GOING to the pub is a hobby for nearly half the adults in York according to a new report which paints a "worrying picture" of alcohol misuse across the region.

Over The Limit is being published today, in a bid to reduce alcohol misuse and the personal and social harm it causes.

For the first time, it brings together information from a range of services, such as the police, health, youth justice, local authorities and national sources.

The Department of Health report's key findings include:

Going to the pub is a hobby for nearly half the region's adults. Nationally, 37.1 per cent of people surveyed said it was a hobby. In Yorkshire and Humber it was 43.1 per cent - the second highest of all regions with 42.6 per cent in York, 31.7 in Ryedale, 38 per cent in East Riding, 38.3 per cent in Selby, and 38.9 per cent in Hambleton

Over a third of adults drink more than the recommended daily allowance - more than anywhere else in the country

Yorkshire and the Humber, along with the North West, has the highest prevalence of 'binge drinking' in England

Along with the North East, our region has the highest percentage (five per cent) of people dependent on alcohol. The national average is 3.6 per cent

Deaths from chronic liver disease have almost doubled, in line with national trends, in the past ten years.

The report was being launched at a conference in Leeds of workers from the region's health services, youth services, voluntary organisations, police and local authorities.

Regional director of public health Professor Paul Johnstone said it aimed to bring together professionals to learn from each other to combat alcohol related problems.

He said:"Many of us are now drinking far too much - and this has serious implications for our future physical and mental health, and social well-being.

"This isn't about not drinking. It is about sensible drinking and not going over the limit."

He suggested simple steps to reduce alcohol problems, such as using a drink diary to keep tabs on how much we consume.

Most men can drink up to three to four units of alcohol a day without significant health risks, while most women can drink up to two to three units of alcohol.

Prof Johnstone: "We need to balance tackling the current problem through treatment with ensuring robust prevention activities aimed at young people are in place, concentrating especially on preventing binge drinking."

He said changes to the Licensing Act had "potential for being very beneficial because people won't be downing pints before a certain time and falling out onto the streets".

"But we need to keep a very close watch on this," he said.

The report also reveals:

Alcohol-related death rates among males from 2001 to 2003 per 100,000 was nine in York, 6.3 in Ryedale, 5.9 in Selby, 6.2 in Hambleton and 6.3 in East Riding.

Among women it was 4.9 in York, 5.5 in East Riding, 4.6 in Hambleton, 6.6 in Selby, Ryedale N/A.

The alcohol misuse admission rates to hospital in Selby and York PCT from 2000 to 2003 per 100,000 was 99.

In September, the Evening Press revealed the staggering scale of York's alcohol problem.

We reported on research which showed that nearly 50,000 men and women in the city are drinking to excess.

An alarming 24,000 of them are regularly binge drinking, and 6,600 of them are drinking so much they are in danger of seriously damaging their health.

That is the equivalent of men in York downing a bare minimum of more than 17 million pints a year and women drinking seven million pints a year - that's more than 65,000 pints a day.

The findings were contained in the most comprehensive research into alcohol consumption in the city ever carried out, commissioned by the Safer York Partnership.

Updated: 10:20 Monday, December 19, 2005