Two die each week from alcohol abuse in Brighton and Hove

1:10pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in News By Ben James

Alcohol abuse costs Brighton and Hove taxpayers £117 million a year Alcohol abuse costs Brighton and Hove taxpayers £117 million a year

Alcohol abuse is costing Brighton and Hove taxpayers more than £100 million a year.

A report into the city’s drink problem has revealed almost 100 residents end up in hospital each week as a result of excessive drinking.

Among the ideas put forward by experts to tackle binge drinking are promoting tea houses and getting pubs and bars to support outdoor activities such as roller skating and go-karting.

The report – written by Tom Scanlon, the director of public health for the city – is to be presented to Brighton and Hove City Council’s health and wellbeing committee on Wednesday.

It claims that two people die each week in the city as a direct result of alcohol abuse.

In addition, 98 people each week are admitted to city hospitals as a result of alcohol misuse with 66 arriving by ambulance.

Teenage drunks

According to the report, every day a 13 to 18-year-old is admitted to A&E as a result of alcohol.

City youngsters are also almost twice as likely as their peers nationwide to have been drunk three or four times in the last four weeks.

Carol Theobald, vice chair of the health and wellbeing committee, said: “This has been a problem in our city for a long time and we want to try and help.

“We will discuss the report at length when we meet next week and think very seriously about going forward.”

The report also highlights that alcohol related deaths are twice the national average but most occur in deprived parts of the city and half the reported cases of domestic violence are in some way linked to alcohol.

It is estimated that alcohol abuse costs the city £107 million.

More than £70 million goes towards policing alcohol related crime, £24.5 million is on the economic effects and £10.7 million on the impact on health.

The figures

  • A number of solutions have been put forward for the committee to consider.
  • They include the promotion of alcohol free late-night venues such as cafes and tea houses.
  • It has also been suggested that the city’s bars and clubs should support other activities like go-karting, football, roller skating and cinema shows.
  • Greater support for local community bars rather than city centre venues is suggested along with banning inappropriate advertising and marketing such as cheap shots and happy hour.
  • Other ideas to be considered are a restriction on the number of city centre premises and increased education.

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Comments(31)

s&k says...
1:13pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I like a drink but I've cut down because I prefer life sober. It's about time we recognised this as a national disease that needs a cure. And as for B&H it needs to stop promoting itself as a 'party town' as get back to some semblance of normality. The city centre is for everyone at night not just Hen and Stage dos and students!

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Notters_Seagull says...
1:25pm Fri 22 Feb 13

s&k wrote:
I like a drink but I've cut down because I prefer life sober. It's about time we recognised this as a national disease that needs a cure. And as for B&H it needs to stop promoting itself as a 'party town' as get back to some semblance of normality. The city centre is for everyone at night not just Hen and Stage dos and students!
Given that most of Brighton's population works in hospitality, what would these newly unemployed people do if Brighton were to stop being "party town"?

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george smith says...
1:35pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Notters_Seagull wrote:
s&k wrote: I like a drink but I've cut down because I prefer life sober. It's about time we recognised this as a national disease that needs a cure. And as for B&H it needs to stop promoting itself as a 'party town' as get back to some semblance of normality. The city centre is for everyone at night not just Hen and Stage dos and students!
Given that most of Brighton's population works in hospitality, what would these newly unemployed people do if Brighton were to stop being "party town"?
you cannot allow people to kill themselves to keep people in work. It isn't just hospitality but undertakers as well. And those who don't die probably have medical problems dur to liver problems and others might loose their jobs because they are not fit to work

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inadaptado says...
1:40pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I wonder how many of those people were "hardwordking taxpayers" who liked to grumble about .

I think is high time the whole country recognized what a serious alcohol problem we have.

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inadaptado says...
1:42pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I wonder how many of those people were "hardworking taxpayers" who liked to complain about (insert here whoever The Daily Mail is blaming for the downfall of Britain this week).

I think is high time the whole country recognized what a serious alcohol problem we have.

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Crystal Ball says...
1:42pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I was very...very...drunk.

Report this post »

Hoarder12345444 says...
2:10pm Fri 22 Feb 13

s&k wrote:
I like a drink but I've cut down because I prefer life sober. It's about time we recognised this as a national disease that needs a cure. And as for B&H it needs to stop promoting itself as a 'party town' as get back to some semblance of normality. The city centre is for everyone at night not just Hen and Stage dos and students!
Totally agree. I absteined during January and some of Feb and felt extremely healthy. I am a social drinker and have the occassional drink at home. I used to, in my 20's go out a lot on weekends and get hammered but I dont do that so much now, perhaps once every 3-4 months if that. I dont get as drunk as I used to either. I can go for weeks without a drink and never crave it either.


But Brits love a drink, always have always will, which is why Brighton town centre is awash with party people getting on it every weekend. All I would say is, try to control it and look after yourselves, and try not to end up like Gazza!!

