That is the warning from Manchester coroner Nigel Meadows as the north west's drink shame is revealed in parliament. His comments come after the government expressed alarm about the record death toll caused by binge drinking in the region.
Health Minister Dawn Primarolo told MPs in the Commons there was a dangerous culture of excessive drinking in the north west which made it difficult to tackle the problem.
She spelt out these grim statistics:
More people die in the region from alcohol related illnesses than anywhere in the country.
The north west has the second highest level of binge drinking in England.
The region has the second highest number of people admitted to hospitals with diseases linked to drink.
She said: "There is no doubt that excessive alcohol consumption contributes to poor quality of life, shortens many lives and results in huge costs to families and communities and eventually the economy and the NHS."
Ms Primarolo also estimated the approximate cost to the NHS of excessive alcohol consumption as £1.7bn, which she described as 'truly phenomenal'.
Revelations
The shocking revelations come after the death of 22-year-old bank worker David Reid (pictured).
The M.E.N. reported yesterday how the Levenshulme graduate drank himself to death in a boozing competition with a friend which they copied from the film American Pie 5: the Naked Mile.
David's father, Philip, pleaded for other youngsters to learn from the tragedy. He described every shot of drink his son took as 'a bullet' - a comment which echoes Mr Meadows' 'Russian roulette' claim.
Mr Meadows himself added: "Many do not understand that a large amount of alcohol ingested into the human body is a very effective poison.
"It can only be a matter of time before their excess drinking leads to their deaths or serious health problems.
"Some do not understand the risks. They see something in a film but that's not reality."
He also said efforts to tackle the problem should concentrate on education rather than increasing the price of alcohol.
" It is all about education. People should be going into secondary schools and probably even primary schools to warn of the dangers. The message should also be sent out at home.
"Only this morning I signed a certificate for a 30-year-old man who had died from an alcohol-related illness."
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Leo B (31/01/2008 at 09:14)
the endless erosion of our civil liberties (unless you're a criminal); constant state nannying & interfence; unchecked political and corporate greed; feral youth violence (and the bleatings of those responsible for our safety that "something must be done", "lessons will be learned" etc); the increasing religious/civil unrest,encouraged by those who believe that it's OK to inflict your views onto another if you're convinced that you're right and they're wrong - by violence if necessary; and the endless increasing taxation of the decent majority, so that the workshy and the the first generation incomers can live on our welfare, and fill our hospitals, in this "free country"?
And what's it to do with the Coroner anyway? It's not his job to offer up his views as holy writ: it's his job to determine a cause of death - and nothing more.