The UK’s alcohol-related death rates have reached their highest point in more than two decades. Official statistics are based on official data. Experts also warn that Covid lockdowns were responsible for dangerous drinking patterns.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics, alcohol-related death rates in Britain increased by five percent in just one year, reaching nearly 9,000. It is also the highest increase annually since records started in 2001.
Although rates had been steady since 2012, and they fell in the two previous years, the 2020 fatality rate rose more than 1,400 to 14 alcohol-related deaths for every 100,000 Britons.
These figures do not include fatalities that occurred as a result of alcohol misuse. For example, alcoholic liver disease accounted for almost eight out of 10 deaths.
ONS statisticians said ‘many complex factors’ contributed to the hike last year, but noted people drinking more alcohol during the pandemic would have been a factor.
As in previous years, the rate of alcohol-related deaths was twice that of women and significantly higher in Scotland than Northern Ireland.
Ian Hamilton is an Associate Professor of Addiction at York University. He told MailOnline that those who already drank ‘risky amounts’ of alcohol were encouraged to consume even more alcohol in the midst of the pandemic.
Drinkaware, a charity survey found that boredom, anxiety and more time to drink were the main reasons for worrying trends in alcohol use during lockdowns.
Hamilton stated that there was a shortage of supportive face-to-face help for drinkers who contributed to the “shocking” rise in deaths.
The report, which was compiled by the no longer relevant Public Health England (PHE), found Covid to be responsible for the greatest drop in life expectancy since 1940. The report warned of an “unprecedented” rise in alcohol-related deaths, which rose 20 percent last year to 2019
According to ONS, 77% of all deaths were due to alcoholic liver disease (green), which occurs when excessive drinking over long periods causes permanent liver damage. The second most common cause of death (light blue) was mental and behavioral disorders caused by alcohol abuse. This led to 1,083 deaths and accounting for 12.5% of all deaths. 552 people died from accidental or deliberate alcohol poisoning (darkblue) which was attributed to external causes. Nearly a third were caused by deaths in men aged 50-65, and 20% were due to accidental or intentional alcohol poisoning (dark blue)
The ONS figures show that fatality rates for Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2020 were about a third higher then the UK’s average of 21.5 and 19.6 deaths to 100,000 respectively. England and Wales continue to experience lower alcohol-related deaths with 13.9 and 13 deaths for every 100,000 people, respectively. The largest increase in deaths year-over-year was in England with a 19.3% rise in deaths, while Wales saw a 17.8% increase.
ONS data indicates that six out nine English regions experienced an increase in alcohol deaths. London was the most affected, followed by London (32.2%) and South West (32.2%). The North East saw an increase in alcohol-related deaths (20. The North East (25.4%), North West (20.4%), and South East (18.5%) had higher alcohol fatalities. Within England, there was huge regional disparity, with 9.2 per 100,000 deaths due to alcohol in the East, compared to 20 per 100,000 in the North East — the highest rate out of all regions in England
Alcohol-related causes are responsible for 14 deaths per 100,000. Comparatively, in 2019 there were 7,565 fatalities due to alcohol-related causes. This is 11.8 deaths for every 100,000 Britons.
A large number of deaths (6695, 77.8%) were due to alcoholic liver disease. This is when excessive drinking over many years can cause permanent liver damage.
The second most common cause of death was alcohol-related mental and behavioral disorders. This led to 1,083 deaths and accounts for 12 percent of all deaths.
Intentional or accidental alcohol poisoning was responsible for 552 deaths. PHE data also shows that alcohol poisoning hospitalisations rose after the lifting of Covid restrictions.
Other leading causes include alcoholic cardiomyopathy (158 deaths) — a disease where the heart struggles to pump blood around the body — and alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis (129 deaths) — when the pancreas becomes permanently damaged from years of inflammation.
The 2020 number is also higher than in any year since 2001 when records started. There were 10.6 deaths for every 100,000.
