BLOG 9 Liver disease 'hits younger drinkers'

Link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12262879

Summary

In the last ten years the number drinkers age 30 and under ending up in hospital with a serious liver problem has risen by more than 50% . Some specialist think that the problems are even bigger than estimated. The numbers are still small, but are rising fast.

After drinking heavily over a period of time, the liver can become fatty, inflamed or even fail to function. Dr Nick Sheron, a liver specialist at Southampton General, said: "17 years ago, I remember seeing a lad about 23 years old with alcoholic liver disease and he was the first patient I had seen at that age.

"Now it is not at all unusual to see people in their 20s in our unit.

"We get four or five every year and the youngest death we have seen was someone who was 26. It's a big, big difference."

Reaction

I think it is very worrying that young people are drinking so much. I think they are not aware of the dangers, because it is a “socially accepted drug”.  There isn’t really a maximum of how much you can drink, you have to decide yourself how many drinks you feel is right for you.  Maybe it should be more well-known how many drinks you can drink without putting your health in danger related to how old you are and your bodyweight and if you are a boy or girl, man or woman. Instead of letting people decide for themselves with extra information, you could also test more often on the amount of alcohol in the blood of people going out and be stricter about the amount they can have and the punishment they face if they have taken more.