Drinking Over Recommendations Is Risky – Lansley

Drinking just a little more that you should puts you at risk from serious illness including heart disease, stroke and cancer, the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has said.

Mr Lansley's comments come as a brand new nationwide Change4Life campaign was launched on Sunday, showing that drinking slightly over the lower-risk alcohol guidelines can seriously impact long term health.

New TV adverts went out for the first time over the weekend, highlighting that regularly drinking around two large glasses of wine or two strong pints of beer a day triple the risk of developing mouth cancer and double the risk of developing high blood pressure.

A new online calculator will be available on the Change4Life website to help people check how much they are drinking and work out whether they need to cut down. Two million leaflets will also be available for Change4Life supporters and health professionals around the country.

The campaign also offers handy hints and tips on how people can cut down – such as having booze free days, not drinking at home before people go out, swapping to low-alcohol or alcohol free drinks and simply using smaller glasses.

Secretary of State, Andrew Lansley said: “It’s crucial we support people to know about how drinking too much poses risks to their health and how they can take control of their drinking.”

“It can be easy to slip into the habit of having a few extra drinks each day, especially when drinking at home. But there can be serious health risks. Don't let drinking sneak up on you.”

“That is why I am launching this campaign, to alert people that it is not just binge drinkers that damage their health. There are simple ways we can all cut down how much alcohol we drink if we need to.”

(DW)