Binge Drinking and Chronic Liver Disease Both Growing in Scotland

The Scots love their drink and a growing habit seems to be coinciding with an increase in the diagnosis of chronic liver disease. According to a report in Top Us News, binge drinking is on the rise in Scotland, as is chronic liver disease. Now that the numbers of this disease due to drinking has tripled in the past 15 years, Scotland has the second highest rate in Europe. The NHS reports that roughly 9,072 people...

Examining Alcohol Use Disorders through Gene Networks

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are influenced by multiple genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors, making it difficult to find individual genetic markers to help identify those at risk of developing AUDs. A new study examined how a person’s level of response (LR) to alcohol, which is closely linked to the development of AUDs, is related to "gene sets" rather than individual genes. Findings show...

Hundreds of Students Suspended from School due to Alcohol Abuse in Ireland

Over a five-year period, 360 students were suspended from secondary schools in Northern Ireland because of alcohol abuse. The BBC reports that the figures were released in response to an assembly question which was asked by the SDLP MLA Thomas Burns. Burns said he was "shocked" by the number of suspensions, which he described as "totally unacceptable." He added, "The last thing anyone wants...

Repeat Drunk Driver Was Four Times Over the Legal Limit

A repeat drunk driver was picked up on his seventh drunk driving charge late Wednesday, and this time authorities say his alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit. Dennis Alich, 57, of Colerain Township, Ohio, registered .309 on a test to measure his intoxication level, a traffic ticket shows. Ohio’s legal limit for driving is .08. He also had an open container of alcohol in his 1991 Pontiac Grand...

The Cost of Alcohol Abuse to Scottish Taxpayers

Alcohol misuse could be costing every adult in Scotland £900 every year, according to a new report by York University economists, who said the problem may be costing taxpayers between £2.4bn and £4.6bn. The Scottish government said the research strengthened its argument for minimum alcohol pricing. The BBC reports that ministers do not have enough support to get the plan through parliament, with...