beringthoughts A
We all know alcohol is bad for the health, but sometimes, finds Andrew Burnet, the dangers can manifest themselves all too quickly.
bout l8 months ago. I was
involved in a car crash in
Glasgow. I wasn‘t hurt. but I spent a long night in the emergency departments of the two hospitals where my companions were taken. Both wards were quiet. I thought. for a Friday night. The police on duty agreed. Then a man arrived. in handcuffs. with an enormous knife protruding from the top of his head.
Dr Jason Long is an emergency medicine consultant at the city‘s Southern General hospital. and has a good stock of horror stories. ‘These assaults are very common.’ he says. ‘They can be anything from a punch in the face to multiple stabbings or machetes or baseball bats — which are pretty common in Glasgow.‘
It‘s no great revelation to learn that the perpetrators of this violence have usually been drinking. More surprising. perhaps. is the fact that the victims are often drunk too. ‘If you were to go into any emergency department on a Friday or
Saturday night. three-quarters of
the people you‘d be seeing would
have a significant quantity of
alcohol on board.‘ says Dr Long.
‘Had they not had that amount of
alcohol. they probably would not have ended up with that injury.. There are numerous hazards — short. medium and long term — associated with excessive- drinking. but the most immediate one is the risk to personal safety.
()ne alarming statistic states that around 80 percent of rape victims are found to have been drinking. lidinburgh (il’ Dr Chris Stewart summarises the problem as
follows: ‘l)rinking can lead any of
us to do what we might not otherwise do and get ourselves in
A MAN ARRIVED ON THE WARD, IN HANDCUFFS, WITH AN ENORMOUS KNIFE PROTRUDING FROM THE TOP OF HIS HEAD
trouble. It can cause us to be vulnerable or to attack others. It can lead to people who are normally not known for aggressive behaviour to find themselves uncharacteristically exhibiting that.‘
Drunk and having a laugh . . .
With excessive-drinking still on the rise in Scotland. Dr Long has seen plenty of uncharacteristic behaviour. ‘People get into such a state that if they were to see a video recording of themselves they wouldn't believe it was them.‘ he says wryly.
He’s also treated patients who‘ve fallen victim to their own drunken heroics. plunging from drainpipes or scaffolding while attempting acrobatic feats. And then there are those who stray into the path of a car while staggering home or trying to hail a taxi.
Sadly. though. no doctor can provide a remedy for what amounts to a cultural problem.
It‘s one the Scottish Executive is trying to tackle in various ways. One initiative is the introduction of attractively designed. interactive pages about alcohol on the lnfoscotland website. Features such as the ‘Drinking Time Machine‘ and the ‘Booze Quiz’ challenge myths in a playful and engaging way.
But as Dr Stewart maintains. heavy drinking is not ‘normal‘ — and you can rein in the reindeer without abandoning the ho-ho-ho factor. ‘lt is possible to have a good night out without drinking excessive alcohol.‘ he insists. That‘s a lesson Scotland is still struggling to learn. but perhaps we'll be convinced yet. There are few arguments as persuasive as the threat of violence.
www.infoscotland.com/alcohol www.alcoholinformation.isdsco tland.org www.portman-group.org.uk www.alcohol-foqu-soot1and.org.m For free and confidential advice 24/7, call Drinkline on freephone 0800 7 314 314
Work out how much you ’re real/y drinking
I 25ml pub measure of vodka, whisky or gin (40% alcohol by volume) 1 unit
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 1 hour Total: 2 hours
I 175ml glass of wine (12% abv)
1.4 unit
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn—off time: 1.4 hours Total: 2.4 hours
I 50ml glass of port or sherry (20% abv)
1 unit
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 1 hour Total: 2 hours
I l-lalf pint of light beer (3.5% abv)
1 unit
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 1 hour Total: 2 hours
I Pint of real ale or premium lager (5.5% abv) 3.1 units
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 3 hours Total: 4 hours
I Pint of strong cider (8% abv)
4.5 units
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 4.5 hours Total: 5.5 hours
I Home measure of vodka, whisky or gin (40% abv)
3 units
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 3 hours Total: 4 hours
I Home mesaure of cask-strength whisky (60% abv)
4.5 units
Digestion time: 1 hour Burn-off time: 4.5 hours Total: 5.5 hours
30 Nov—141 Dec 2006 THE LIST 105