Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Documentary on BBC1 tonight @ 8.30pm for those on this side of the pond with access. Below is a link with a brief summary.

BBC News - Panorama - Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

[rubywillow]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

K, what's hard-hearing is two parts: The percentage of the country's adults who drink too much, and the attitude some of these kids take after visiting the ER for it. There will continue to be more and more challenges in drinking by idle, disaffected, youth, many who have no moral conscience. They are still CHILDREN!
I read a similar story a few years ago about a young boy, who died right away, who looked even worse than that young woman. It's so heartbreaking, at any age, and I thank God I didn't end up as a horrible example to those of my generation. I could have died many times from injury, or injured, killed someone else. Those are all parts of my nightmares.
Thank you for putting this out there.

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

Hi Ruby, I watched this last night and yes some scary stats there. In the last ten years there has been a 50% increase in people under 30 presenting with alcoholic liver disease in the UK. A lot of the blame seems to be aimed at the cheap and ready availability of AL. For example three litres of 7% strength cider available for ?1.99. Doesnt take a genius to work out that is a ticking time bomb for society.

There was a think tank on government policy which was set up with members of the drinks industry, many British medical organisations and the government. According to the the BBC program makers, the medical experts all pulled out due to inaction and perceived government pampering to the powerful drinks industry. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark I fear. Below is a link to the medics side of the story.

BBC News - Health groups reject 'responsibility deal' on alcohol

[spuddleduck]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

thanks ktab. i watched it. as you say, some pretty scary stats. as for the cheap cider n stuff, well a while back (when i was denying i even had a problem with al) i would search the supermarkets for the cheapest (and easiest and most pleasant to drink) way to get the effect i wanted. back then i would have said its great to have cheap access to al, now im not so sure. as the program implied there seems to have been a huge shift in drinking culture. i know we have never been particularly 'responsible' drinkers but it does seem that the 'binge' is now the accepted norm. the yellow girl really scared me.

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

Thank Spuds, yeh that girls condition was scary, she is lucky to be alive. The problem is not confined to the UK. Excerpt taken from a report published in July by the Irish The Health Research Board:

Alcoholic liver disease has traditionally been associated with older drinkers but this report found that almost one third of the deaths from medical causes in the 25 to 34 year age group was the result of alcoholic liver disease. In fact, this age group had the highest rate of deaths from the disease.
A recent study found that the rate of hospital discharges for alcoholic liver disease in the 15-34 year age group increased by 247% between 1995 and 2007 in Ireland. This period coincided with record levels of alcohol consumption.
Ms Ryan said: ?These figures are alarming: alcoholic liver disease is an early warning sign of overall levels of alcohol problems in a population. The fact that the disease is being reported in people at such a young age points to serious alcohol problems occurring even earlier in a person?s life. We know that age of first drinking has dropped from 16 to 14 over a ten year period."

More can be read below:

Liver disease deaths in young people reveal crisis – Government needs to act now | Alcohol Action Ireland

[rubywillow]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

K, I lived in such a protected environment, didn't have a drink till 21, didn't have a problem till after 40. A doctor said 'Well, it took you a while, but you got there.' Sobering (I hope) words. We can look at our society, at medical care, at a lot of things, but having it there, and cheap, and the supposed thrill of being part of a crowd, is part of it. I blame the AL producers, and their irresponsibillity in producing, profittting, from addition, even death. And yes, look what is tolerated for them, and what is hounded in other areas (tax, property, etc.). I have no answer. But I watch my children, and am more honest than they want to hear, about my problems with it. Coupled with what they had unfortunately seen, I can only pray they will listen.

[Guest]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

I started getting drunk, having hangovers and blackouts at the age of 17 and I remember starting being in my first full-time job laughing about what we got up to drunk at the weekend. Binge drinking culture has been going on for a long time and in my opinion it's been encouraged by the government and the breweries.

I read an article a year or two ago in a broadsheet that detailed the fact that planning permission for new pubs was relaxed in the 90s, around the time the drinks industry also launched alchopops. This was all in response to the rave scene which took young people away from town centres, out into the countryside taking drugs instead of drink. By the time I found raves we used to drink on top of the E ie it all caught up with itself. Now of course everyone raids the supermarkets for cheap drink as the scene has changed yet again. I don't actually think price is the whole story. Alcohol is an addictive drug which is pushed as normal, getting drunk is all part of a good night out and you are 'boring' if you don't partake. I am however seeing a change in attitude though, and there are people who don't bother with alcohol these days for many, many reasons.

I do agree a lot of adults do drink more than is healthy, even those without problems with it. It's considered normal to get through a bottle of wine each night for some - also we had the advice that a glass of red every day contain health benefits. The lecturer on my drink-driving course said this was one of the worst things they could have said. True enough a small glass might help you relax, have benefits for your health but after that it's all downhill. Trouble is it's now held as an excuse to drink larger and larger glasses. I know a lady locally who would get drunk on red everynight after undergoing surgery. She justified it because the surgeon had told her red was fine, it was good for your arteries.

Lecture over!

[Guest]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

Oh and while we are at it how come the documentaries only ever cover the patients who are lower working class?The rarely show anyone from the middle or upper classes, professionals etc so reinforcing the stereotypical alcoholic image.

[rubywillow]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

UK, IMHO, AL industries target the lower class. Upper class stays well-stocked. But lower has to plan, then they and their family pay for it, not like those with money. Any government who supports the way AL is allowed has to pay the bill for the consequences, but their immediate result for their action is more money in the goernment till. It still costs, down the road, but I believe they think of themselvles, in the here and now. And we don't, in any country, know what those responsible in governing us are making from the AL industries, always 'under the table'. They must feel immune to it, and pass it on to the next administration. Yet again we're controlled by those who should be taking care of their people, ESPECIALLY their youth. I can get VERY riled just thinking about it, while I'm touched so much less than most of the rest of the people here. It's going to take the public, getting involved, and demanding their elected for answers and explanations of what and why they're allowing themselves to be bought, to change the power the AL industry has over government. Someone in that area has to be held accountable, but why would they listen when those being destroyed are unable to protest?

[RingingCedars]

Alcoholic liver disease taking its toll on the young

The banks, big pharma and gov't don't give a hoot about the people and they are some of the biggest users of al, drugs and sex trades. For the second time today, I say unf*ckingbelievable. We cannot count on them to fix our problems.