.
Of course, these are much more vast and complicated issues. In the interim, leaving the price of alcohol alone and focusing on alcohol education, treatment options and ample health professionals staffed on the weekends in metropolitan areas —where binge drinking is more rampant—is probably a better way to attack the problem. Or make like the Bostonians and tax booze so you can send your blokes to rehab.
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