A BMA (British Medical Association) survey in Scotland has revealed that 6% of all GP consultations are related to alcohol.  This is costing the NHS in Scotland £28m a year.

The study was carried out last month over one day found that 5500 consultations involved alcohol.  Based on that  figure it means that Scottish GP’s deal with  1.4 million alcohol related consultations a year which costs the NHS more than £28m

Dr Alan McDevitt, deputy chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GPs Committee warned ”Those who suffer from alcohol-related health problems are not just alcoholics or heavy binge drinkers. By regularly drinking over and above recommended limits, a significant proportion of the adult population is at risk of experiencing health problems linked to the alcohol they consume.”

A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) indicates that a significant link can be made between alcohol consumption and the risk of specific cancers.  The study covered 8 western European countries and showed that in men almost one in ten cancers and in women one in 33 cancers can be linked to alcohol consumption.

In particular there is an increased risk of liver, mouth, food-pipe, voice-box and pharynx cancers, aswell as bowel and breast. 

The message is clear, in order to reduce the risk we must reduce our alcohol consumption and stay within government guidelines of drinking levels. For men this is 3-4 units a day and women 2-3 units.

The charity Alcohol Concern has released figures confirming that the amount of people in the UK  being admitted to hospital with alcohol related issues has doubled since 2003.  The figure has increased from 500,000 in 2002-2003 to 1.1 million in 2009-2010.  The charity is concerned that this could rise by a further 500,000 by 2015 and could cost the NHS £3.7 billion annually.

Alcohol Concern believe that employing specialist alcohol health workers within the NHS is a possible solution.  Speaking on behalf of the charity Don Shenker, chief executive at Alcohol Concern said “As problem drinking costs the country so dear, a modest investment in supporting problem drinkers will lead to a three-fold saving, surely a necessity in an economic downturn.”

The Home Office has responded by confirming that a ” bold new approach ” needs to taken to tackle the issue of alcohol misuse.  A spokesman for the Department of Health said “”That is why the newly published strategy for public health sets out plans to ring-fence public health spending, devolve power and budgets to local communities, and work across areas from behavioural science to education to improve public health.  They further added “We will also be publishing a new alcohol strategy to follow on from the Public Health White Paper in the summer.”

The Department of Health has welcomed a new survey which shows evidence that illegal drug usage is in decline.  The survey which was conducted by the NHS is based on their annual report on drug misuse in England.  The findings are based on a combination of official reports and consultations with members of the public discussing their drug usage.

Commenting on the survey Simon Antrobus, chief executive of the drugs and alcohol charity Addaction said “While the overall figures are certainly encouraging, it’s no time to get complacent. Drug use remains a big problem in this country, and specialist services remain vital in tackling it.”

The NHS has responded to the recent Lancet report which claims that alcohol is more harmful than heroin.  The intial report was based on a 16 point harm measurement system.  Points were allocated based on a scoring on individual harm and the harm to others.

The NHS feel it it is important to differentiate between the effects each have.   Heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine were reported as most harmful to individuals however alcohol has more of an effect on society.  It is acknowledged that this is because it is legal and widely consumed within society.