Tough new alcohol guidelines are recommended by the National Health Service watchdog organization. All patients of the National Health Service in Britain may be quizzed about their drinking habits by their physician. Patients could be questioned about the quantity and frequency of their alcohol intake.
Every time someone visits their doctor, goes to the emergency room, or receives advice about their medication or sexual health, they will be questioned. The recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence – the government’s health advisory body – also recommends setting a minimum price on alcohol in the hopes that this will curb the epidemic of binge drinking in Britain.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is also calling for a crackdown on cheap alcohol in stores, booze cruises and a possible advertising ban. Professor Eileen Kaner of Newcastle University headed the NIHCE panel.
"It should be a common medical practice to ask about alcohol where alcohol could be a contributory factor or (where patients have) a condition where alcohol is likely to be a factor, such as sleep disturbance or hypertension," said Kaner.
The guidance is the strongest call yet for a radical change in Britain’s "unhealthy relationship" with alcohol.
