Alcoholics Anonymous Reviews

They are a familiar sight at pubs and clubs in South Tyneside enticing drinkers in. But the government could be calling time on happy hours and drinks promotions over the latest fears about binge drinking.

The latest proposals, set to be unveiled by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo, could see tighter regulation of the drinks industry, including a ban on happy hours and cut-price promotions in licensed premises.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The Government has made it clear that alcohol must be sold and marketed responsibly and that new legislation will be introduced if existing voluntary standards are not being met."

Drinks promotions and happy hours are currently regulated by individual pub companies.

A report by Alcohol Concern, published this week, showed current industry self-regulation was ineffective, and cut-price drinks deals were commonplace.

Liver specialist Dr Colin Rees said there was a direct link between binge drinking and the cost of alcohol.

The consultant gastroenterologist at South Tyneside District Hospital said: "We currently have more younger people being treated with liver disease, because of drinking, than ever before.

"England is the only country in Europe where alcohol consumption is on the increase.

"One of the main reasons is that, compared to average income, alcohol is so cheap here. There is no doubt that making alcohol more expensive will bring binge drinking down.

"However, the real problem, in my view, is the price of alcohol in supermarkets. That's where people go to get cheap alcohol."

In March, a Gazette reporter bought 48 cans of cheap lager for just £10 from the borough's four major supermarket chains.

And at just 22p per can, own-brand lager from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco costs less than half the price of a can of Coke.
Simon Charlton, neighbourhood inspector for Riverside and West Shields, said South Shields town centre saw a 25 per cent reduction in late night violent crime between April 2007 and March 2008, compared to the same period last year.

But he warned drinks promotions can cause trouble to flare.

He said: "Happy hours can potentially lead to an increase in violence.

"However, we rely on the common sense of customers and the vast majority who take part in this do not cause a problem."

John Shaw, marketing manager at Dusk, thinks scrapping happy hours is a "stupid idea".

He said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. How can the Government charge people more for a drink with the credit crunch going on?

"Most people who go out just want a few drinks at good value.

"All the staff at Dusk are trained to spot drunk people, and the bar staff will be fined if they serve a drunk person, because by doing that we may lose our license.

"Believe me, even if the regulations come in, pubs and clubs will just find another way around it."

Meanwhile, it was revealed yesterday that six per cent of all NHS admissions are in some way drink related, with more than 800,000 people a year admitted to hospital with alcohol-related injuries and illness – more than four times the previously acknowledged figure.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said that the new figures would for the first time provide an indicator of the true impact of alcohol on the NHS, and show the brutal truth of the numbers of cases of cancer, heart disease and stroke caused by drink.

Shields Gazette