Binge Drinking In The UK
1. Introduction
The British Medical Association (2005) defines binge drinking as heavy drinking over an evening or similar time span – sometimes also referred to as heavy episodic drinking. Binge drinking is often associated with drinking with the intention of becoming intoxicated and, sometimes, with drinking in large groups.
Binge drinking is a large problem in the UK. According to BBC News (2003), binge drinking is costing the NHS around £1.7 billion a year. In addition, 17 million working days are lost each year due to hangovers and the government is spending billions clearing up crime and damage caused by anti-social behaviour due to drinking (BBC News, 2003).
The UK government is considering increasing alcohol …show more content…
According to OECD (2005a) (see appendix 1), alcohol consumption in the UK is relatively high. In 2003, a UK citizen aged over 15, had an annual consumption of 11.2 litres of pure alcohol. This is a 1.8 litre increase since 1980. Compared to other countries, the UK has the third highest alcohol consumption level, along with Spain. France has the highest alcohol consumption level of over 14.8 litres per person. Although this is decrease of 5.8 litres per person since 1980, the country still has the highest alcohol consumption rate from the countries selected (OECD, …show more content…
This is because alcohol can sometimes be less than half price in mainland Europe, compared to the UK (O’Brien, 2006). The current advised limits to bring back are 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer (Mintel, 2001). Furthermore, Irish consumers may soon be allowed to buy alcohol from the rest of the EU via the internet if they pay the duty in the country of origin (O’Brien, 2006). If alcohol tax is increased, Britons may be more likely to buy alcohol elsewhere in the EU and may even try to re-sell it in the UK on the black market (Mintel, 2001). This would lower alcohol sales in the UK and would be harmful to the country’s
The British Medical Association (2005) defines binge drinking as heavy drinking over an evening or similar time span – sometimes also referred to as heavy episodic drinking. Binge drinking is often associated with drinking with the intention of becoming intoxicated and, sometimes, with drinking in large groups.
Binge drinking is a large problem in the UK. According to BBC News (2003), binge drinking is costing the NHS around £1.7 billion a year. In addition, 17 million working days are lost each year due to hangovers and the government is spending billions clearing up crime and damage caused by anti-social behaviour due to drinking (BBC News, 2003).
The UK government is considering increasing alcohol …show more content…
According to OECD (2005a) (see appendix 1), alcohol consumption in the UK is relatively high. In 2003, a UK citizen aged over 15, had an annual consumption of 11.2 litres of pure alcohol. This is a 1.8 litre increase since 1980. Compared to other countries, the UK has the third highest alcohol consumption level, along with Spain. France has the highest alcohol consumption level of over 14.8 litres per person. Although this is decrease of 5.8 litres per person since 1980, the country still has the highest alcohol consumption rate from the countries selected (OECD, …show more content…
This is because alcohol can sometimes be less than half price in mainland Europe, compared to the UK (O’Brien, 2006). The current advised limits to bring back are 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer (Mintel, 2001). Furthermore, Irish consumers may soon be allowed to buy alcohol from the rest of the EU via the internet if they pay the duty in the country of origin (O’Brien, 2006). If alcohol tax is increased, Britons may be more likely to buy alcohol elsewhere in the EU and may even try to re-sell it in the UK on the black market (Mintel, 2001). This would lower alcohol sales in the UK and would be harmful to the country’s