When the Brits talk about binge drinking being a huge national problem, they are not alone. Binge drinking among adolescents is it an all-time high. Throw in the abuse of other drugs such as marijuana, prescription medication and harder drugs and it seems like our youth and our future is going up in smoke!
One story out of a London clinic from Fox News reported girls slumped in wheelchairs, barely conscious, their blond heads lolling above the plastic vomit bags tied like bibs around their necks. It's an hour to midnight on Friday, and the two girls, who look no older than 18, are being wheeled from an ambulance to a clinic set up discreetly in a dark alley in London's Soho entertainment district.
They're the first of many to be picked up on this night by the ambulance, known as a "booze bus," and carried to the clinic -- both government services dedicated to keeping drunk people out of trouble, and out of emergency rooms.
Binge drinking has reached crisis levels in Britain, costing 2.7 billion pounds a year, including the cost of hospital admissions related to booze-fueled violence and longer-term health problems.
Unlike all other major health threats, liver disease is on the rise in Britain, increasing by 25 percent in the last decade and causing a record level of deaths.
Gluttony is the Cause!
Doctors believe rising obesity is combining with heavy drinking to fuel the spike in liver disease, which is hitting more young people than ever.
Public displays of extreme drunkenness are inexplicable and shocking to many foreigners living in Britain, even those who hail from heavy drinking cultures. Yet they are common every weekend.
This type of alcohol abuse takes place across the globe. We here in America are also suffering from our youth addicted to chemical substances. We need more alcohol classes combined with counseling to help get our future back on track.