davieG Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 WHY ARE SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE DRINKING THEMSELVES TO DEATH? 10:30 - 14 June 2007 Doctors in Leicester are seeing drinkers in their 20s die from liver disease. And it's worse here than most other places in the UK. Are we turning into a county of young drunks? Lee Marlow reports They are wheeled into Dr Allister Grant's ward every week; men and women in their 20s and 30s, doomed to spend the rest of their troubled lives plagued with health problems, bed-bound in ward 30 of the Leicester Royal Infirmary with a failing liver. Ward 30, on the fourth floor of the Windsor building, is not a place you would choose to be. This is where the casualties of one too many messy Friday nights in the pub find themselves: a bed in the last chance saloon, staring out of a window and numbed by painkillers and a grim realisation they might never leave. Most of the patients here have cirrhosis of the liver. Or liver failure. Or hepatitis. Or alcoholic pancreatitis. Or a particularly nasty and increasingly common ailment, called hepatic encephalopathy, where an alcohol-ravaged liver corrupts the brain. You get the idea; there's a myriad of diseases here, each as medically unpleasant as the last. Each one has been caused by boozing. In Leicestershire we are seeing more of these debilitating ailments, according to Dr Grant, the city's leading liver specialist. A consultant hepatologist, he is now calling for schools to teach children the perils of alcohol abuse as a generation of youngsters drink themselves into an early grave. Fewer people drink alcohol in Leicestershire than they do in other UK counties, according to government research. That's the tiniest sliver of good news. The bad news is that the people who do drink in Leicestershire, drink more than most - and more than is good for them. The legacy of this drunken lifestyle is liver disease. Dr Grant has been working in this field since 1994. He has noticed two significant changes in the past decade: he's seeing more and more patients, and they're getting younger. "I have people on my ward in their late 20 and early 30s with liver disease caused by drinking too much alcohol," he says. "I see people dying of cirrhosis in their 20s. That didn't happen a generation ago. Is it worse than it was? It's much worse, yes." A survey of Leicestershire drinking patterns in 2002 found that 30 per cent of local drinkers were routinely having more than the recommended limit of 21 units per week - that's one in three people regularly drinking what the government classes as "harmful" amounts of alcohol. And yet while we're racing ahead in the binge-drinking/ liver-damaging stakes, we're lagging behind when it comes to spotting the warning signs and treating them. It's a worrying imbalance. Most areas employ alcohol liaison officers to offer advice, refer patients to specialists and try to nip the problem in the bud. Nottingham, for example, has two of these officers. Leicester has none. "We're in the process of getting one now," says Dr Grant. "It's been difficult to get the money. When the Government set up different bodies to look at drug and alcohol abuse, all the money followed the drugs. "So, while we have had one of the highest cases of alcohol-related deaths and disease, we've had little in the way of resources to try to arrest this." Is that now changing? "It hasn't changed yet," he says, "but it will do." Which is good news, says Dr Grant. But the implications, again, are obvious. Even though we have seen a huge rise in alcohol-related diseases, specialists are preparing for more. "What we have found so far may well be the tip of the iceberg," says Dr Grant. "With earlier detection, we may well find more." So how did we get ourselves into such a state? Quite simply, we're drinking earlier, we're drinking more - and we drink to get drunk. On the continent, alcohol is as much a part of their culture as it is ours - but the French, the Spanish, the Italians and most other nations drink wine or beer with their meals. In the UK, alcohol is drunk on its own, a means to an end: to get drunk. There's a crucial difference - and if we don't change, more of us will die, says Dr Grant. The liver is the largest gland in the human body and performs more than 500 functions. It is unique in its ability to regenerate itself when damaged - but it can only survive so much abuse. Liver cirrhosis is usually a result of long-term continuous alcoholic abuse. What we don't know yet is why some people get cirrhosis and some don't. It's a genetic gamble, says Dr Grant. "Some people will be able to drink all their lives and be fine. Many others won't. "You should walk my ward once in a while, see if that's a gamble you really want to take. "The advice - about units and drinking responsibly - is there for a good reason. If you drink within those limits, you should be fine." And if you don't? "Then there's every chance you won't be. It's a difficult message to get across and I do think it needs to be part of our school curriculum. It's a message that needs to come from schools and parents, too. "They should get to them before I do. If I do, it's often too late."
lildave3 Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 You don't seriously expect me to read all that do you?
James. Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 We've still got a way to go before we get like those NUTBAR RUSSIANS
Manwell Pablo Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 WHY ARE SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE DRINKING THEMSELVES TO DEATH?10:30 - 14 June 2007 Doctors in Leicester are seeing drinkers in their 20s die from liver disease. And it's worse here than most other places in the UK. Are we turning into a county of young drunks? Lee Marlow reports They are wheeled into Dr Allister Grant's ward every week; men and women in their 20s and 30s, doomed to spend the rest of their troubled lives plagued with health problems, bed-bound in ward 30 of the Leicester Royal Infirmary with a failing liver. Ward 30, on the fourth floor of the Windsor building, is not a place you would choose to be. This is where the casualties of one too many messy Friday nights in the pub find themselves: a bed in the last chance saloon, staring out of a window and numbed by painkillers and a grim realisation they might never leave. Most of the patients here have cirrhosis of the liver. Or liver failure. Or hepatitis. Or alcoholic pancreatitis. Or a particularly nasty and increasingly common ailment, called hepatic encephalopathy, where an alcohol-ravaged liver corrupts the brain. You get the idea; there's a myriad of diseases here, each as medically unpleasant as the last. Each one has been caused by boozing. In Leicestershire we are seeing more of these debilitating ailments, according to Dr Grant, the city's leading liver specialist. A consultant hepatologist, he is now calling for schools to teach children the perils of alcohol abuse as a generation of youngsters drink themselves into an early grave. Fewer people drink alcohol in Leicestershire than they do in other UK counties, according to government research. That's the tiniest sliver of good news. The bad news is that the people who do drink in Leicestershire, drink more than most - and more than is good for them. The legacy of this drunken lifestyle is liver disease. Dr Grant has been working in this field since 1994. He has noticed two significant changes in the past decade: he's seeing more and more patients, and they're getting younger. "I have people on my ward in their late 20 and early 30s with liver disease caused by drinking too much alcohol," he says. "I see people dying of cirrhosis in their 20s. That didn't happen a generation ago. Is it worse than it was? It's much worse, yes." A survey of Leicestershire drinking patterns in 2002 found that 30 per cent of local drinkers were routinely having more than the recommended limit of 21 units per week - that's one in three people regularly drinking what the government classes as "harmful" amounts of alcohol. And yet while we're racing ahead in the binge-drinking/ liver-damaging stakes, we're lagging behind when it comes to spotting the warning signs and treating them. It's a worrying imbalance. Most areas employ alcohol liaison officers to offer advice, refer patients to specialists and try to nip the problem in the bud. Nottingham, for example, has two of these officers. Leicester has none. "We're in the process of getting one now," says Dr Grant. "It's been difficult to get the money. When the Government set up different bodies to look at drug and alcohol abuse, all the money followed the drugs. "So, while we have had one of the highest cases of alcohol-related deaths and disease, we've had little in the way of resources to try to arrest this." Is that now changing? "It hasn't changed yet," he says, "but it will do." Which is good news, says Dr Grant. But the implications, again, are obvious. Even though we have seen a huge rise in alcohol-related diseases, specialists are preparing for more. "What we have found so far may well be the tip of the iceberg," says Dr Grant. "With earlier detection, we may well find more." So how did we get ourselves into such a state? Quite simply, we're drinking earlier, we're drinking more - and we drink to get drunk. On the continent, alcohol is as much a part of their culture as it is ours - but the French, the Spanish, the Italians and most other nations drink wine or beer with their meals. In the UK, alcohol is drunk on its own, a means to an end: to get drunk. There's a crucial difference - and if we don't change, more of us will die, says Dr Grant. The liver is the largest gland in the human body and performs more than 500 functions. It is unique in its ability to regenerate itself when damaged - but it can only survive so much abuse. Liver cirrhosis is usually a result of long-term continuous alcoholic abuse. What we don't know yet is why some people get cirrhosis and some don't. It's a genetic gamble, says Dr Grant. "Some people will be able to drink all their lives and be fine. Many others won't. "You should walk my ward once in a while, see if that's a gamble you really want to take. "The advice - about units and drinking responsibly - is there for a good reason. If you drink within those limits, you should be fine." And if you don't? "Then there's every chance you won't be. It's a difficult message to get across and I do think it needs to be part of our school curriculum. It's a message that needs to come from schools and parents, too. "They should get to them before I do. If I do, it's often too late." Thats got me really worried now. I need a pint.
The People's Hero Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 I read about the evils of drinking. So I gave up reading.
Lord Nibblington Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 I read about the evils of drinking.So I gave up reading. Wahey! True Story.
AoWW Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 We need to drink to stay alive... end of. Everyone knows that.
Fez of Mahrez Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 We need to drink to stay alive... end of. Everyone knows that. With teachers like this, what chance have kids got these days?
Lord Nibblington Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 With teachers like this, what chance have kids got these days? A fine chance of growing up to become a future Elvis Hammond.
Daggers Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 With teachers like this, what chance have kids got these days? A much improved one now I have left the profession
hairy Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams .. If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." ~ Jack Handy WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra and panties. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. " ~Frank Sinatra WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." ~ Henny Youngman (and TPH) WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." ~ Stephen Wright WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!" ~ Brian O'Rourke WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." ~ Dave Barry WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To some ! it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can! ~ Dave Howell WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin,of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the BuffaloTheory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went: " Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers." WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not!
The People's Hero Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 <insensitive> Is the moral that you should always finish them off? </insensitive>
Fez of Mahrez Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 <insensitive>Is the moral that you should always finish them off? </insensitive> :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I can't believe you posted that.
Simi Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 <insensitive>Is the moral that you should always finish them off? </insensitive>
Lord Nibblington Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I can't believe you posted that. Oddly Enough... I can.
Fez of Mahrez Posted 15 June 2007 Posted 15 June 2007 Oddly Enough... I can. Yeah. I kind of can too. But still. :laugh:
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