Deaths stemming from alcohol have hit record highs, ONS reports

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) have recorded over 9000 people died in the UK as a result of alcohol last year. 

ONS have discovered 9,641 people died from drinking too much in 2021, which is likely to be the result of increased drinking during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The authority have said people who drank a lot before lockdown increased their intake.

James Tucker, from the ONS, said: ‘Research has suggested that people who were already drinking at higher levels before the pandemic were the most likely to have increased their alcohol consumption during this period.’

Within the UK, deaths from alcohol were highest in Scotland and lowest in England. Official figures show 22.4% of Scots died from alcohol consumption whereas 13.9% fell victim in England.

In Northern Ireland the ONS discovered drinking affected 19.3% of their population and 15 people died in Wales.

Although it should be noted that the 2021 figures produced by researchers from the ONS are noted as ‘alcohol specific’ deaths which have resulted from the consequences of drinking too much.

Before 2019, the rates of deaths related to alcohol remained steady, before skyrocketing in 2020 and 2021. Researchers found that compared to 2019, when 7,565 had been found to die from alcohol, deaths had increased by 27% in 2021.

As well as the number of deaths increasing, this year NHS figures have displayed over seven-and-a-half million people in the UK show signs of alcohol dependence.

Karen Tyrell, who works for the charity Drinkaware, told the BBC: ‘These statistics are absolutely devasting, each number masking an individual family tragedy.

‘It is unacceptable that in one of the richest countries in the world, the rate of alcohol-related deaths was four times higher among men in the poorest areas compared to the most affluent.’

The charity have also reported that three in ten adults throughout the UK have reported being concerned for someone else’s drinking habits as well as 41% of adults saying they have been negatively impacted by someone else’s drinking.

Following these devasting revelations, Drinkaware is now calling for a new co-ordinated UK-wide alcohol strategy to reduce the damage from the substance to society and public services.

Additionally, the charity is asking the government to increase tax on the price of alcohol in hopes to discourage its production.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP