Thursday, October 18, 2007
Alcohol Guidelines Revisited
(see Sept. 22nd post below)
From last Sunday's Australian:
"The nation's top health advice body is set to call time on our obsession with grog by slashing by up to two-thirds its recommended limits on how much people can drink before putting themselves at appreciable risk of illness or injury.
The draft guidelines advise men and women to drink no more than two standard drinks a day. For children and adolescents under 17, pregnant women and those breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy, avoiding alcohol altogether is "the safest option". "
Read the full story at: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22577560-2702,00.html
The draft guidelines can be read at: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/consult/index.htm I found Part A: Section 4 with its public health information about "Drinking in Australia" very interesting.
Previously I'd sent the the Sept. 22 "table" as an email to all the RCS Faculty and Students. The reaction was varied but interesting. With follow-up flurry of emails after this weeks news, its been quite a discussion.
One fellow faculty member claimed that "if you tell the blokes 'only 2' they'll just ignore you as its unrealistic." I've countered with the fact that research shows primary care doctors can make a difference with as little as 10 minutes of brief counseling on a couple of visits. For the evidence see : http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/140/7/557.pdf
This revision of Australian Guidelines for Safe Drinking is a good start at dealing with a very large problem.
so Cheers! and happy SAFE drinking!
From last Sunday's Australian:
"The nation's top health advice body is set to call time on our obsession with grog by slashing by up to two-thirds its recommended limits on how much people can drink before putting themselves at appreciable risk of illness or injury.
The draft guidelines advise men and women to drink no more than two standard drinks a day. For children and adolescents under 17, pregnant women and those breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy, avoiding alcohol altogether is "the safest option". "
Read the full story at: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22577560-2702,00.html
The draft guidelines can be read at: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/consult/index.htm I found Part A: Section 4 with its public health information about "Drinking in Australia" very interesting.
Previously I'd sent the the Sept. 22 "table" as an email to all the RCS Faculty and Students. The reaction was varied but interesting. With follow-up flurry of emails after this weeks news, its been quite a discussion.
One fellow faculty member claimed that "if you tell the blokes 'only 2' they'll just ignore you as its unrealistic." I've countered with the fact that research shows primary care doctors can make a difference with as little as 10 minutes of brief counseling on a couple of visits. For the evidence see : http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/140/7/557.pdf
This revision of Australian Guidelines for Safe Drinking is a good start at dealing with a very large problem.
so Cheers! and happy SAFE drinking!
Labels: alcohol
