Neil Durham, healthcarerepublic.com,
29 September 2009, 00:10am
Introducing a minimum price of 40p per unit of alcohol in Scotland would cut annual deaths by 70 in the first year and 365 by year 10, according to research.
Sheffield University's School of Health and Related Research predicts that minimum pricing and banning irresponsible promotions could eventually prevent thousands of deaths, illnesses and crimes and save Scotland millions of pounds every year.
Predictions include:
-
Harmful drinkers paying an extra £137 per year compared with £11 for moderate drinkers,
-
Harmful drinkers' consumption falling 9% (the equivalent of 294 units of alcohol),
-
Total alcohol consumption across society falling 5.4%,
-
A fall in alcohol-related illnesses of 1,200 in year one and 3,700 by year 10, and,
-
A fall in crime of 3,200 offenses per year.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘These findings confirm that minimum pricing can be a key weapon in the battle against alcohol misuse.
‘That's why the Scottish government has included it in a package of measures which, taken together, could have a significant impact in reducing Scotland's alcohol misuse burden.'
-
Is 40p per unit the correct minimum price
Peter Smith Talking Cures Southend on Sea wrote:
When are we - All of us - not just Members of Parliament, Doctors, Psychiatrist, Therapist et al but Patients as well, going to realize excessive Alcohol consumption is caused by a process of the mind that irretrievably alters the body chemicals? And is not “All in the mind.”
Recognise this as Anxiety and it is not to difficult to understand how a person is apparently controlled by excessive alcohol use.
And not the slightest to do with our body clock, tiredness, fatigue, pain, illness, or anything else for that matter.
Under these circumstances All illness, Fatigue, Pain and Dependencies are caused by a process of the mind and its resulting chemicals; caused by a Trauma(s) and the resulting negative thought.
The resulting concoction of body chemicals (not caused by the alcohol) is the Minds way of alerting someone who understands “something is wrong” as well as the now driven desire to relieve anxiety it cannot relieve in any other manner.
Therefore; Raising the price of Alcohol to combat this Will surely?
Result in a symptom Substitution, understood better if one has the knowledge and a treatment to alleviate this process (As has Talking Cures); for within about three years of raising the price of Alcohol above that which a drinker is able to comprehend, new and perhaps even more mysterious symptoms than mere alcohol consumption will emerge.
Thereby raising the anxiety level to an intolerable level of more people who were able to live - sort of, with drinking as their relief of anxiety - with their present and persistent symptoms of untreated, untreatable emotional concerns, Pain, Fatigue or any illness one cares to name.
Therefore Rising the price of Alcohol will only result in make the populations health even worse than is it currently, despite the application of Gold Standard Evidenced based Medicine and will do nothing to alleviate the consumption by so called Alcoholics (there are no Alcoholics only persons named so as the cause is still unknown and there is no lasting treatment available, rehab for abstinence is not a viable option). For if price becomes a concern it will just move them on (known as substitution) to another chemical or a worsening medical situation that is equally mysterious with no known cause and the belief; no single therapeutic application will be able to bring about a cure. Also known as “If the Professors and Doctors with all of their evidence do not know, then how can or ever will anybody else - especially if they are not medically trained.
The only Key Weapon of any value that is required is a secure understanding as to why it is people are placed in a position of taking such drastic measures as drinking themselves to a perpetual drunken stupor or early death just to relieve a deep seated fear; the real creation of anxiety. Predictions are as much value as when is the next Volcano going to erupt and then thinking we can simply plug/stop it with a cork? Or am I missing something that is all the rise in price is about is raising funds for our beleaguered country. Comments and criticisms are always warmly welcomed and politely responded to.
Peter Smith Talking Cures asserts the right to be recognised as author and Copyright holder of his contribution to this article published online by Health Care republic document dated 20th September 2009
Peter Smith Talking Cures contribution of this Article may be printed and distributed at will but published only with the consent of the copyright owner © Copyright amended 23rd March 2012.
|
