Alcohol is a "great risk to health"

One third of all drinkers in the UK are oblivious they are facing a deadly health time-bomb, a survey has revealed.

They fail to realise that alcohol is a major cause of killer heart disease, according to campaign group Drinkaware - who carried out a comprehensive analysis of drinking habits at the end of last year.

Elaine Hindal, the Drinkaware Chief Executive, said: “Heart disease kills nearly 160,000 men and women every year in the UK but this survey shows that too many people do not recognise the link between alcohol and heart problems.”

She continued: “It is also deeply concerning that those who are drinking at increasing and higher risk levels are aware of the link but are continuing to drink in harmful ways.”

Drinkaware’s statistics came into focus again this week as a US survey stated those that drink seven to 13 drinks a week were twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure.

The UK guidelines advise that men and women should consume up to 14 units a week, the equivalent of seven medium glasses of wine. The NHS statistics on alcohol from 2019 discovered that for both men and women the highest proportion of weekly alcohol consumption were in London.

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to increased blood pressure, among other factors, putting strain on the NHS. Diseases related to high blood pressure are costing the NHS over £2.1billion every year, according to Public Health England.

Alcohol is recognised as a casual factor in more than 60 medical conditions, including heart problems and high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart failure, coronary artery disease and strokes.

Roy Walker, a supporter of Drinkaware, said:“The simple fact is that the more alcohol we all drink, the greater the risks to our health. A simple and easily achievable way of reducing the risks is to cut down our drinking by taking more drink free days.”

For more information visit https://www.drinkaware.co.uk.