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After a long day at work, many people feel a glass of wine is a justifiable reward. However, when that one glass turns into two or even a whole bottle, a problem may soon develop. A recent poll would suggest that more and more professionals are worried about their relationship with alcohol; with one in five surveyed admitting that they think they have an alcohol problem.
While most people think that their drinking is under control, almost fifty per cent of young workers do not see a problem with getting drunk on a night out. Compare that with just a twenty per cent of the general population.
Risk of Getting Drunk
Regularly getting drunk during nights out can be risky; many of those surveyed admitted that they often have no idea about how they got home. Some admitted to driving themselves while drunk, or to getting into a car with a person they knew to be drunk.
Cost to the Taxpayer
A recent report found that the British taxpayer is funding an annual £4.9 billion bill for binge drinking consequences, which includes alcohol-related hospital admissions, police arrests, road crashes, and court cases.
The report also highlighted the fact that taxes on alcohol do not cover the costs of excessive drinking. Calls for minimum prices of a unit of alcohol are growing thanks to the report.
Poll Statistics
The poll by Opinium Research questioned 4,000 British adults, of whom seven per cent admitted to having a drinking problem. However, of the young professionals interviewed, the figure was twenty-one per cent.
Thirty-five per cent of eighteen to twenty-four-year-olds admitted to getting so drunk on a night out that they could not remember most of the evening. Eighteen per cent did not even remember getting home. Five per cent drove home drunk while ten per cent were passengers in a car driven by someone under the influence. Sixteen per cent of twenty-five to thirty-four-year-olds admitted to waking up after a night out in a stranger’s home.
Twenty-three per cent of thirty-five to fifty-four-year-olds admitted to drinking alone in their home as a way to relax or relieve stress. Seventy-five per cent believe that there is a heavy drinking culture in the UK, while twenty-three per cent believe alcohol is more harmful than smoking. More than fifty per cent are of the opinion that NHS treatment should be refused for those who continue to abuse alcohol despite being given warnings about how it could harm their health.
Fifty-four per cent do not agree with drinking when pregnant.
Alcohol Addiction
According to the World Health Organisation, around 3.3 million people die each year because of alcohol abuse, and doctors have long been warning of the dangers of long-term excessive drinking. Alcohol addiction can cause many problems including increased risk of liver disease, stroke, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
As well as the physical damage, excessive drinking can have an emotional impact too. Living with an alcoholic can be destructive for the entire family, and it can lead to financial hardship and relationship breakdowns. An alcoholic parent can cause psychological and emotional damage to children, and it is now believed that many children of alcoholic parents go on to become alcoholics themselves.
Help is Available
Thankfully, many organisations are available from which alcoholics can get help. Rehab Helper is working hard to help people with all types of addiction by providing advice and support, as well as information on treatments available all over the UK. If you are worried about your drinking or the drinking habits of a friend or loved one, call Rehab Helper today.
Source:
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3021801/The-young-professionals-addicted-alcohol-fifth-workers-believe-drinking-problem.html