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lordenglandofsussex says...
2:13pm Fri 22 Feb 13

s&k wrote:
I like a drink but I've cut down because I prefer life sober. It's about time we recognised this as a national disease that needs a cure. And as for B&H it needs to stop promoting itself as a 'party town' as get back to some semblance of normality. The city centre is for everyone at night not just Hen and Stage dos and students!
You hit nail on the head. Have a drink but don't overdo it. Unfortunately, like in the case of food, some just cannot help themselves.

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middlerow says...
4:14pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I have got Artheritus & find after a days work( carpet fitting) my body is painful so i have a drink to ease the body , these kids live for today not for tomorrow if they Die they don't worry

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jyan says...
4:47pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Late night cafes that do not serve alcohol is a good idea and with free internet access they will certainly get customers to make it viable. Why not have stages in them as well for music and comedy events. I'm sure people can enjoy themselves without drinking booze all the time!

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rayellerton says...
5:03pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Blair let the genie out of the lamp by allowing 24 hour licensing and taking the powers away from magistrates. The Council done us no favours by granting so many late licences in such a small area....drinking is now the primary reason why people stay out late now, whereas before that, the main reason was music and dancing. Bring back 11.00 pm closing and only off sales during certain times..

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davyboy says...
5:11pm Fri 22 Feb 13

no one is forcing them to drink it! i cannot afford to go out every week, although i am fully employed, yet many go out 2-3 times and come back completely blotto each time. how the hell do they afford it? anyone taken to A&E with alcohol poisoning should be made to pay the bill! it is all self-inflicted and as such, can be controlled. you don't have to get drunk every time you go to a pub or club. there are even places street drinkers can go to get help if they want to, but you have to take some responsibility for yourself. people will continue to blame others, but ultimately, you don't have to buy it, do you?

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qm says...
5:43pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Crystal Ball wrote:
I was very...very...drunk.
oh not again Honey . . . . tsk tsk . . :))

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Roundbill says...
6:26pm Fri 22 Feb 13

"Among the ideas put forward by experts to tackle binge drinking ... (is) getting pubs and bars to support outdoor activities such as roller skating and go-karting."
Yeah, nice idea - p!ssed olympics in pub gardens. I hope the ambulance service is prepared.

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bug eye says...
7:04pm Fri 22 Feb 13

we need serious solutions not the jokes proposed by the panel. real solutions would be to ban all street drinking in the evenings, increase prices at shops and supermarkets, ban happy hours and promotions but reduce drinks prices in responsible drinking establishments. give incentives for owners of non alcohol bars, some of us are teetotal and want a good night out still. zero tolerance and fines for the drunk and disorderly and the nhs should charge for binge drink related treatment. no panel needed.

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Joshiman says...
8:25pm Fri 22 Feb 13

"Among the ideas put forward by experts to tackle binge drinking are promoting tea houses and getting pubs and bars to support outdoor activities such as roller skating and go-karting. "
ARE THEY FROM THIS PLANET?
Experts you cannot be serious!!!
I hope these naive so called experts are not being paid!!

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
8:29pm Fri 22 Feb 13

davyboy wrote:
no one is forcing them to drink it! i cannot afford to go out every week, although i am fully employed, yet many go out 2-3 times and come back completely blotto each time. how the hell do they afford it? anyone taken to A&E with alcohol poisoning should be made to pay the bill! it is all self-inflicted and as such, can be controlled. you don't have to get drunk every time you go to a pub or club. there are even places street drinkers can go to get help if they want to, but you have to take some responsibility for yourself. people will continue to blame others, but ultimately, you don't have to buy it, do you?
Need to get rid of the job and get onto benefits!

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Sussex jim says...
8:46pm Fri 22 Feb 13

How much tax in the form of excise duty and VAT (and VAT on excise duty) is paid into Government coffers by drinkers? And how much more tax is collected from all those employed in the hospitality industry?
Probably many times more than what is spent by the NHS and Police as a result of over-indulgence.

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rolivan says...
9:27pm Fri 22 Feb 13

how about increasing the drinking age to start at 21 and have a few alcohol free nightclubs soft drinks cost as much as Alcohol so there wouldn't be a loss in revenue

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TonyTony says...
9:35pm Fri 22 Feb 13

"Alcohol abuse is costing Brighton and Hove taxpayers more than £100 million a year.". really where does this figure come from exactly?

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On_the_Level says...
9:59pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Things should improve after the Seven Dials traffic scheme is finished because it will take all evening to get to an off licence due to the gridlocked traffic!

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spider_web says...
10:21pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Crystal Ball wrote:
I was very...very...drunk.
exceedingly drunk at the time.......love it..

