HSE spending €4 million annually on health consequences of alcohol misuse in Galway

Iwannahurl

The front page story in today's Connacht Sentinel reports that the direct costs to the HSE of treating patients in Galway for conditions wholly related to alcohol consumption amount to "well over €4 million".

This figure represents an increase in costs of almost one third since 2006. Significantly, it only refers to illnesses that are 100% attributable to alcohol, and does not take into account the costs of treating alcohol-related injuries in A&E or the effects of alcohol on diabetes, obesity and mental health.

Source: Booze-related health bill up by a third in six years.

Alcohol also has an effect on policing in the city. There were 148 drunk driving detections and 1063 Public Order incidents recorded in 2012.

Do other crime figures tend to dominate the headlines? For example, up to 31st December 2012 there were 110 incidents of Theft from Person recorded, a 63% increase over 2011. Better headline material for some?

100 PERCENT INCREASE IN THEFT FROM PERSON

mikom

Iwannahurl wrote: »

The front page story in today's Connacht Sentinel reports that the direct costs to the HSE of treating patients in Galway for conditions wholly related to alcohol consumption amount to "well over €4 million".

Later in the year the front page of the Connacht Sentinel will play host to a photo of the Arthurs day "celebrations"............ and probably a court report where some poor bugger is up for growing two cannabis plants for himself.

snubbleste

There's a policing committee meeting coming up in a fortnight. Maybe the chairperson of HSE West will bring this burning issue up and demand that alcohol sales be curtailed..y'know to reduce the economic cost to the healthcare and justice systems.

antoobrien

snubbleste wrote: »

There's a policing committee meeting coming up in a fortnight. Maybe the chairperson of HSE West will bring this burning issue up and demand that alcohol sales be curtailed..y'know to reduce the economic cost to the healthcare and justice systems.

Which is more than paid for in excise & vat on alcohol any ways.

There's a number of causal links that can be made from that article, it's the recession, it's price of booze in pubs causing bulk buying from off licenses etc. None of which have any evidence to back them up.

There's also the fact that inflation, increased staffing levels, closure of other hospitals causing increases in patients being treated in the Galway group, general population increases etc. which haven't been taken into consideration. Any one of these would have the effect of increasing the overall cost of healthcare.

I'd have thought in a city of Galway's size to have only 728 admissions for alcoholism, especially with our reputation for being of the party persuasion, would be on the low side.

Iwannahurl

snubbleste wrote: »

There's a policing committee meeting coming up in a fortnight. Maybe the chairperson of HSE West will bring this burning issue up and demand that alcohol sales be curtailed..y'know to reduce the economic cost to the healthcare and justice systems.

In fairness. Cllr Padraig Conneely has spoken out in the past about alcohol-related public order issues.

http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/17611

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

Which is more than paid for in excise & vat on alcohol any ways.

There's a number of causal links that can be made from that article, it's the recession, it's price of booze in pubs causing bulk buying from off licenses etc. None of which have any evidence to back them up.

There's also the fact that inflation, increased staffing levels, closure of other hospitals causing increases in patients being treated in the Galway group, general population increases etc. which haven't been taken into consideration. Any one of these would have the effect of increasing the overall cost of healthcare.

I'd have thought in a city of Galway's size to have only 728 admissions for alcoholism, especially with our reputation for being of the party persuasion, would be on the low side.

"Alcohol-related problems cost Ireland an estimated €3.7 billion in 2007: that’s a cost of €3,318 on each person paying income tax in Ireland."

Source: Alcohol Action Ireland.

Society as a whole, including moderate drinkers and non-drinkers, bears the cost of alcohol-related harm.

Wompa1

Galway is full of p!ss heads, no doubt about that but so is the country. I think the majority are happy for that to continue too

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

"Alcohol-related problems cost Ireland an estimated €3.7 billion in 2007: that’s a cost of €3,318 on each person paying income tax in Ireland."

Source: Killjoys anonymous

Sorry but I don't listen to organisations that change rules to suit their own puritan aims.

