A new study shows one in three adults in the South West drink too much alcohol - but few realise it or understand the health risks

Transcription

1 PRESS RELEASE Embargoed until 00.01am Monday November 16 Interview opportunities, images and infographics available on request A new study shows one in three adults in the South West drink too much alcohol - but few realise it or understand the health risks Alcohol Awareness Week runs November 2015 New figures reveal that 1 in 3 adults in the South West drink at levels that exceed the Government s guidelines and pose an increasing or higher risk of damaging their health 8 out of 10 of at risk drinkers see themselves as moderate or light drinkers 7 out of 10 of these are not concerned about how much they drink Few understand the health risks with only 1 in 5 linking alcohol with breast cancer; 1 in 4 with dementia; 1 in 3 with bowel cancer and 1 in 2 with stroke Parents are more likely to drink very heavily (10+ units) than those without children when they drink Managers and professionals are more likely than routine or manual workers to drink heavily or binge drink 1 (7+ units) when they drink The study has been conducted to mark Alcohol Awareness Week by Public Health Action, a new organisation tasked with reducing alcohol and tobacco harm in the South West A new study released today (Monday November 16) reveals that one in three adults in the South West 2 are drinking too much alcohol 3, consuming it at levels that pose an increasing or higher risk of damaging their health 4. But 83% of those drinking above the Government s recommended guidelines underestimate their drinking, seeing themselves as moderate or light drinkers and 69% are not concerned about how much they drink. 1 Binge drinking is classified as 6+ units for women and 8+ units for men. 2 The survey covers the whole of the South West region except Dorset, North Somerset, Bournemouth and Poole 3 Exceeding Government s recommended guidelines 4 For this survey, increasing risk drinking and higher risk drinking are classified as a single group. Definitions of these are in Notes to Editor

2 They also do not understand the full impact that drinking too much could have on their health. Whilst the vast majority of those at risk understand the connection between alcohol and liver disease (86%) or weight gain (84%), just one in five (21%) realise it is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, one in four (23%) associate it with dementia and half (53%) with a stroke. The study was commissioned to coincide with Alcohol Awareness Week by Public Health Action, a new organisation tasked with reducing alcohol and tobacco harm in the South West. Previously known as Smokefree South West, the organisation has led on a number of high profile programmes including smokefree Millennium Square in Bristol, the first outdoor open space in the UK to have a voluntary smoking code. The study involved a survey of 500 adults together with six focus groups run in locations across the region, where issues relating to drinking alcohol were discussed. The aim was to find out more about the drinking habits and attitudes to alcohol of people in the South West, in order to understand the scale and nature of the issues and decide how to tackle them. Kate Knight, speaking on behalf of the new behaviour change programme, explained: Our study suggests that around 1.1 million 5 adults in the South West may be drinking too much alcohol but many simply do not recognise the health risks they are taking. For instance, some people we spoke to were shocked to discover the link between alcohol and breast cancer or dementia and they wanted to understand more about the harm it could potentially do to their health. Many people think they are only drinking too much if they get out of control, rely on alcohol to get through the day or have bad hangovers and are simply unaware of the long-term harm their drinking may be doing to their health. Despite a commonly held belief that risky 6 drinking is primarily a problem associated with younger people, the study revealed that in the South West, this type of alcohol consumption is evenly spread across all ages. Over half (54%) of at risk drinkers tend to consume alcohol on most days of the week, with over a quarter drinking almost every day (27%), however only 14% of at risk drinkers believe they regularly drink too much. Looking at the overall findings for people across the South West 7, the study shows that managers and professionals are more likely than routine or manual workers to drink seven or more units on a typical day they are drinking - with 17% of managers and professionals but just 8% of routine or manual workers doing so. Managers and professionals are also more likely to drink six or more times a week compared to routine or manual workers, with 15% of managers and professionals and 7% of routine or manual workers falling into this category. Meanwhile, people in professional and 5 The study suggests 32% of people in the South West are in the high or increasing risk category. Based on population estimates for 2013 published by ONS (2014) and the areas covered by the survey, this equates to 1.14 million. 6 Drinking at increase or higher risk 7 This section looks at the findings relating to all 500 people surveyed, rather than just the at risk drinkers.