Report this post »

Ballroom Blitz says...
10:41pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Close the hundreds of off licenses all over the city. No one needs them. That would make a huge difference. And go back to the old licencing laws. Brits are binge drinkers, unlike the Southern Europeans. We need to recognise this.

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greeg2 says...
10:59pm Fri 22 Feb 13

It would be 2000 a week if there weren't street drugs available.

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mimseycal says...
6:59am Sat 23 Feb 13

The general attitude to alcohol is a cultural issue; and it is this general attitude that has enabled the drinking culture to become so main stream. It won't change till we start finding drunks socially unacceptable.

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Soleless Shooter says...
10:41am Sat 23 Feb 13

Cobblers. These so called experts should look beyond this easy-to-blame symptom as a root cause. It is not.

Here we go with more people on six-figure salaries pontificating nonsense to plebs who have pretty much all realised their life will be wretched and poverty stricken. No doubt council will agree plebs should all be out skating and doing star-jumps to Abba instead of getting wasted to have a brief holiday from grinding despair.

The UK is in a spiral of decline. It's not going to recover. People are in denial and those that aren't use alcohol as an anti-depressant.

Look carefully at the national demographics, the infrastructure, and the petty political nose-thumbing whilst corruption is rife...then pour a large drink and put your feet up.

Prohibitive measures against alcohol can make heroin or crack a more cost-effective option.

Perhaps all the blue-rinse baby-boomers are doing all this finger wagging because they're worried young people don't really like the idea of financially supporting so many crumblies who have an over-developed sense of entitlement and politically ring-fenced income.

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whereisthe...? says...
11:20am Sat 23 Feb 13

"TWICE AS LIKELY" in Brighton
as the rest of the country. Always said this place had become a mess, full of the most 'troubled'.

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wippasnapper says...
3:04pm Sat 23 Feb 13

george smith wrote:
Notters_Seagull wrote:
s&k wrote: I like a drink but I've cut down because I prefer life sober. It's about time we recognised this as a national disease that needs a cure. And as for B&H it needs to stop promoting itself as a 'party town' as get back to some semblance of normality. The city centre is for everyone at night not just Hen and Stage dos and students!
Given that most of Brighton's population works in hospitality, what would these newly unemployed people do if Brighton were to stop being "party town"?
you cannot allow people to kill themselves to keep people in work. It isn't just hospitality but undertakers as well. And those who don't die probably have medical problems dur to liver problems and others might loose their jobs because they are not fit to work
Lets first look at the truth one NO one forest them to drink or consume the level of alcohol some do and its only classified as an illness after they have gown many years of abusing themselves i.e. after many years of drinking 24-7 you will have medical problems like your cirrhosis of the liver and they tend to have issues with bell movement i.e. it just comes out without any warning, alcohol dose all kinds of things in the body - so should the state support them in there need for Alcohol abuse NO if they want to drink like a fish they should by all means support it themselves but if they where to find duo to the drunken behavior they cant work then they should seek medical help as to giving up the abuses of Alcohol.

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Sevensisters says...
6:09pm Sat 23 Feb 13

My son in law drinks approx 10 pints every other day and more at weekends. Hes in his thirties and can afford it. But he doesnt care about my daughter or the kids. He is very abusive verbally after a drink. She hates him but she has a good life cos hes hardly ever at home and pays all the bills.

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
9:18pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Sevensisters wrote:
My son in law drinks approx 10 pints every other day and more at weekends. Hes in his thirties and can afford it. But he doesnt care about my daughter or the kids. He is very abusive verbally after a drink. She hates him but she has a good life cos hes hardly ever at home and pays all the bills.
You should talk to me direct instead of posting comments like this...

Report this post »

TokyoPete says...
4:38pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Soleless Shooter wrote:
Cobblers. These so called experts should look beyond this easy-to-blame symptom as a root cause. It is not. Here we go with more people on six-figure salaries pontificating nonsense to plebs who have pretty much all realised their life will be wretched and poverty stricken. No doubt council will agree plebs should all be out skating and doing star-jumps to Abba instead of getting wasted to have a brief holiday from grinding despair. The UK is in a spiral of decline. It's not going to recover. People are in denial and those that aren't use alcohol as an anti-depressant. Look carefully at the national demographics, the infrastructure, and the petty political nose-thumbing whilst corruption is rife...then pour a large drink and put your feet up. Prohibitive measures against alcohol can make heroin or crack a more cost-effective option. Perhaps all the blue-rinse baby-boomers are doing all this finger wagging because they're worried young people don't really like the idea of financially supporting so many crumblies who have an over-developed sense of entitlement and politically ring-fenced income.
Good post. But (as a drinker myself) I would take issue with one of your points, namely drinking as an 'anti-depressant.'
Medically speaking alcohol is a depressant. One feels good in the short term, but unless you can exercise a degree of control in the slippery- slope long run it's gonna do you in.

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