Big worry over drink figures

3:11pm Thursday 24th July 2008

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EAST Lancashire’s alcohol problems show no sign of ending.

The NHS’s yearly assessment of drinking habits has revealed that the numbers of people dying from chronic liver disease are still far higher than the national average.

In Blackburn, almost twice as many men are dying as a result of drinking too much, as other places in the North West.

Both Burnley and Hyndburn are also exceeding the average death rate of 18.67 per 100,000 population.

Pendle, Rossendale and the Ribble Valley fair slightly better.

The drinking problem is difficult to tackle as it cuts across all social classes and age groups.

Perhaps the most visible group is the youths who binge drink at weekends, causing all manner of anti-social behaviour.

But it also involves the middle classes, who are drinking to excess in the comfort of their own homes The Government has spent a fortune trying to educate the public about how much alcohol it is safe to drink.

It appears that this message is not getting through to the majority of people.

Until it does, the problem is going to continue to grow.