If drinking patterns continue, around 90,800 people will die
within a decade dur to their alcohol consumption, research from
the Alcohol & Health Research Unit at the University of the West
of England shows. Alcohol related deaths have trebled in the
past 25 years to reach 8,999 last year. However these are only
deaths from conditions such as liver disease and alcohol
poisoning and do not include the cancer deaths, heart attacks or
other diseases which can be caused by drinking. The research
released to mark Alcohol Awareness Week this week coincides with
another report which found that alcohol is being sold for as
little as 9p per unit. It means that three pints (six units)
could be bought for 54pence, approximately the cost of a Mars
bar. Professor Martin Plant, lead author of the work said: “The
UK has been experiencing an epidemic of alcohol-related health
and social problems that is remarkable by international
standards. “This could be done by introducing a minimum unit
price of 50p which would cut alcoh