NHS Brighton and  Hove is launching a year-long awareness campaign to curb hospital admissions and improve residents health in respect to alcohol consumption.

Brighton and  Hove has the highest level of male alcohol-related hospital admissions in the South East of England. Estimates suggest that over 50,000 people in the city are drinking at levels that may risk their health. About 12,500 of these people are considered to be at high risk with over 7,500 likely to have an alcohol dependency, yet between April 2009 and March 2010 only 509 people accessed our free local and confidential treatment services.
 
Men aged 35 and over account for around 45% of all alcohol related hospital admissions, that’s just under 7000 a year. The average Brighton and Hove man dies 12.6 months prematurely due to alcohol related illness.

A spokesman for the NHS said:  
"Everyone knows a ‘Dave’, everyone knows someone that drinks more than is good for them.

"Our research shows that friends and family are very important to Dave. This is one of the main reason he will seek help with his drinking problem. Therefore we are asking friends, family, colleagues and professionals who know a “Dave” to encourage him to get help before his life gets out of control.
 
"To address these issues NHS Brighton and  Hove is launching a year-long awareness campaign to curb hospital admissions and improve residents health and wellbeing. The campaign begins on August 21."
 
Dr Tom Scanlon, Director of Public Health for the city said
“Alcohol is a serious health issue in Brighton and  Hove. Too many lives are being cut short and it’s not just the person having the drink who is affected. There is a real chance to help high risk drinkers if they can be persuaded to change in time. Friends and family can play a very important role in encouraging people to seek help.”

For more information view:
www.savedave.org.uk