'Alcohol biggest threat to clubbers'

The biggest threat to clubbers in the UK is not drugs but alcohol, according to new research published today.

Around 15.7 million people a year go clubbing in the UK, with up to one million going to nightclubs each weekend.

A study, published today in the Emergency Medicine Journal, surveyed club goers who needed emergency medical services at a large innercity teaching hospital in Liverpool for 12 months from April 1997.

During this time more than 1,000 clubbers were identified and 777 were included in the study. The majority were aged between 18 and 25, although the eldest was 59.

For 87 patients clinical intoxication was the sole diagnosis, with alcohol to blame in 48 cases. The rest were suffering from the effects of drugs.

Just under 10 per cent were admitted for at least one night, and 36 per cent required further monitoring by either the hospital or their GP.

In 57 per cent of cases, the reason for going to A&E was assault - one in five of them had been attacked with glass bottles or containers, and around 10 per cent by club bouncers.

The authors, led by Dr Chris Luke of Cork University Hospital in Ireland, concluded that the huge public concern about drugs on the club scene ignored the enormous role played by alcohol.

They stated: "We have found that alcohol - not substance misuse - and alcohol-related injuries account for the majority (57 per cent) of clubbers' use of the medical emergency service."

They suggest a number of measures to reduce "the considerable healthcare and civic costs" of clubbing. These include targeted policing around clubs, use of unbreakable glass, high-quality medical care at larger venues, registration of doormen and policies to curb over-crowding and cheap drinks promotions.

"The cost for these should be borne by the highly profitable clubbing and brewing industries," they suggest.