A deadly pursuit

A recent report highlights one of the dangers of working in the pub trade. Jackie Annett looks at excess alcohol consumption, its causes and cures

While most would admit that racing drivers and stuntmen do dangerous jobs, few people would class working in a pub as a life-endangering profession.

But although running a bar lacks the immediate dangers of the racing track, it certainly has its own risks.

A report out last week showed that licensees and barstaff are nearly four times more likely to die from cirrhosis of the liver than the average person.

It's hardly surprising. Licensees and their employees tend to drink more often than the average person. Some would even go as far as to say that drinking is part of the job.

But with the release of these figures, health professionals have become more concerned about the health of the licensed trade.

The Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations' Tony Payne knows a lot about the subject. He told thePublican.com licensees should be made more aware of the dangers that working in the licensed trade, with easy access to alcohol, can bring.

"I've seen the worst case scenario where a licensee I knew died," he said. "I have since worked with his wife to try and make publicans more aware.

"Some people don't admit they have a problem. That is the biggest thing to overcome. If it's the actual licensee who is drinking too much I try and get the support of his or her partner and then I'll sit them down together. But in some cases it is the other way round - it can often be the partner of the licensee who is drinking too much."The next step is to convince them to go and see a doctor and seek professional help."

Mr Payne has been campaigning since the 1970s to bring the issue into the public domain.

"It is tempting to drink more if you work in the licensed trade, but I try and advise licensees to have at least one day every week when they don't drink. If customers offer to buy you a drink then say you are driving later and can't. Or accept a drink, but have a soft drink instead.

"It's an industrial disease but it can be avoided," he added.

Anita Adams who runs the Golden Slipper and the Maltings in York has the right idea. She describes herself as a tee-totaller who "may have an occasional glass of wine" on special occasions.

But she has seen what alcoholism can do and how it can affect workers in the trade.

"I used to have an employee who would spend ages in the cellar and when I went down to check there would be a couple of bottles missing," she said.

BUPA's assistant medical director Dr Paula Franklin said anyone who works in the trade must be disciplined about their drinking.

"Your occupation makes you vulnerable to drink-related problems and they can often creep up on you," she said. "But looking for the signs and making a regular note of your drinking will help you manage the temptation for just one more."

She recommends making a diary note of every single drink for a week and then trying to cut back so that you have a minimum of two drink-free days every week.

"Its not just cirrhosis you have to worry about," she added. "Drinking too much increases the risk of raised blood pressure, weight gain, liver damage, digestive problems, mouth and throat cancer and depression."

If you feel that you are drinking too much and that you need help, Dr Franklin says most pub operators provide access to advice or counselling. If you fear that an employee has a drinking problem, offer them a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on. If you have no option but to let them go, seek legal advice before dismissing them.

Figures suggest that alcohol is costing UK businesses £3bn a year as a result of absenteeism.

This reflects the fact that more people are binge-drinking. According to Dr Mike McCann of the Medical Council on Alcohol, "among the young, 48 per cent consumed their weekly alcohol intake in one to three days, usually at the weekend".

While the trade is often used as a scapegoat for the UK's alcohol-related problems, licensees believe the Government needs to do more to help them educate staff and customers on sensible drinking. The Government has promised a national alcohol strategy for some years, but it is believed that this will not now be implemented until 2004.

Danger signs​

Take stock if you or your partner or any members of your team:

• feel you need a drink to get going in the morning
• regularly reach for the top shelf spirits
• carry on drinking after hours or drink alone in the bar
• hide or lie about how much you drink or your drinking habits
• get annoyed if someone raises the subject
• become moody, violent, suffer memory blackouts, the shakes, sweating or morning vomiting
• regret the way you handled an incident in the bar once you've sobered up
• feel that your appearance or diet is suffering.

Cutting down​

If you simply want to cut down the amount you drink:

• first decide on your alcohol limit and stick to it
• have long drinks instead of shorts
• try no and low alcohol versions
• alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks
• have two completely dry days every week.

Alcohol dependency​

Facts and figures:

• Alcohol is implicated in up to 33,000 deaths in England and Wales each year (a 33 per cent rise since 1984)
• More than 5,000 people die directly as a result of alcohol each year
• More than 28,000 people are admitted to hospital each year because of alcohol dependence or toxic affects
• One in six patients attending accident units has alcohol-related injuries or problems
• A fifth of patients seeing their GP probably drink to excess.