How the Drinking Culture is Increasing the Potential for Personal Injury - United Kingdom
June 29, 2012 By Accident Solicitors Direct
From nightclub brawls, to drink driving, to alcohol related accidents, anyone has experienced British nightlife and pubs will have some understanding of how intoxication can have potentially hazardous consequences. In the past five to ten years we’ve been inundated with media stories about the rise of booze Britain and youth binge drinking, but how much of it is really true, and if true how does this impact upon the rise of alcohol related personal injury?
This article will take a look at the reality of drinking habits in Britain over the past few years using government and academic statistics, and assess this information in the light of personal injury.
Booze Britain: Myth or Reality?
If you believe stories in the press then you’d have to conclude that booze Britain is very much a reality. Although drinking habits in the last few years have actually improved with 68% of men and 54% of women drinking in the week in 2010, compared with 75% of men and 59% of women in 1998, alcohol related deaths are rising steadily. Moreover, according to drinkaware.co.uk the UK has the highest rate of binge drinking in Europe. According to Professor Paul Wallace, alcohol is estimated to be responsible for at 33,000 deaths in the UK every year, with more than one in 25 adults alcohol dependent.
The good news then is that the UK is starting to wake up to the problem of excessive consumption; the bad news is that we’ve got a long way to go. With frequent drinking in the week and regular binge drinking (drinking more than double the recommended unit allowance in one session) the potential for accidents also rises steadily as indicated by NHS statistics. In 2010/2011 there were an estimated 1,168,300 admissions related to alcohol including alcohol related disease, condition and also injury. This was an increase of 11% on 2009/2010 and more than twice as many in 2002/2003.
Alcohol Related Accidents
If you’ve ever drunk or seen someone drunk then you can probably imagine how alcohol makes a person more susceptible to accidents. Alcohol impairs judgment, slows down our reactions, affects co-ordination and balance, make us lose concentration and makes us feel drowsy. Moreover, according to drinkaware.co.uk we’re more likely to take risks when drunk, the injuries are likely to be worse and alcohol may also hinder recovery as it slows down our circulation and affects the immune system. A lot of people who injure themselves when drunk may not seek the medical help they actually need, often perpetuating the severity of an injury, and it can be hard for medical professionals to properly assess a patient’s injuries when they are drunk. For example, a head injury claim is hard to verify and diagnose if a patient is intoxicated. Alcohol can also interfere with anesthetic and other medication meaning treatment sometimes has to be delayed.
Up to 40% of hospital admissions in the UK are because of alcohol-related injuries or illnesses and these can include things like traffic accidents, drowning, fires, workplace accidents and more. For example, although drink driving has steadily decreased for decades car accidents are still the biggest cause of alcohol related deaths among young men aged 16-24, leading to a rise in road traffic accident claims.
Significantly, alcohol plays a major role in most personal injuries and accidents. One in three fires in the UK is caused by people under the influence of alcohol. Between half and a quarter of all adult drowning victims have alcohol in their bloodstream, alcohol is a factor in up to one in four workplace accidents, and up to 4,000 deaths in the home are related to alcohol with 2.6 million alcohol related domestic accidents needing A&E treatment.
It seems then that, contrary to popular belief, drinking habits in the UK are actually improving at a slow rate. However, since the UK has such a high prevalence of binge drinking and alcohol dependency, personal injuries relating to alcohol aren’t going away anytime soon. What might be most interesting to consider is just how many personal injuries happen as a result of alcohol, and how with a different attitude to alcohol we could save NHS costs and the health of millions of UK residents.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Polina Golubeva
For more information on compensation claims visit Accident Solicitors Direct.
Copyright Accident Solicitors Direct
More information about Accident Solicitors Direct
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
Booze Britain: Myth or Reality?
If you believe stories in the press then you’d have to conclude that booze Britain is very much a reality. Although drinking habits in the last few years have actually improved with 68% of men and 54% of women drinking in the week in 2010, compared with 75% of men and 59% of women in 1998, alcohol related deaths are rising steadily. Moreover, according to drinkaware.co.uk the UK has the highest rate of binge drinking in Europe. According to Professor Paul Wallace, alcohol is estimated to be responsible for at 33,000 deaths in the UK every year, with more than one in 25 adults alcohol dependent.
The good news then is that the UK is starting to wake up to the problem of excessive consumption; the bad news is that we’ve got a long way to go. With frequent drinking in the week and regular binge drinking (drinking more than double the recommended unit allowance in one session) the potential for accidents also rises steadily as indicated by NHS statistics. In 2010/2011 there were an estimated 1,168,300 admissions related to alcohol including alcohol related disease, condition and also injury. This was an increase of 11% on 2009/2010 and more than twice as many in 2002/2003.
Alcohol Related Accidents
If you’ve ever drunk or seen someone drunk then you can probably imagine how alcohol makes a person more susceptible to accidents. Alcohol impairs judgment, slows down our reactions, affects co-ordination and balance, make us lose concentration and makes us feel drowsy. Moreover, according to drinkaware.co.uk we’re more likely to take risks when drunk, the injuries are likely to be worse and alcohol may also hinder recovery as it slows down our circulation and affects the immune system. A lot of people who injure themselves when drunk may not seek the medical help they actually need, often perpetuating the severity of an injury, and it can be hard for medical professionals to properly assess a patient’s injuries when they are drunk. For example, a head injury claim is hard to verify and diagnose if a patient is intoxicated. Alcohol can also interfere with anesthetic and other medication meaning treatment sometimes has to be delayed.
Up to 40% of hospital admissions in the UK are because of alcohol-related injuries or illnesses and these can include things like traffic accidents, drowning, fires, workplace accidents and more. For example, although drink driving has steadily decreased for decades car accidents are still the biggest cause of alcohol related deaths among young men aged 16-24, leading to a rise in road traffic accident claims.
Significantly, alcohol plays a major role in most personal injuries and accidents. One in three fires in the UK is caused by people under the influence of alcohol. Between half and a quarter of all adult drowning victims have alcohol in their bloodstream, alcohol is a factor in up to one in four workplace accidents, and up to 4,000 deaths in the home are related to alcohol with 2.6 million alcohol related domestic accidents needing A&E treatment.
It seems then that, contrary to popular belief, drinking habits in the UK are actually improving at a slow rate. However, since the UK has such a high prevalence of binge drinking and alcohol dependency, personal injuries relating to alcohol aren’t going away anytime soon. What might be most interesting to consider is just how many personal injuries happen as a result of alcohol, and how with a different attitude to alcohol we could save NHS costs and the health of millions of UK residents.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Polina Golubeva
For more information on compensation claims visit Accident Solicitors Direct.
Copyright Accident Solicitors Direct
More information about Accident Solicitors Direct
View all articles published by Accident Solicitors Direct
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
