Demand for Emergency Services Spike During World Cup Tournaments
Independent charity organisation Alcohol Concern warned that demand for emergency services spike during the World Cup Tournament as alcohol consumption rises every four years because of the global football tournament.
In a briefing, Alcohol Concern noted that the consumption of alcohol during previous World Cup tournaments has been associated with significant spikes in the demand for emergency medical treatment and domestic violence. This is while the drinks industry continues to work hard to align itself with the healthy image of sport.
Tom Smith, policy programme manager at Alcohol Concern, said: "Alcohol and football is becoming increasingly entwined. The fact that FIFA has pressured Brazil to overturn domestic law so that World Cup venues will now sell alcohol shows the power the drinks industry has already had on the FIFA World Cup 2014. We want everyone to have a great time enjoying the World Cup, but there are so many forces encouraging people to drink too much."
Alcohol Concern said that while pubs and off-licenses are already prepared with their football-themed alcohol promotions, the police and hospitals must also prepare during World Cup.
The briefing highlights the rise in demand on emergency services over previous World Cup tournaments.
In 2010, the FIFA World Cup 2010 tournament was associated with a 37.5 per cent rise in assault attendances across 15 hospital emergency departments on England match days.
It's also been reported that incidents of domestic violence increased by up to 30 per cent on the days of England's fixtures during the World Cup in 2006.
Research examining data from a police force in the north west of England across the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups found the risk of domestic violence rose by 26 per cent when the English national team won or drew, and a 38 per cent increase when the national team lost.
Smith added, "Alcohol marketing around the tournament is rampant and Government has effectively over-ruled local commonsense on opening hours. Let's make this a tournament to remember and not score an own goal by drinking too much."
The spike in alcohol consumption also alarms medical experts of a potential increase in alcohol addiction. With an increase in addiction, will be a need for more programs that treat addiction. Some programs may be needed that use more than traditional approaches for some addicts. There has been a rise in attention placed on the treatment of addiction using certain drugs lately in mainstream media. At Oregon State University and supporting institutions, as well as published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, reports showed that an injectable and extended-release form of naltrexone is one of the best treatments against alcohol abuse.
Brady Granier, COO of BioCorRx, Inc., commented, "Anytime there's alcohol consumption, there's risk of abuse or the start of a new addiction for someone. During sporting events that substantially increase alcohol consumption in general, it's only logical to conclude that risk for abuse or addiction increases as well.
A biodegradable implant form of Naltrexone used by BioCorRx Inc. (OTCQX: BICX) in its Start Fresh Program, is one of the most popular, non-oral forms of Naltrexone in the market today. The Naltrexone implant is embedded under the skin of the patient's lower abdomen in a medical setting, eliminating the need for the patient to take meds, as well as preventing them from missing doses. The implant gradually releases the drug into the patient's bloodstream for several months, effectively curbing the patient's alcohol cravings as he or she moves towards the path to sobriety with the teachings of the Start Fresh life coaching programme.
Independently owned Start Fresh clinics in the U.S. have had tremendous success with the said time-release Naltrexone implant, reporting an 85 percent success rate in patients who had the implant and had completed the six to eight-month Start Fresh coaching program in a past survey.