How much damage does seasonal drinking do?

much damage does Christmas drinking do? How Christmas may be seen as the time to eat, drink and be merry, but increased alcohol intake means anything but merriment for many. The festive season is the time when drink drive accidents, domestic incidents and concerns over alcoholism peak and hospitals are put under most pressure by drinkers. Here's a snapshot of the damage Christmas drinking does. Worries over alcohol abuse peak at Christmas Christmas week and the weeks either side see a peak in Google searches for the term 'alcoholic' سا ا DEC '16 DEC '17 DEC '18 Drink drive accidents and casualties peak 1,480 drink drive accidents and casualties in December - 6.5% more than any other month* *In 2016, the most recent figures published by the Department for Transport. Domestic abuse incidents peak Police Service of Northern Ireland figures show December peaks for domestic abuse incidents for the past four years. The World Health Organisation says evidence suggests alcohol use increases domestic violence. 2,922 2,707 2,729 2,541 DEC '15 DEC '16 DEC '17 DEC '18 'Mad Friday brings a peak in alcohol related A&E visits 43% more alcohol related incidents are expected in A&E on the most popular night for work Xmas dos - the last Friday before Christmas* *Metro 2018 AMBULANCE In 2017, emergency services in the north east got 250 more calls on Mad Friday than a usual Friday* *The Sun December is a peak time for binge drinking Google searches for 'alcohol offers' peak around Christmas week An ianit DEC '16 DEC '17 DEC '18 120 million units of alcohol per week are consumed in England due to special occasion drinking in England* Shoppers are tempted by seasonal giant bottles of booze At Christmas time in 2017, Morrisons was selling: VS VS 4.5 litre bottles of In the run up to Christmas 2018, Aldi released a giant 6 litre bottle of proseccO, containing 64 glasses for £79.99. It was equivalent to eight regular bottles and contained 66 units of alcohol. whiskey for £70 - 6.5 times bigger than a usual £17 70cl bottle. A saving of more than a third (£40 - 36% saving) In 2018, NHS England invested £300,000 into festive 'drunk tanks' where revellers could sleep off the booze 19% of men 11% of women report binge drinking* report binge drinking* *Statistics on Alcohol, England 2019 Drinking too much, too quickly on a single occasion can increase your risk of: Accidents resulting in injury, causing death in some cases Misjudging risky Losing self-control, like having unprotected sex situation Higher risk drinkers are men who drink more women who drink more than 50 units a week than 35 units a week NHS advice says you may need help if: You often feel You think your drinking is causing you problems You get into Other people the need to trouble warn you have a drink because of about how much you're drinking your drinking Alcohol calories peak at Christmas 1 bottle of beer, 2 glasses of champagne, 2 glasses of wine, 1 spirit (a not unusual Christmas Day for many) = 10.2 units of alcohol, 699 calories which is equivalent to 2.4 burgers or 70 minutes running* *Drink Aware units and calorie counter Other alcohol stats and facts Less than 20% Alcohol misuse is the of dependent drinkers in England are accessing treatment biggest risk factor for early death, ill-health and disability among 15 to 49 year olds in England The number of people dying from alcohol specific causes is* 20.5 per 100,000 people in Scotland 11.1 per 100,000 in England 13.5 per 100,000 in Wales 17.4 per 100,000 in Northern Ireland The more money people earn, the more likely they are to drink Around 80% of people who earn over £40,000 drink alcohol, compared to 47% of people who earn less than £10,000. More than one in every 100 people is alcohol dependent* *Public Health England + HOSPITAL There were 1.2 million hospital admissions due to alcohol in England in 2017/18* *NHS Digital Alcohol has been identified as a causal factor in medical conditions, including cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure and depression. And, alcohol increases the risk of accidents, violence and injuries. Port of Call the right help at the right time