There is an “acute crisis” of deaths caused by alcohol in England, academics have warned.
A study led by the University of Sheffield and University College London (UCL) found that alcohol-specific deaths, which increased sharply by 19.4 per cent in 2020, rose by a further 13.5 per cent in 2022, and by 3.4 per cent in 2023.
Deaths caused by alcohol misuse have also reached a record level in Wales. According to Public Health Wales’ annual report for substance misuse, there were 562 alcohol-specific deaths in 2023 — 15.6 per cent more than the previous year.
‘Getting worse’
Researchers reported that most alcohol-specific deaths across the study period “were from alcohol-related liver disease”.
They also observed that “alcohol-specific deaths increased by 27.8% in the post-pandemic period compared with the previous 3 years”.
Lead author Dr Melissa Oldham commented: “The sharp increase in alcohol deaths during the pandemic was no flash in the pan. The higher rate has persisted and is getting worse each year.”
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: “Drinking trends have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the latest data confirms that alcohol-specific deaths remain at record highs – hitting those who were already at greatest risk before the pandemic the hardest.”
Drug poisoning
Earlier this year, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) reported that a record 5,448 people died from drug poisoning in England and Wales in 2023, an 84 per cent increase since 2013.
Almost ten per cent of adults aged 16-59 in England and Wales reported taking illegal drugs in the past year, although the think-tank noted that this is likely to underestimate the scale of the problem.
The CSJ is calling on the Westminster Government to halt the slide towards decriminalisation and strengthen law enforcement’s role to address illegal drug addiction.
Over 1,500 babies in Scotland born with drug or alcohol addiction