Latest official guidance from health quango "Britons should avoid drinking alcohol on consecutive days". Public Health England said further this action was required because of the rising toll of health problems linked to drinking which are estimated to cost the country £21billionPublic Health England says the ‘one day on, one day off’ rule is needed because daily drinking is a key contributor to increased health risks. The proposed guidance has been branded ‘nannying’ by critics who say that the new guidelines would simply worry those who drink moderate amounts – and would do little to tackle those who binge-drink or have an alcohol problem.
Experts questioned if there was any evidence that it would actually decrease health risks. GP Dr Martin Scurr said: ‘Giving up alcohol on alternate days is not something most doctors would recognise as a helpful strategy to curb excessive drinking.’ Drinking regularly in moderation was ‘better and safer for health than abstinence’, he said, claiming the ‘middle-aged, middle-class drinker’ should not be ‘made to feel guilty over having a restorative glass of wine every day’.
Tory MP Gerald Howarth called it ‘completely unrealistic’, adding: ‘People have the common sense to know how to look after themselves.’
The official document a marketing strategy drawn up by PHE. It suggests initially starting the campaign for ‘drink free days’ on a regional basis. If successful, much stronger guidance could then be made official across the country. The recommendation also adds that Regular drinking ‘over the lower-risk guideline’ – meaning anything more than one large glass of wine for a woman or one to two pints of lager for a man – can ‘become a problem’. Women are told not to drink more than three units a day, while men are allowed four. A large glass of wine is typically three units, while a pint of lager is just over two.
Source: DailyMail
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