More and more Scots drink themselves into brain damage

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More and more Scots are literally drinking themselves senseless, according to new figures:
a total of 540 Scots were discharged from hospitals with alcohol-related brain damage in 2006-7 – a rise of 16 per cent on the last figure, taken in 2003-4.

More than a third of cases came from Greater Glasgow. The west of Scotland now has the highest rate of people suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome in western Europe.

Alcohol-related brain damage is an umbrella term for a number of conditions, and Korsakoff's syndrome is the primary one. The condition is the result of vitamin B deficiency from years of alcohol abuse and not eating properly. It causes large-scale memory loss and is classed as a form of dementia. Although cutting out alcohol can stop further deterioration, existing damage can never be reversed.

Most sufferers, once diagnosed, require a high level of care for the rest of their lives.

Conservative MSP Mary Scanlon, whose parliamentary question revealed the figures, said: "The increase in people suffering from alcohol-related brain disease shows the hidden effect of Scotland's dangerous relationship with alcohol." She added: "The Scottish Parliament needs to address the issue of the growing number who are causing themselves irreversible brain damage through alcohol abuse."

  • added September 08, 2008
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9 responses // More and more Scots drink themselves into brain damage

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    Scotland has their booze, and America has its fat. We are not perfect, we are human.
    By the way, cool pic of Groundskeeper Willie :)

    fiat_lux088
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    http://current.com/items/89043756_am_i_an_alcoholich...

    Whoa. Those are scary figures! I think a lot of us drink way more than we think. I wouldn't consider myself an alcoholic at all... I have a high tolerance and am usually surprised that a unit of alcohol is quite small. But are all those 'unit intake limits' not quite as arbitrary as some of us think?

    abbym0308
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    It's weird that people seem to increasingly drink to get senseless rather than just merrily drunk - I'm sure it somehow reflects the stresses associated with our age. Though in Scotland it's probably more the lack of sunlight..

    purplefox
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    It’s tradition in Scotland, part of a proud heritage that they don't want to let go off! Maybe their bodies are used to the alcohol and so don't realise what they are doing until its to late. But that can be said for any where in the UK. We're a nation of “good” drinkers!

    OriginalCreation
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    After working with alcoholics for over 20 years I am saddened to read how impacted Scotland is by alcoholism. I have worked with folks who are beyond thinking or handling daily affairs because of a long physical dependency on alcohol that has caused alcohol related brain disease. Our state mental hospitals are full of folks who need life long care.

    It is beyond frightening when I read that college officials think that by lowering the drinking age to 18 it will help with the alcohol problem US campuses have. How ridiculous that idea is.

    High tolerance is often a sign of a genetic predisposition to alcohol addiction.

    MeganMcKenzie
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    "vitamin B deficiency from years of alcohol abuse and not eating properly"

    Diet is they key factor here, not the alcohol.

    And as we know, Scottish cuisine doesn't often feature in Gordon's restaurants...

    Owwmykneecap
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    Well, having worked in a detox for many years I would have to say that it is more than diet. Sure B vitamins help but folks who are truly addicted do not eat much. They subsist on alcohol and often go days without eating. Addiction is addiction and needs to be attended to before diet can even help.

    MeganMcKenzie
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    I didn't mean for that to sound like alcohol wasn't a problem, and obviously addicts don't exactly live normal lives or have normal diets.

    What I meant was this particular disease is caused by the vit B deficiency (it's quite a nasty one too) which is created by the bad diet.

    The bad diet may in turn be due to alcohol dependence.

    Owwmykneecap
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    http://current.com/items/76374862_scottish_neds

    I wonder if there's any Scottish Neds in those figures?

    Pretty alarming numbers, I used to know a Scottish man who swore by drinking Buckfast, the wine prepared by the monks of Buckfast Abbey.

    mattbrawn

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