New figures show twice as many people are hooked on alcohol than on all other drugs

12th November 2001 - Embargoed until 00.01am Thursday, 15th November

?State of the Nation? report reveals Britain?s staggering alcohol bill

1 person in 13 is dependent on alcohol in Britain ? twice as many as are hooked on all forms of drugs, including prescription drugs (1 in 26). (1)

Yet just over £1 million is spent on alcohol prevention and treatment ? compared with £91.45 million on drugs ? while the drinks trade spends £227 million a year to advertise its products. (2&3)

These are some of the startling new figures featured in a report published by Alcohol Concern - entitled ?The State of the Nation? ? which form the backdrop to the charity?s Annual Conference on Thursday November 15th (details below).

The report also reveals that:

The number of deaths directly attributable to alcohol misuse ? eg alcohol-related heart disease, toxic effect of alcohol and liver cirrhosis - rose sharply in the second half of the 90s, from 3,853 a year in 1994 to 5,508 in 1999. Estimates of the total number of deaths where alcohol has played a part range up to 33,000 a year. (4)

After a night?s drinking, 1 in 4 people say they?ve experienced memory loss, injured themselves or another, or failed to do what?s expected of them, like turn up for work (5)

40% of suicides in England and Wales, who had contacted a mental health service within a year of their deaths, had a history of alcohol misuse, according to a 2001 survey tracking suicides over a five year period. This figure rose to 53% in Scotland and 62% in Northern Ireland. (6)

1 in 7 of all people killed on the roads, and 1 in 20 of people injured, are involved in drink-drive accidents. The number of drink-drive accidents have risen over the past two years ? from 10,100 in 1998 to 11,780 in 2000. (7)

11 to 15 year-olds who admit to drinking consumed twice as much in 2000 (10.4 units a week) as they did in 1990 (5.3 units a week) (8)

In 40% of violent crimes victims say that the perpetrators were under the influence of alcohol (9)

60% of employers say they experience problems due to employees? drinking (10)

Over 80% of the public agree that ? the government does not do enough to highlight the risks of drinking alcohol? (11)




Commenting on the figures, Alcohol Concern Director Eric Appleby said: ?The sheer breadth and scale of the problems ? in terms of their impact on people?s health, relationships and pockets, not to mention on public services, especially the NHS - reinforces the need for urgent joined-up action at a national level.

?Currently responsibility for tackling the impact of alcohol misuse falls to a number of different Government departments ? including the Department of Health, Home Office and Department of Transport. What we need is a coordinated strategy that concentrates on prevention of harm, and tackles alcohol misuse on all fronts ? education, public campaigns, community safety, counselling and treatment.

?The Department of Health is committed to a National Alcohol Strategy in its ?Saving Lives? blueprint ? but we need action sooner rather than later if Britain?s serious alcohol problems are not to deteriorate even further.?

Date: 12 November 2001