Alcohol misuse

The British Medical Association has described an "epidemic" of alcohol misuse in the UK (BMA Board of Science 2008). The health issues related to alcohol misuse are considerable.

In Scotland the loss of life now due to alcohol is twice as many as 15 years ago (Scottish Government 2009). In England deaths directly related to alcohol have risen by 19% between 2001 and 2007 (NHS Information Centre for health and social care 2009).

In addition the damage to health and well-being, both short-term and long-term, and the impact on social behaviour that can result from excessive drinking are of increasing concern.

Further concerns are excessive drinking by children and young people under 18 and the accessibility of alcohol (Department of Children, Schools and Families 2008), and trends in binge drinking by women which almost doubled between 1998 and 2006 (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2009).

A publication from the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University has also highlighted how links between alcohol and food are not always understood leading to confusing messages and loss of opportunities in tackling over consumption of both food and drink (Centre for Public Health 2010). 

The costs to the NHS in treating the consequences of alcohol misuse are significant and particularly impact on ambulance and emergency and accident services (National Audit Commission 2008). The perception of clinicians though is that funding for staff and services is not keeping up with the increasing demands (Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Nursing 2009).

Nurses have a key role to play in promoting health and influencing the health of individuals and communities. A publication from the RCN on supporting the contribution of nurses to public health underlines the importance of this role - "when working with the public, nurses are recognised for their ability to influence behaviour change within a health promoting environment" (Nurses as partners in delivering public health (PDF 157.8KB) [see how to access PDF files] Royal College of Nursing et al 2007, p.1).

Further practical support is also provided through the RCN Learning Zone (Clinical skills section) in a learning area on 'Alcohol and minimal interventions' which highlights the potential impact of minimal or brief interventions in managing alcohol related problems. This learning area provides online learning opportunities on some of the minimal intervention strategies and techniques that nurses may be able to apply in any health care setting (Royal College of Nursing 2008).

This section signposts:

  • Policies and strategies across the UK for the prevention and treatment of alcohol misuse. Go to Policy.
  • Sources offering guidance on implementing evidence and research for effective interventions, and further learning opportunities for practitioners. Go to Guidance.
  • Recent reports which bring together evidence on trends in alcohol use, the effects of alcohol misuse and assess the impact of current policies and interventions. Go to Reports.
  • Key charities and organisations offering further support and resources. Go to Agencies. 

References

The items in the reference list are available online. They were last accessed on 3 March 2010. Some of them are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

BMA Board of Science (2008) Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic. London: British Medical Association.

Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University (2010) Alcohol and food: making the public health connections (PDF 2.16MB) . Liverpool: Centre for Public Health Liverpool JMU.

Department of Children, Schools and Families (2008) Youth alcohol action plan (PDF 325.2KB). London: DCSF.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2009) Drinking in the UK: an exploration of trends. York: JRF.

National Audit Office (2008) Reducing alcohol harm: Health services in England for alcohol misuse. London: NAO.

NHS Information Centre for health and social care (2009) Statistics on alcohol: England, 2009. London: NHS IC.

Royal College of Nursing (2008) Alcohol and minimal interventions in RCN Learning Zone (Clinical skills section).

Royal College of Nursing et al (2007) Nurses as partners in delivering public health (PDF 157.8KB). London: RCN.

Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Nursing (2009) Survey on alcohol treatment services (press release). London: RCP.

Scottish Government (2009) Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol: a framework for action. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.