More than half of
drinkers think only binge drinking harms their health
A new campaign backed by major health charities will warn
drinkers of the unseen health damage caused by regularly drinking
more than the NHS advises.
The £6 million Government funded campaign shows the damage that
is being done to drinkers’ organs while they are drinking in a pub
or at home.
This is being launched by Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron
today and is part of the cross-Government strategy to tackle the
harms that alcohol causes.
The Department of Health has developed the campaign in
association with Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation
and the Stroke Association to create the series of stark TV, press
and outdoor adverts showing the harm that regularly drinking more
than two drinks a day can cause.
A new YouGov poll launched to coincide with the campaign shows
that more than half (55%) of English drinkers misguidedly believe
that alcohol only damages your health if you regularly
get drunk or binge drink.
The survey of over 2,000 adults also found that 83% of those who
regularly drink more than the NHS recommended limits of 2-3 units
a day for women (about two small glasses of wine) and 3-4 units a
day for men (about two pints of lager) don’t think their drinking
is putting their long-term health at risk.
With 10 million adults in England estimated to be drinking above
the recommended limits, this is equivalent to around 8.3 million
people potentially unaware of the damage their drinking could be causing.
Although 86% of drinkers surveyed knew that drinking alcohol is
related to liver disease, far fewer realised it is also linked
with breast cancer (7%), throat cancer (25%), mouth cancer (28%),
stroke (37%) and heart disease (56%), along with other serious conditions.
Scientific evidence shows:
· you could be three times more likely to have a stroke and three
times more likely to get mouth cancer if you’re a man regularly
drinking more than two pints of lager a day; and
· you are 50% more likely to get breast cancer and twice as
likely to have high blood pressure, which could lead to a stroke
or a heart attack, if you’re a woman regularly drinking two
glasses of wine or more a day.
Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron said:
“Many of us enjoy a drink – drinking sensibly isn’t a problem.
But, if you’re regularly drinking more than the NHS recommended
limits, you’re more likely to get cancer, have a stroke or have a
heart attack.
“With alcohol misuse damaging so many people’s health and lives,
the Government has teamed up with Cancer Research UK, the British
Heart Foundation and the Stroke Association to produce this
straight talking campaign. It’s important to show drinkers the
unseen damage alcohol can do to their body.”
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer for England:
“Over a quarter of the population regularly drink above the
Government’s recommended daily limits, with over two and half
million adults regularly drinking above the higher-risk levels,
putting their health at risk of serious diseases and conditions.
It is important people realise the harm they, unknowingly, can
cause to their health by regularly drinking more than the
recommended daily limits.
“This campaign gives people the facts about the effect alcohol
can have on their body and provides support for people who choose
to drink less.”
Over 9,000 people in the UK die from alcohol-related causes each
year. The World Health Organisation estimates that 20% of
alcohol-related deaths are from cancer and 15% are from
cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke, while
13% are from liver disease.
Joe Korner, Director of Communications for The Stroke Association
said:
‘‘We are pleased to be involved in this campaign because it
alerts people to the long term health risks of regular heavy
drinking.
“Stroke is the biggest cause of severe adult disability and hits
150,000 people a year. So, it’s vital that people understand that
women who persistently drink more than 3 units of alcohol a day
and men who drink more then 4, are more likely to get high blood
pressure, the single biggest risk factor for stroke.“
Dr. Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart
Foundation, said:
“While sensible drinking in moderation has been shown to offer
some protection against heart disease, this should not be seen as
a green light to start drinking.
“There are better ways to protect yourself from heart disease.
The evidence is clear, regularly drinking above the recommended
daily limits harms the heart as well as causing a host of other
harmful effects.”
Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health
information, said:
"We know from decades of research that alcohol can
increase the risk of several cancers including cancers of the
breast, bowel, liver, mouth, foodpipe, throat and voicebox.
“Scientists estimate that alcohol is responsible for around 9,000
cancer deaths every year in the UK.
“Our bodies convert alcohol into a toxic chemical called
acetaldehyde which can lead to cancer by damaging DNA and stopping
our cells from repairing this damage.
“Alcohol can also increase levels of oestrogen and unusually high
levels of oestrogen can increase the risk of breast cancer. The
simple message is that the more you drink the greater your cancer
risk but the more you cut down the more you reduce that risk.”
The campaign website, www.nhs.uk/drinking launches
on Monday 1 February and will feature interactive tools to arm
people with the information they need to make healthier choices.
ENDS.
Notes to Editors
For media enquiries only, please contact Department of Health
Newsdesk on 020 7210 5221. Recordings of the new TV adverts and
images of the print adverts are available from the press office.
Interview bids must be submitted to the press office. All figures,
unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size
was 2023 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th - 15th
January 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have
been weighted and are representative of all English adults (aged
18+). To help people check whether they are drinking within the
recommended limits, the NHS recently launched a Drinks Tracker,
available to download to your computer desktop, mobile phone or
iPhone from www.nhs.uk/alcohol. 10 million adults in England
estimated to be regularly drinking above the recommended limits
according to NHS Information Centre Statistics on Alcohol, 2008.
Visit http://www.ic.nhs.uk/ for more information Men regularly
drinking more than two pints of strong lager a day are three times
more likely to have a stroke and three times more likely to get
mouth cancer Department of Health analysis of
'Corrao,' 1999 Women regularly drinking two
large glasses of wine or more a day are more likely to get breast
cancer and twice as likely to have high blood pressure, which
could lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Department of Health
analysis of 'Corrao,’ 1999Office of National Statistic
figures show that over 9,000 people died of alcohol related causes
in 2008. http://www.statistics.gov.ukThe World Health Organisation
estimates that 20% of alcohol-related deaths are from cancer and
15% are from cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and
stroke, while 13% are from liver disease. (Rehm, J, Room, R et al
2004, ‘Alcohol’, Comparative quantification of health risks:
Global and regional burden of disease due to selected major risk
factors, WHO, Geneva,
www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/cra/en/)
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk