How to tackle unsafe drinking

Drinking too much is bad for you. But too many people underestimate what is a safe amount of alcohol.

Dr Nick Sheron, a liver expert at the Univeristy of Southampton, explains why we need a blood test to alert people to the harm they could be doing to their body.

We have a serious problem with liver disease in the UK.

Around a quarter of the UK population are drinking too much, but may not realize it, and GPs have an important role to play here. Liver disease develops silently. There are no signs or symptoms – the liver has no pain fibers, until disease is very far advanced. By the time the patient presents to hospital the liver is often very scarred. Even if the patient stops drinking entirely at this point, it may be too late and many people die of liver complications over the next year or so.

Now they have a simple blood test, which we call the Southampton Traffic Light test. The result comes in three colors: red, green and amber.

Is incredible how the % has increased in these lasts years, on people drinking alcohol. I agree that doctors have an important paper for the UK to inform all the population, but I also believe that people don't listen or don't pay attention on the important things, like your life! They may think that they wouldn't be ill. In any case, I am not anyone to discuss it because everyone has their own problems, and I also want to say that the new simple blood test is really good to differentiate the level of the disease.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19318323