BBC RADIO 4

Today Weekdays 6-9am and Saturdays 7-9am

Page last updated at 08:13 GMT, Friday, 1 January 2010

Britain's drinking 'getting worse'

Advertisement

Alcohol is creating an "unsustainable burden" on the NHS according to a report from the NHS confederation and the Royal College of physicians.

The managers and doctors say that treating alcohol related conditions in England now costs over £2.7bn a year and they warn the increasing costs could cripple NHS hospitals.

NHS Confederation director of policy Nigel Edwards discusses the scale of the problem.

Americas Africa Europe Middle East South Asia Asia Pacific