Health workers say price rises are best way to address binge-drinking culture

Doctors and nurses who deal with the consequences of Britain's drinking say the government's public health campaigns are not working and want price rises instead.

A survey by two royal colleges published this week asked gastroenterologists, hepatologists, acute physicians and nurses for their opinion of government initiatives on alcohol-related harm. Most - 84% - felt public health campaigns did not work and 81% thought people would drink less if the price went up.

"While informing the public through health campaigns is important, these findings shows that frontline doctors and nurses treating patients with drink problems do not believe that this is enough to reverse our binge drinking culture and must be linked to tough actions on cheap alcohol and round the clock availability," said Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, which carried out the survey with the Royal College of Nursing.

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