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Shocking images of diseased livers should be put on bottles of alcohol to warn people of the dangers of binge drinking, claim doctors. They are calling for pictures of the harm caused by excess alcohol which would be similar to those planned for cigarette packets by the end of the year. Graphic images that could include babies damaged by foetal alcohol syndrome should also go on posters in bars and pubs, said doctors attending the British Medical Association's annual conference in Edinburgh. Binge drinking: Doctors want to target teenagers who think drinking excess alcohol is acceptable Doctors also want soft drinks to become 'significantly cheaper' than alcohol, and labels showing alcohol units per drink to be a mandatory requirement on bottles and bar taps. Dr Raj Nirula, a urologist at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, said alcohol consumption had apparently doubled since 1960, leading to more hospital admissions and associated crime. Alcohol misuse costs

. A string of deaths have been caused by the colourless gel, which contains 70 per cent alcohol. Hospitals are being forced to remove the gel from public areas and instead have it only on wards under the watchful eyes of nurses. At least two people have died this year after drinking the gel and Lewisham hospital in South East London confirmed 10 cases where people had stolen the gel from its building. Alert: The alcohol-based gel has been removed from all public corridors at Lewisham Hospital The thefts happened between March 2007 and June this year. It is thought the gel is mixed with other alcoholic drink to make a deadly homebrew. Last Tuesday Southwark Coroner Court heard how two homeless men died in agony after drinking the deadly disinfectant. Thomas Sajdak, 29, was found dead in Streatham, South London, in February, while his friend Oleh Wowczyshyn, 29, collapsed and died four days later after complaining of severe stomach pains. Detective Constable Nainesh Desai confirmed

The INCA study said alcohol was now the second most avoidable cause of death after tobacco. The findings contradict numerous other studies which have found that the antioxidants in red wine actually reduced the risk of cancer, and that a single glass a day was also good for the liver. A separate study last year published in the medical journal Neurology said those who drank modest amounts of alcohol developed dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, at an 85 per cent slower rate than those who did not drink. Britain is the tenth biggest drinking nation in the world, consuming around 12 litres of pure alcohol per person per year - the equivalent of three glasses of wine every day. Luxembourg consumes the world's most, at 16 litres per year, ahead of Ireland, Hungary and Moldova, all on around 14 litres. France is in 17th place, on around 11 litres of pure alcohol per year, according to World Health Organisation figures. The same study also found that eating more than 500g (1.2

More than 5,000 girls under the age of 16 needed hospital treatment last year after bingeing on alcohol. The number, which includes girls as young as ten, has soared by 21 per cent in the past five years. The increase is even larger among older age groups. In 2007-08, just over 13,000 young women between 17 and 21 were admitted to hospital for problems caused by alcohol, up almost 50 per cent from 2003-04. The dramatic increase highlights the problems of the growing ladette culture among young women, which is seeing women being diagnosed with liver disease at a much younger age. But among women aged 26 or over there has been a similar rise. Almost 300,000 needed hospital treatment compared with 196,625 five years earlier  -  again up nearly 50 per cent. The figures, which emerged in response to a parliamentary question by Labour MP Sally Keeble, include treatment for conditions ranging from upset stomach to mental or behavioural problems triggered by alcohol. Last October, Mrs Keeble

A child under 12 needs emergency hospital treatment every 48 hours because of binge drinking. Official figures show that 181 young children were admitted to A&E departments last year for alcohol abuse. The statistics were revealed as doctors called for higher alcohol prices and a ban on advertising to stem the toll of deaths and harm caused by excess drinking. Concern: One in four underage drinkers consumes 20 units a week The British Medical Association has demanded that the Government impose a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol. At its annual meeting in Liverpool yesterday, the BMA backed the restrictions, which were recommended by Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, earlier this year. However, the Department of Health rejected the calls, saying such restrictions would unduly impact on the majority of responsible drinkers. The figures, released in a parliamentary question, show that since 2002, 1,426 children under 12 have been admitted to hospital d

The average adult consumes 84 times their body weight in alcoholic drinks over the course of their life, say researchers. Or, to put it another way, if all the drinks we consume in our lifetime were to be placed on a giant pair of scales, they would weigh the equal of an adult bull elephant. Enlarge   Carol Vorderman at the launch of the ALCulator, a tool which is part of Lloyds pharmacy's Neighbourhood Health Watch programme, at the Spice Buffet Pub in Birmingham On average, Britons drink 3.7 pints of beer, or 8.5 large glasses of wine, each week. If they were to sustain this for 60 years they would consume 11,800 pints – which weighs in at 6.6tons. For an average adult weighing 12 and a half stone, this works out as 84 times their body weight, according to figures compiled by Lloyds Pharmacy. The research warns that many drinkers consume around 1,000 calories each week just from alcohol.   More... A very merry Christmas: Europe's largest wine warehouse prepares to

As Britain's schoolchildren enjoy the freedom of the long summer break, an alarming new government report has revealed just how much alcohol they are drinking. According to Department of Health statistics, one in five young people between 11 and 15 drinks more than 600 units a year. This amounts to an astonishing mountain of alcohol. Britain’s binge-drinking epidemic sees 200 under-18s admitted to hospital every week with drink-related injuries. But it’s the long-term damage these young people are doing to their bodies that concerns me. As someone who helped to establish the first liver transplant programme in this country back in 1969, and oversaw George Best’s liver transplant in 2002, I am horrified by the latest figures. It would be worrying enough if they related to older teenagers, but in fact none of the 7,700 school pupils interviewed for the NHS Information Centre’s report was over 15. Many were as young as 11. The immediate ill-effects may be nothing worse than a h