A group of leading doctors and academics have written an open letter to the media urging the Government to follow Scotland’s lead in bringing in minimum pricing for alcoholic drinks.
In their letter they say:
”We urgently need to raise the price of cheap drink. Harmful drinkers and young people are likely to be the most responsive to price increases. In particular, we need to narrow the price gap between alcohol in bars and restaurants with alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences, to make bulk discounts and pocket-money prices a thing of the past.”
Although much has been done to tackle problem drinking, alcohol costs the UK £25 billion each year. The Alcohol Health Alliance has estimated that alcohol harm causes the admission of over a million people to hospital, is linked to 13,000 new cases of cancer and is associated with one in four deaths among young people aged 15 to 24. New figures released last week show that twice as many people are now treated in hospital because of alcohol compared with 10 years ago.
There is evidence pointing to a correlation between the price of alcohol and the level of harm and as such policy is an essential part of turning the tide of harm caused by alcohol. A 50p minimum price per unit could save nearly 10,000 lives a year says Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, a special adviser to the Royal College of Physicians.
This minimum unit price of 50p would cost men drinking within the NHS guidelines £2 a day and women £1.50. The NHS guidelines state that a man should not drink more than 3-4 units a day and a woman no more than 2-3.
Recent years have seen substantial changes in behaviour related to seatbelt wearing and smoking. In both cases significant shifts have been seen as a result of legislation. With efforts underway to shift attitudes to drinking alcohol, policy measures could be just the thing to tip the country into more responsible consumption.
But even before such proposals come into force there is much employers can do to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace. Comprehensive policies and practices can enable workers to keep the right side of alcohol harm and are a major plus for businesses.
The workplace is an ideal space to get people to start the process of re-thinking their drinking. From creating an environment where staff feel able to discuss the issues, through to intensive support, employers have a lot to gain from a healthy and well-motivated work force.