Their "rules" has me as a bringe drinker or an alcoholic depending on the time of year.

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

Sorry but I don't listen to organisations that change rules to suit their own puritan aims.

Their "rules" has me as a bringe drinker or an alcoholic depending on the time of year.

The word "binge" means different things to different people, and to different cultures indeed. In Ireland, what would be regarded as a binge elsewhere is seen as just the start of a good night.

"The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours." Source: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm

"The definition of binge drinking and the size of a standard drink vary widely between and even within countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently defines “heavy episodic drinkers” as adults (aged ≥ 15 years) who consume at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol at least once a week. This corresponds approximately to six standard alcoholic drinks. The WHO-based Global Information System on Alcohol and Health is currently working on developing international standards for measuring the harmful use of alcohol." Source: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/9/10-010910/en/index.html

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

The word "binge" means different things to different people, and to different cultures indeed. In Ireland, what would be regarded as a binge elsewhere is seen as just the start of a good night.

"The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours." Source: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm

"The definition of binge drinking and the size of a standard drink vary widely between and even within countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently defines “heavy episodic drinkers” as adults (aged ≥ 15 years) who consume at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol at least once a week. This corresponds approximately to six standard alcoholic drinks. The WHO-based Global Information System on Alcohol and Health is currently working on developing international standards for measuring the harmful use of alcohol." Source: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/9/10-010910/en/index.html

Like I said, rules to suit themselves and their agendas.

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

Like I said, rules to suit themselves and their agendas.

Evidence to support policy, as opposed to attitudes to suit notions.

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Evidence to support policy, as opposed to attitudes to suit notions.

Evidence can be carefully chosen to suit notions, it's called confirmation confirmation bias.

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/faq-alcohol-and-your-health#

In one of them, researchers found that women who had as little as one drink a day boosted their risk of cancer of the breast, liver, rectum, throat, mouth, and esophagus. Meanwhile, numerous studies dating back decades show that alcohol and heart health have a positive relationship.

Now somebody that wants to believe that alcohol is bad will obviously believe the first of those two, while ignoring the second one as incidental. The reverse will be the case of drinkers who want to continue unimpeded.

For balance here's homer j's take on it

Iwannahurl

"In many countries, the production and sale of alcoholic beverages generates profits for farmers, manufacturers, advertisers and investors. Alcohol provides employment for people in bars and restaurants, brings in foreign currency for exported beverages and generates tax revenues for the government. Alcoholic beverages are, by any reckoning, an important, economically embedded commodity.

However, the benefits connected with the production, sale and use of this commodity come at an enormous cost to society. Three important mechanisms explain alcohol’s ability to cause medical, psychological and social harm:

(1) physical toxicity

(2) intoxication and

(3) dependence.

Alcohol is a toxic substance in terms of its direct and indirect effects on a wide range of body organs and systems. Paradoxically, the main cause of alcohol-related harm in the general population is alcohol intoxication.

The link between intoxication and adverse consequences is clear and strong, especially for violence, traffic casualties and other injuries. Alcohol dependence has many different contributory causes including genetic vulnerability, but it is a condition that is contracted by repeated exposure to alcohol: the heavier the drinking, the greater the risk.

[T]he mechanisms of toxicity, intoxication and dependence are related closely to the ways in which people consume alcohol, called ‘patterns of drinking’. Drinking patterns that lead to rapidly elevated blood alcohol levels result in problems associated with acute intoxication, such as accidents, injuries and violence. Similarly, drinking patterns that promote frequent and heavy alcohol consumption are associated with chronic health problems such as liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease and depression. Finally, sustained drinking may result in alcohol dependence. Once dependence is present, it impairs a person’s ability to control the frequency and amount of drinking. For these reasons, alcohol is not a run-of-the-mill consumer substance. Public health responses must be matched to this complex vision of the dangers of alcohol as they seek better ways to respond to population-level harms."

Source: http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/publications/theglobe/globe200303/gl200303_p3.html