A recent study suggests 74.4% of Britons drink at home

Alcohol awareness campaigns focus too much on young binge-drinkers rather than older people drinking at home, senior doctors have said. The Royal College of Physicians believes adult alcohol intake is a much bigger health hazard - fuelled by an abundance of cheap alcohol. The college wants alcohol prices raised and its availability decreased. Health minister Lord Hunt said advice on sensible drinking was aimed at all drinkers - wherever they were. "I know that the recommendation is that people don't drink every night so the body does have a chance to recover," he said. "We're doing everything we can and I know that the colleagues I work with in this area want to get these sensible drinking messages out and, wherever you drink, it is important that you take note of that." Advertising plea Professor Ian Gilmore, head of the college, expressed concern over the number of adults turning to drink because of stress at work or difficulties at home.

ADULTS WHO DRINK AT HOME UK 74.4% France 66% Germany 64.3% Spain 44.5% Source: Mintel

He called on the government to changed the "regulatory framework". "We're incredibly liberal in this country. You go 20 miles across the Channel to France, there's a ban on broadcast advertising, there's no sports sponsorship in France. "Their drinking is falling, their cirrhosis rates are falling." He said alcohol had "never been cheaper in real terms in our lifetime that it is now" and it had never been more available. 'Educating' drinkers Drinks firms said they were doing their bit to encourage responsible drinking.

The industry has been looking at education for the general consumer Kate Coleman Wine and Spirit Trade Association

David Poley, of the Portman Group, which speaks for the industry, Britain's drinking culture needed to be changed through a "co-ordinated programme including education". "That's why the drinks industry is supporting the Drinkaware Trust to carry out this consumer education over the next three years." And Kate Coleman, from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said the industry was committed to giving customers the relevant information about safe drinking levels. "The industry has been looking at education for the general consumer in terms of unit labelling and the government's sensible drinking messages for some time," she said.

Recent research by Mintel suggested more Britons drink alcohol than Germans or Spaniards.

Their study also concluded that Britons were far more likely to drink at home than their counterparts in mainland Europe.

It is said we live in an 'obesogenic' environment

Individuals can no longer be held responsible for obesity so government must act to stop Britain "sleepwalking" into a crisis, a report has concluded.

The largest ever UK study into obesity, backed by government and compiled by 250 experts, said excess weight was now the norm in our "obesogenic" society.

Dramatic and comprehensive action was required to stop the majority of us becoming obese by 2050, they said.

But the authors admitted proof that any anti-obesity policy works "was scant".

Nonetheless every level of society, from individual to the upper echelons of government, must become involved in the campaign against a condition which carries such great social and economic consequences, they said.

In 2002, those who were overweight or obese cost nearly 7bn in treatment and state benefits and in indirect costs such as loss of earnings and reduced productivity.

In 40 years time, that figure could reach nearly 46bn, as health services struggle to cope with the ill health such as diabetes, cancer and stroke which can be associated with excess weight.

"There is a danger that the moment to act radically and dramatically will be missed," said Sir David King, the government's chief scientific advisor and head of the Foresight Programme which drew up the report.

"It is a problem that is getting worse every year."

So hard

Obesity, the authors concluded, was an inevitable consequence of a society in which energy-dense, cheap foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and sedentary work were rife.

BMI SCALE Underweight: Less than 18.5 Normal: 18.5 to 24.9 Overweight: 25 to 29.9 Obese: 30 or more

In this environment it was surprising that anyone was able to remain thin, Dr Susan Jebb of the Medical Research Council said, and so the notion of obesity simply being a product of personal over-indulgence had to be abandoned for good.

"The stress has been on the individual choosing a healthier lifestyle, but that simply isn't enough," she said.

From planning our towns to encourage more physical activity to placing more pressure on mothers to breast feed - believed to slow down infant weight gain - the report highlighted a range of policy options without making any concrete recommendations.

Industry was already working to put healthier products on the shelf, the report noted, while work was advanced in transforming the very make-up of food so it was digested more slowly and proved satisfying for longer.

But it was clear that government needed to involve itself, as on this occasion, the market was failing to do the job, Sir David said.

Shock tactics?

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said the government would be holding further consultations to decide how to proceed.

She said it was too early to say whether the same "shock" approach seen in public health warnings against smoking would be adopted with obesity, or whether a tax on fatty foods, highlighted in the report but widely dismissed as unworkable, would be considered.

"The most important thing is there has to be public consent and understanding of the issues you're trying to challenge," she said.

"A mandate for change will be difficult because it has to be preceded by an understanding of the dangers of obesity."

The Royal College of Physicians said the report was "encouraging".

"The emphasis on cross-governmental initiatives is particularly welcome, as is the importance of addressing issues across society whilst avoiding blame," said its president, Professor Ian Gilmore.

The Food and Drink Federation said it understood its role in tackling the problem.

"Our industry is now widely recognised as leading the world when it comes to reformulating products; extending consumer choice; and introducing improved nutrition labelling," a spokesperson said.