The UK is officially drinking itself to death. A conference of addiction specialists from across the world at Newcastle University revealed that one in eight deaths of British adults under the age of 64 is a result of excessive drinking. The event’s organizers are now calling for a UK ban on advertising alcohol, and for the rest of the country to follow Scotland by setting a minimum price per unit on alcoholic drinks. “Alcohol costs the UK so much in so many ways, both in financial and social impacts,” says ProfessorEileen Kaner, director of the Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University. “Governments need to have a clear and unbiased view of the most up-to-date research on alcohol problems and be bolder about tackling some of the root causes such as overly cheap alcohol and irresponsible marketing that encourages heavy drinking.” Alcohol consumption across Europe is more than double the global average and the social cost of alcohol abuse has been estimated at around $380 per year per European—with the annual bill for Britain’s National Health Service alone over $4.2 billion.

 

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