Alcohol Harm

Guidance

On these pages we have bought together a number of guidance and data sources to assist with effective planning and commissioning to reduce alcohol-related harm.

The following figures give an indication of the level of the problem (Source: DH 2008)

Alcohol Harm in England

• 90% of adults drink alcohol
• The DH lower-risk guidelines:
  - Men: should not regularly exceed 3-4 units/day
  - Women: should not regularly exceed 2-3 units/day
• BUT - 26% (around 10 million) of adults in England drink more than the Government's lower-risk guidelines
• AND - Almost 2.6 million adults drink at higher-risk
  - 1.6 million men drink 50+ units/week
  - 1 million women drink more 35+ units/week.

Hospital Admissions

• Alcohol is responsible for 6% of all hospital admissions
  - 459,836 individuals admitted in 2005/06
  - 811,443 admissions in 2006/07
  - Rising by around 80,000 admissions a year
• Alcohol misuse contributes to 48 conditions
  - 13 conditions were wholly attributable to alcohol consumption
  - 35 conditions were partially attributable to alcohol consumption
• Areas of highest deprivation (compared to more affluent areas) have:
  - 2 to 3 times higher loss of life
  - 2 to 5 times more admissions to hospitals

More Information

• To learn about what the DH is doing about this and the NI 39, visit the Alcohol Improvement Programme
• Alcohol Harm Guidance
• Alcohol Harm Data