People drinking too much alcohol over Christmas, health experts warn

Many people are drinking too much over the festive period, health experts have warned.

Statistics from the alcohol charity Drinkaware revealed almost two-thirds of people are planning on drinking more than they normally would during the Christmas holidays.

That figure increases to three-quarters among adults aged 18-34 and more than half of adults (57%) will binge drink on Christmas Day.

Professor John Dillon, consultant hepatologist and gastroenterologist at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, said: “The unit limits are 14 units per week for men and women, and that’s the threshold at which the risk of alcohol causing your premature death goes above one in 100.

“A binge drink is rather than drinking those 14 units spread throughout the week, is to drink them in a concentrated period.

“So more then six units in one go would be putting you into binge territory.

“That’s a very low amount. For some strong beers that’s just two units of beer or two large glasses of wine.

“I think people need to be aware that you can’t just store things up for weeks and weeks and then drink it all in one weekend.

“There is some evidence that if you binge drink rather than throughout the week at the same volume, you’ll harm yourself more.”

Campaigners are calling for more information to be made available to consumers when they buy alcohol – in order to allow people to make more informed decisions about their drinking.

Laura Mahon, chief executive at Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “We need more public awareness raising campaigns.

“We know that one of the simplest ways of helping people understand what constitutes a binge, and how many units are in a particular drink, is to have that information prominently displayed on the products themselves.

“That way, at the point of purchasing it or thinking about drinking it, you can get that information in your hand and you can actively think about it.”

People are also being asked to take some time to consider their drinking habits and think about ways they can reduce their risk.

Professor Dillon said: “People have a concept that to get alcohol-related liver damage, you need to be an alcoholic and the stereotype that comes with that – and that simply is just not true.

“There are lots of people who will have drunk heavily, but not what they would have regarded as excessively, and got themselves in trouble.

“Sometimes that’s at a very young age.

“Alcohol related liver disease is the second most common cause of death in ages under 65.”

Whilst there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink, people can reduce their risk exposure.

Fraser Hoggan, chief executive of Alcohol and Drugs Action, said: “We need to be more assertive. There are alcohol alternatives.

“We don’t need to feel like we’re not part of the scene, like we’re not part of that social gathering.

“You might intersperse your drinks, so have an alcoholic drink – but intersperse it with a non alcoholic drink. Maybe miss out a couple of rounds so you can enjoy your night out without over indulging.”