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Many benefits from alcohol - but evidence of some serious and worsening harms says new Strategy Unit report (19/9/2003)

Many people gain health and social benefits from moderate drinking levels and alcohol plays an important role in the success of the leisure and tourist industry. However, there is evidence that patterns of heavy and binge drinking may be particularly serious in the UK, leading to an increasing toll of premature deaths and health problems, and alcohol-related disorder and injuries.

That's the message in an interim analytical report published today by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. The report has been produced as part of its work to produce an alcohol harm reduction strategy for England - which is aimed at tackling these problems.

The report also points out that up to 40% of men's drinking sessions now technically qualify as binge drinking as defined by reference to the Government's sensible drinking guidelines. That means men drinking in excess of the equivalent of four pints of beer (three for women) or eight measures of spirits (six for women) often in short periods of time. Over a typical 'Saturday night out' this can see them drinking three or four times the recommended guidelines. The consequences of drinking will differ from individual to individual and many people understand 'bingeing' to mean deliberately drinking to excess. However, this evidence suggests that many may be causing themselves potentially serious harm.

The report says that this pattern of drinking is responsible for a range of alcohol-related problems, is linked to up to 22,000 premature deaths each year, and is costing the country up to £20 billion a year.

It puts the cost to the NHS of alcohol-related injuries and illnesses at up to £1.7bn a year. The unit's research also shows that alcohol-related crime, assaults and disorder is costing a further £7.3bn, while the cost to the economy of lost productivity through absences and illness is estimated at up to £6.4bn. Some of the human and social costs are estimated at £4.7 billion.

Hazel Blears, Minister of State at the Home Office, is Sponsor Minister for the Strategy Unit project.

She said: 'The large majority of people who drink, do so without causing themselves or others harm and it is an integral part of their social life. In fact, for some there are even health benefits from moderate drinking.

'But this study shows that increasing numbers of people - especially the young - are drinking well above the safe limits. For example, under-16s who drink now drink twice as much as they did 10 years ago.

'This is bringing with it health risks and a range of other social problems. Not least of these problems is the nuisance and disorder that are all too often a feature of our town and city centres.

'We want everyone to be able to enjoy a drink in safety. That is why I am pleased to be visiting the pioneering City Safe scheme in Manchester. This scheme shows that a partnership of police, local councils and the industry, can succeed in creating a better and safer city centre for everyone.

'The Strategy Unit team can build upon schemes like this when working with partners across Government - and outside - to find ways to reduce the harm caused by alcohol misuse.'

The report says that chronic drinking is also taking an increasing toll on society. Chronic drinkers are often adept at hiding their addiction and this can put their families at risk of domestic abuse. Children are doubly vulnerable as the report's research shows that they can pick up their parent's drinking habits in later life.

Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said:

'This report gives a full picture of the effects of alcohol consumption on society, and on the health of individuals. While alcohol can have positive effects, the cost to the NHS of 150,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions each year are clear to see. And we also need to recognise the devastating effects, particularly on families, of the 15,000 - 22,000 deaths each year, which can be attributed to alcohol misuse.

'Identifying these problems will ensure that the Department of Health can work with the Strategy Unit and other key stakeholders to develop long-term, effective solutions over the coming months leading up to the publication of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.'

Key points from the report include:

• Regular heavy drinkers are having more health problems and dying younger - for example, deaths by liver cirrhosis have nearly doubled over the past decade.
• Alcohol-related accidents and illnesses land around 150,000 people a year in hospital.
• Around 40% of A&E admissions are alcohol-related, and as many as 70% between midnight and 5 am.
• Alcohol is associated with between 15,000 and 22,000 deaths every year.
• Up to 1.3million children in the UK are affected by parental alcohol problems.
• Young people have not been receptive to the 'sensible drinking' message.
• Under-16s who do drink are drinking twice as much today as they did 10 years ago, although overall numbers have changed little.
• Around 50% of rough sleepers are reliant on alcohol.
• In 2001-02, there were 1.2m incidents of alcohol-related violence.
• Almost half the victims of violent crime say their attacker was under the influence of drink; and 45% of victims of domestic violence said their attacker had been drinking.
• There is no such thing as a typical heavy drinker - though young white unemployed men are disproportionately likely to misuse alcohol.
• Skilled women drink more than other women and unskilled men drink the most heavily of all men.
• The average UK drinker consumed the equivalent of 8.6 litres of pure alcohol in 2001 - that's an increase of 151% since 1951
• Alcohol taxes raise £7bn a year. The value of the drinks market is estimated at £30bn to the UK economy and the trade employs more than half a million people.
• Moderate drinking can lower the risk of coronary heart disease - especially for the over-40s
• There is already a lot of good practice in tackling alcohol misuse, examples include: the Manchester City Safe scheme; an Alcohol Arrest Referral Scheme in Gloucestershire; and the appointment of an alcohol coordinator by Hammersmith and Fulham's crime-cutting initiative.

Notes to editors

1. The interim analytical report is available on the Strategy Unit website
2. The Home Office today published 'Alcohol-related assault: findings from the British Crime Survey'. The on-line report can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds
3. Binge drinking is defined as drinking twice the recommended guidelines in one day, i.e. six units for a woman and eight for a man - equivalent to four pints of beer. Many regular drinkers may notice little effect from these amounts, but their risk of harm is substantially higher. And many, particularly the young, drink well above these guidelines.
4. The project was announced on July 19 2002 by Douglas Alexander, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, in response to a parliamentary question from Mr Kevin Brennan MP.
5. The project team has been working closely with officials in the Department of Health who have been working on an Alcohol harm reduction strategy, as well as other key stakeholders, including Home Office, Department of Culture Media and Sport, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Government, the industry, key academics, and representatives of user groups in the voluntary sector.
6. The project team has undertaken an extensive process of consultation with stakeholders and relevant groups. A consultation paper and responses to the consultation are available on the Strategy Unit website (www.strategy.gov.uk). A paper setting out the costings underlying the analysis will also be available on the unit's website.
7. An alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England is expected to be published later this year.

The Strategy Unit provides the Prime Minister and Government departments with a capacity to analyse strategic policy issues and to design long-term solutions to problems. It was formed by a merger of the Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU), the Forward Strategy Unit (FSU) and parts of the Policy Studies Directorate of the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS) in June 2002.

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