TTC Group

A trend for some people to drink themselves “to oblivion” is taking hold in today’s social culture, warns a UK alcohol awareness organisation.

Drinkers who down 10 pints of premium lager in a single session are putting their lives at risk, warns John Kavanagh, a former police chief and experienced trainer with the TTC Group which educates drink drivers in a bid to rehabilitate them.

Most people are unaware that ten pints of premium lager at 30 units is more alcohol intake than a whole bottle of spirits at 28 units, he revealed.

“It is always a shock to beer or lager drinkers to realise that they often drink well in excess of a bottle of spirits in a session.

The beer or lager is viewed as less toxic than spirits but drinking 10 pints is more dangerous than a bottle of spirits. Those who have 30 units of alcohol a night risk death and people are doing that all the time.”

He urged drinkers to learn how to convert the amount they drink into alcohol units to accurately compare between different types of drink.

As a result of today’s drinking culture, more people are showing signs of health damage including tingling in fingers and toes, stomach pains and fatty livers.

“We have definitely seen a change in drinking culture over the past few years. Some people drink themselves to oblivion and they don’t seem to care because they think everyone is doing it.”

But for many, attending a TTC rehabilitation course after a conviction for drink driving is a turning point in their lives.

During an in depth 18 hours of tuition on all aspects of alcohol, students learn how to calculate the amount of alcohol units they are drinking. Then they hear about the health impact on their bodies.

“It has a salutary effect. Once they realise just how much they are drinking and what damage they are doing to themselves then many do take action to change their lifestyles,” said John.

Most who volunteer to attend the course in return for up to a quarter off their driving ban, are average social drinkers. But a “hard core” of serious drinkers has appeared over the past few years, said John.

“People come on our courses who have had liver transplants due to cirrhosis caused by alcohol consumption and some of them still drink.”

One football fan confessed to drinking 80 units of alcohol – equivalent to 40 pints in just over a day of celebrations during a football Cup event.

Another, who has since moderated his intake after learning about damage to his health on the TTC course stated he regularly drank between six and eight pints every day with a staggering 25 pints on Saturdays.

* A middle aged man who works regularly abroad said he drinks between 40 and 50 bottles of beer each day – because the foreign water is undrinkable.

* A gaunt Cheshire man in his mid 50’s and in obvious poor health told his TTC class how years of alcohol abuse had meant he could only digest one sandwich a day because of damage to his pancreas. He had drunk a daily litre bottle of vodka.

* A young man from Wales revealed he had “reduced” his alcohol consumption to 32 units a day made up of six cans of strong lager at four units each and four cans of ordinary lager at 2 units, every evening. He “abstained” while attending the rehabilitation course.

* A lorry driver in his 50’s dying of terminal liver disease said nobody had told him about the dangers caused by years of drinking what he thought were moderate amounts of beer. His presence on the course had a salutary effect on fellow students who saw the obvious health signs of years of constant drinking at or even below the BMA recommended alcohol intake of 21 units per week for men and 14 for women.

One of the many success stories for those who attend a TTC course include an 18-year old who drank 150 alcohol units during a regular three day weekly binge. Since attending the TTC course he had severely cut his drinking with noticeable effects, said TTC trainer Michael Sheehan.

“He was saving money for the first time in his working life. He felt more alert each day and, to his surprise, fellow workers had informed him they had noticed terrific changes in his personality.

“He could concentrate more, he was less tired and dozy and most impressive of all, an aggressive streak had disappeared.”

TTC now run the courses for UK business so that their workforces can be educated on alcohol before they end up with a criminal conviction for drink driving.

TTC Group Director Graham Wynn said: “We also want to reduce the death and injury toll on UK roads and by successfully educating people we hope to achieve this.”

To calculate how many units of alcohol you have drunk multiply the volume shown in millilitres by the strength shown in per cent and divide by 1,000. (An extra strength can of beer at 440ml x 3.5% strength divide by 1,000 equals 1.5 units).

For more information on corporate courses contact the TTC Group at Grosvenor House, Central Park, Telford, Shropshire TF2 9TW, call 01952 292246 or visit www.ttc-uk.com