Borough drinkers risk health with levels of alcohol
DRINKERS in Elmbridge risk damaging their health as they consume hazardous levels of alcohol.
The borough has been named the area with the eighth-highest level of hazardous drinking in the country.
Wealth and stressful lifestyles have been highlighted as reasons behind this behaviour by the chief executive of one support service.
A national study of local authorities revealed that 25.3% of adults in Elmbridge regularly drinks more than the recognised sensible levels, increasing the likelihood of alcohol damaging their health.
For men, a hazardous level is considered to be between 22 and 50 units a week, while for women it is 15 to 35 units.
One large glass of wine — 250ml at 12% alcohol — contains three units. A pint of standard strength beer contains at least two units.
Mike Blank, chief executive of Surrey Alcohol and Drugs Advisory Service (SADAS), which serves Elmbridge, was not surprised by the findings.
He said: "Firstly, we are a wealthy part of Britain. People have money to spend and alcohol is something people spend it on.
"People forget that wealth brings with it stress; it is a very stressful part of the world. We work very hard in the South East and people play hard."
He added that a hard-working population often has a higher rate of family break-up and these factors can lead to greater alcohol consumption.
Mr Blank said: "There has been an increase, particularly in referrals to our counselling service. We are not pointing the finger at people. You have to decide for yourself about your alcohol use. People make assessments about the risk to their health and other parts of their lives all the time.
"Despite 25 years of anti-smoking campaigns, there is still a hard core of people who smoke cigarettes."
Mr Blank believes a change in the availability of alcohol and an increase in its strength added to the problem.
"The strength of an ordinary bottle of wine is much greater than five years ago. It is more difficult for people to calculate how much they are drinking," he said.
The study showed that affluent areas had the highest number of hazardous drinkers, with neighbouring Runnymede and Harrogate topping the table at 26.4%.
The research, carried out by Liverpool John Moores University, produced profiles for each local authority in England, using 22 indicators.
These included life expectancy, death rate from alcohol-related conditions and hospital admissions due to alcohol.
High levels of harmful drinking were found in greater amounts in more deprived areas of the country, such as Manchester, Liverpool and Kingston-upon-Hull.
If you are concerned about alcohol, call SADAS on 01483 590150, or visit www.SADAS.org.uk , where you can click on a section to encourage you to think about your drinking
Meanwhile, the latest edition of The Good Pub Guide revealed that you will pay more for a pint in Surrey than anywhere else.
You can expect to pay £2.69 here, 2p more than in London.
The cheapest place in the UK for a pint is the West Midlands, with the average cost £2.05.