In 2020, the UK average was 33% higher for fatalities in Scotland and Northern Ireland with 19.6 and 21.5 deaths per 100,000.
England and Wales have continued to experience lower alcohol-related deaths with 13.9 and 13 deaths per 100,000, respectively.
The greatest year-on-year rise was observed in England where death rates increased by 19.3 percent and Wales where they rose 17.8 percent.
Sixteen of the nine England regions experienced an increase in alcohol deaths. London was followed closely by London (25.3%) and the South West (32.2%).
The number of alcohol-related deaths in the North East also rose (20. 5 percent), North West (19.4%) and South East (18.5%).
Within England, there was huge regional disparity, with 9.2 per 100,000 deaths due to alcohol in the East, compared to 20 per 100,000 in the North East — the highest rate out of all regions in England.
And alcohol deaths among men remained more than double the rates for women — 19 per 100,000, compared to nine per 100,000.
London had the highest death rates for men and women, with 15.1 per 100,000 deaths, while five per 100,000 deaths were recorded for women.
A third of deaths were from men aged 50-65, with 20 percent occurring among those 45-65 years old.
The risk of alcohol-related death rose in areas with higher levels of poverty, which was four times greater than those living in the most deprived.
There were 8.2 deaths for men living in the richest areas, and 4.9 deaths for women. That compares with 33.7 fatalities and 14.9 deaths for those who live in the least deprived parts.
Public Health England published a September report that found women’s life expectancy had dropped by 0.9 year (1.1%) in one year, to 82.7. For men, the decline was 1.3 years (1.6%) to 78.7year. These figures represent the largest ever recorded fall. It was noted that there has been an unprecedented rise in deaths due to alcohol consumption, which rose 20% in 2020 in comparison with 2019.
James Tucker, head of health and life events analysis at the ONS, said: ‘There were almost 9,000 alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2020 – this represents the biggest year on year increase seen since our records began in 2001.
“There will many complicated factors behind the increased risk since spring 2020.
Public Health England’s analysis of consumption has revealed that there have been changes in the patterns of consumption since the outbreak coronavirus pandemic. This could have resulted in hospital admissions or even deaths.
“We also saw an increase in loneliness, depression, and anxiety since the pandemic. This could be another factor.
“But, we will need to take some time before fully understanding the effects of them all.”
MailOnline spoke with Mr Hamilton about his addiction expertise. He said that the Covid epidemic hasn’t helped this shocking increase in deaths from alcohol-related causes.
“We are aware that many people, who had been drinking high levels of alcohol before the outbreak, increased their alcohol consumption. This, in turn, added to the known health risks. Tragically, too many have lost their lives.
“At that time, these people required specialist treatment services. These were either unavailable or moved to a virtual offer rather than an in-person service.
“This is undoubtedly contributing to the increase in deaths today because timely support and no face-to-face assistance was available.”
The figures come after the Government yesterday announced £780million in funding will be invested over the next decade in England’s drug treatment services.
The Department of Health and Social Care stated that the cash would improve treatment access and increase patient capacity. It will also reduce drug abuse.
Hamilton claimed that Hamilton was more concerned with drug abuse than alcohol. Hamilton said the government’s plans didn’t recognize alcohol’s growing harm to society. He called it a missed chance.
Hamilton stated that the only intervention made by them on alcohol was to maintain uninterrupted supply. He also said, “Licenses are essential services just like pharmacy.”
“The Government must immediately outline how it will tackle the record-breaking number of alcohol-related deaths and not just spend its time on populist policies to increase alcohol access.
Annabelle Bonus is Drinkaware’s Director for Evidence and Impact. She stated: “The shocking increase in alcohol-specific deaths are stark evidence of how the pandemic has affected people’s drinking habits.”
While there is still much to learn about why this happened, we found worrying trends in our research. One-third (30%) of high risk drinkers continued drinking more than they did before the pandemic. It suggests many behaviors have been ingrained.
“To stop more deaths and to address inequalities, the government should place harm reduction of alcohol at the center of its public health priorities.”