Huge rise in alcohol related admissions

The Guardian reported that the number of people admitted to hospital in England due to drinking alcohol has more than doubled in the past 12 years, NHS figures revealed today. In 2006-07, 207,800 people were admitted to hospital because of their drinking. This included people who were drunk, had liver cirrhosis or an alcohol-related illness such as heart disease, as well as those injured or assaulted while drunk. This is more than double the amount in 1995-96, when 93,459 people were admitted to hospital, and a 7% rise on the 193,637 admissions in 2005-06. Almost one in 10 (4,888) of those admitted to hospital last year were children under 18, the study, by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care, found.

This is a good example of negative externalties and the report highlights the strain that this increase on alcohol-related admissions is putting on the NHS.

What could be done to reduce the number of alcohol-related admissions to hospital? Would increased taxation reduce alcohol consumption? Should supermarkets be prevented form offering alcohol at discounted prices?