Alcohol misuse deaths are at record levels in the county

‘One in four people drink alcohol at an increasing risk level’

DEATHS due to alcohol misuse are at record levels in Leicestershire.

There were 198 alcohol-specific deaths in the county between 20162018 - the highest number in any three year period since records began in 2006-2008, and up from 195 in 201315.

Alcohol-specific deaths only include health conditions where each death is a direct consequence of alcohol misuse, such as alcoholic liver disease.

The figures - published by Public Health England - mean that Leicestershire had a rate of 9.5 alcohol-specific deaths per 100,000 people between 2016-2018.

That compares to a rate of 10.8 per 100,000 across England.

Leicester had an above average death rate, with 15.8 per 100,000, which means people in the city were more likely to die due to alcohol misuse. The city saw 126 deaths in 2016-2018.

The figures also cover the number of deaths where alcohol misuse was a contributing factor.

There were 319 such deaths in Leicestershire in 2018 - the highest number since records began in 2008 and 143 alcohol-related deaths in Leicester.

Across the UK, there were alcohol-specific deaths in 2018.

That was down from the previous year’s total of 7,697, but was still the second highest number since records began in 2001.

Rates across the UK (11.9 deaths per 100,000) have remained mostly unchanged since 2011. However, they remain significantly higher than in 2001, when they stood at 10.6 deaths per 100,000.

Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, said: “These latest figures show that death rates directly related to alcohol continue alcohol-specific 7,551 to remain far too high. The tragedy is that these deaths are totally preventable.

“But because of the relentless funding cuts in alcohol treatment, those who are struggling are unable to access specialist support when they need it. This puts an enormous strain on the individuals themselves and their families, as well as our overstretched frontline services.

“We know that it’s easy to fall into the habit of drinking too much, particularly to cope when things get on top of us. That’s why high-quality support is so essential. And this needs to be available to us all.”

Alcohol misuse is hitting older people particularly hard.

In 2018, the highest alcohol-specific death rate was among those aged 55-59 for men and 60-64 years for women.

Between 2001 and 2018, there have been statistically significant increases in age-specific death rates for people aged 55-79.

For example, the alcohol-specific death rate for those aged 70-74 years has never been higher than it was in 2018.

And while alcohol-specific deaths accounted for 1.2% of all deaths in the UK in 2018, they made up 9.6% of all deaths among people aged 40-44.

The definition of alcohol-specific deaths includes mostly chronic conditions, such as alcoholic liver disease, so the increased rates in older age groups may be a consequence of misuse of alcohol that began years, or even decades, earlier.

There were no deaths caused by alcoholic liver disease in the age group 20 years or under in 2018, while 80% of 60 to 64 year olds died from this condition.

The reverse is true for accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, which accounted for 88% of alcoholspecific death in those aged 20 to 24 years and no more than 2% in those aged 70 years and over.

Drinkaware CEO Elaine Hindal said: “Today’s figures on alcohol-specific related deaths in the UK indicate a slight fall in the numbers. But 7,551 lives lost to alcohol are 7,551 lives too many.

“That’s thousands of families who are having to cope with loss. It’s crucial that we do everything we can to drastically reduce this figure.

“Drinkaware’s research shows that, while most adults in the UK drink at low-risk levels, one in four people drink at an increasing risk level, and almost one in seven are defined as high risk or possibly dependent.

“This means that literally millions of UK drinkers are at risk of damaging their health in the long-term unless they cut down.”

“Much more can be done to specifically target and support those people who drink harmful amounts of alcohol, to reduce health harms and preventable loss of life caused by drinking.”