3 managerial occupations are less likely to be teetotal, with just 5% claiming they don t drink at all, compared to 16% of routine and manual workers. The figures also showed that parents are more likely than those without children to drink 10 or more units on a typical day when drinking 16% of parents agreed with this statement compared to 8% of those without children. According to the findings, men in the South West binge 8 drink more frequently than women, with 19% bingeing at least weekly and 4% practically every day, whereas 10% of women binge at least once a week. Women are more likely than men to drink alcohol to give them confidence, with 23% of women compared to 14% of men giving this reason, while men are more likely than women to drink to relieve boredom, with 19% of men but just 5% of women doing so. Kate Knight added: "This new evidence will dispel the popular myth that excessive drinking is all about alcoholics and young binge drinkers. In fact, our study indicates that parents are more likely than those without children to consume ten or more units when they drink which is beyond the threshold for binge drinking. It s also clear that people across all ages and from all walks of life are prone to drinking too much leaving them at risk of long-term damage to their health. Home is by far the most common place for drinking, with 60% of all drinkers claiming this is where they most often consume alcohol, compared to only 23% in bars, pubs or clubs and 8% at parties or social events. Most people who drink do so because they like the taste (72%), to relax (66%) or to socialise (62%) with far fewer drinking for negative reasons such as to forget worries (20%), boost confidence (19%) or to get drunk, which only 16% claim to do. Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: This study is further evidence that large numbers of people drinking at a risky level don t realise how much they re drinking, and don t know about the risks associated with alcohol. Alcohol is directly linked to over 60 medical conditions and continues to be the leading risk factor for deaths among men and women aged between 15 and 49 years in the UK. Alcohol is heavily advertised, widely accessible and available at cheap prices, and because of this it can be really easy for the amount people are drinking to creep up, without them realising that their alcohol intake is at a dangerous level which is harming their health. This is why we run the Dry January campaign, giving people the perfect opportunity to have a break from alcohol so they can reassess how much they re drinking, and feel the benefits of being booze-free for a month. Alcohol control experts from across the region will be meeting to hear about the results of the study and discuss the best ways to reduce consumption at an event in Taunton on Wednesday 18 th November. Case study: 8 Bingeing means drinking 6 or more units on a single occasion for women and 8 or more units for men

4 Mary Devers, 52 from Chippenham said: I thought I drank alcohol like everyone else, slightly more than some but less than others. I didn t think I had a problem until it got to a point that I knew I had to do something about it. It was very much part of my routine going home after a busy day at work and having some wine or a gin and tonic to help me relax and unwind or as a reward. If I am being honest I ended up more often than not getting through a bottle of wine without even thinking about it. It wasn t until a few years ago that I noticed the impact it was having on my health and wellbeing. I felt tired a lot of the time, found it hard to concentrate, felt low and depressed and generally started to lose my confidence and ability to cope. It was at this point when I decided to seek advice about how I could either cut down or stop drinking altogether. My GP referred me to the Wiltshire Substance Misuse Service (Turning Point), commissioned by Wiltshire Council that offers support and advice to people wanting to make changes to their lifestyle choices. I decided to cut alcohol completely out of my life as I had tried controlled drinking in the past and it always seemed to creep up again. Now I feel like a different person. I have so much more energy, have lost weight and have a much better self-esteem. I feel less anxious and more able to manage the normal ups and downs in life and work. I hadn t realised that drinking alcohol every day could have such a negative impact on my physical as well as mental health. I am so glad I have done something about it and enjoy life more not less as a result which at one point I never thought I d be able to say. Notes to editors - Ends For interview requests, images or infographics, please contact Ele Taylor Eleanor.taylor@publichealthaction.org.uk phone Public Health Action Public Health Action is a newly commissioned service that aims to reduce the significant damage caused by tobacco, whilst initiating a new focus on effective approaches to reduce alcohol-related harm. This work will also include tackling illegal tobacco and alcohol. Previously known as Smokefree South West, the organisation has led on a number of high profile programmes including smokefree Millennium Square in Bristol, the first outdoor open space in the UK to have a voluntary smoking code, and a number of social marketing campaigns to change the behaviour of smokers and raise awareness of tobacco control issues. Alcohol Insight Study South West 2015

5 The study was commissioned by Public Health Action on behalf of the 11 funding local authorities (including: Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Torbay, Plymouth, SGlos, Swindon, Wiltshire, Devon, Gloucestershire and Somerset). Undertaken by Bluegrass Research, it consisted of an online survey with 500 adults. The sample was representative of residents from the 11 local authority areas in terms of geography, gender, socio-economic classification and age. Six focus groups also took place including residents from all 11 LA areas, structured around drinker type, gender, age and socio-economic group. Definitions of low, increasing and high risk drinking source: NHS Choices website Lower-risk drinking: As a man, you don t drink more than 3-4 units a day on a regular basis. As a woman, you don t drink more than 2-3 units a day on a regular basis. Lower-risk drinking is drinking means that you have a low risk of causing yourself future harm. Increasing-risk drinking: As a man, you drink more than 3-4 units a day on a regular basis*. As a woman, you drink more than 2-3 units a day on a regular basis. Drinking at this level substantially increases the risk of alcohol damaging your health. Higher-risk drinking: As a man, you regularly drink more than 8 units a day, or more than 50 units a week. As a woman, you regularly drink more than 6 units a day, or more than 35 units a week. If you re in this group, you re at an even higher risk of damaging your health compared to increasing risk drinks. Your body may well have suffered damage already, even if you re not yet aware of it. The NHS recommends that if you've had a heavy drinking session, avoid alcohol for 48 hours. * Regularly/on a regular basis = every day or most days of the week Table to test your drinking habits and see if you are at risk

6 This is one unit of alcohol and each of these is more than one unit Questions How often do you have a drink containing alcohol? How many units of alcohol do you drink on a typical day when you are drinking? How often have you had 6 or more units if female, or 8 or more if male, on a single occasion in the last year? Scoring system Never Monthly or less 2-4 times per month 2-3 times per week 4+ times per week Never Less than monthly Monthly Weekly Daily or almost daily Your score Scoring: A total of 5+ indicates increasing or higher risk drinking. SCORE