Warning over alcohol toll

Around 3, 600 people were taken to hospitals in Sheffield with alcohol-related injuries or illness in a year, shock figures have revealed.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Jan 2017, 15:24 BST
Updated 10th Jan 2017, 15:26 BST
Drinking over the festive season.Drinking over the festive season.
Drinking over the festive season.

The latest statistics from Public Health England also show there were 35, 508 alcohol-related hospital admissions in 2015-16.

This represented a 0.66 per cent rise compared with figures for the year before.

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As a result, a public health message has now been issued by Yorkshire Water and the UK Chief Medical Officer urging party-goers to avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

The organisations are calling on people to drink a glass of water in between alcoholic drinks to help keep them in control of their actions.

As part of it’s new Course it’s Better campaign, Yorkshire Water has declared that the best drink on offer is tap water, as it is ‘healthy, hydrating and will help prevent a hangover’.

Susan Gee, health and wellness manager at Yorkshire Water, said people should still be free to enjoy themselves but drink alcohol in moderation.

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She added: “Drinking water in between alcoholic drinks is a streetwise move that will help you stop getting too drunk and embarrassing yourself when on a night out.

“As alcohol is a diuretic this means that it has the effect of taking water out of the body and can dehydrate and it is this dehydration that causes hangovers the next morning.

“We want people to enjoy themselves but not forget to have a tipple of water too to keep the hangovers at bay!”

Hospital admissions were for a variety of reasons, including numerous alcohol- related diseases and binge drinking.

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The advice by Yorkshire Water and the UK Chief Medical Officers is designed to try and help reduce the burden on Sheffield hospital services by encouraging party-goers to pace themselves when on a night out and stay well hydrated.

The UK Chief Medical Officers advise that if you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread them evenly over three or more days.

A spokesperson said: “If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long-term illness and from accidents and injuries.”

For more information about the Course it’s Better campaign visit www.yorkshirewater.com

You can also follow on Twitter using the hashtag #courseitsbetter

Related topics:Yorkshire WaterSheffieldPublic Health England