Balance calls for conversation about alcohol industry targeting as BBC Panorama explores rising liver deaths among young women
Balance and former dependent drinker Karen Slater today added their voices to mounting concerns about rising numbers of women dying from alcohol-related causes – and highlight the role of relentless alcohol marketing towards women.
It comes as a new BBC Panorama documentary explores why alcohol-related deaths from liver disease among women under 40 have risen sharply over the last decade and follows BBC journalist Hazel Martin on a personal journey to find the answer.
She is one of a growing number of young women who have experienced alcohol-related liver damage, despite not regarding herself as being dependent on alcohol. Talking to doctors, patients and experts on the drinks industry, Hazel discovers that a key cause is Britain’s binge-drinking culture and explores what can be done about it.
Balance with support from partners has launched a Blueprint for Reducing Alcohol Harm, calling for urgent national action to tackle the significant impact of alcohol on health, social care, crime, disorder, workplaces, and the economy. 82% of North East adults now consider alcohol to be a problem both regionally and nationally.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of women who lost their lives to alcohol increased 37% from 2,399 to 3,293 between 2016 and 2021 – the highest level since records began. Men saw a 29 per cent increase over the same period, from 4,928 deaths to 6,348.
The rise is being linked with the “pinking up of drinks” when women are targeted through advertising and marketing with pink drinks, glitter and promises across social media of ‘mummy wine time’ and wine O clock. Women also turned to alcohol more often than men in the first covid lockdown.
Around 1 in 10 breast cancers (8%) are caused by alcohol according to Cancer Research UK, while the British Liver Trust reports that death rates from liver disease are 4 times higher than they were in 1970. Other major non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and lung conditions have seen a fall in death rates over the same period.
Sue Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy for Fresh and Balance, said: “Just like tobacco companies targeted women, the alcohol industry has fiercely targeted women with their advertising and products and now we are seeing the impact on alcohol related disease for women.
“Women are surrounded by a culture in advertising and on social media where alcohol is promoted widely and celebrated as an integral part of female culture – with a constant flow of comments about ‘wine O clock’, ‘bottomless brunches’ targeted at women and influencer collaborations with alcohol companies.
“The fact is that alcohol is not just killing people but harming mental health, contributing to weight gain and worsening symptoms of the menopause. As women we need to start talking more openly about these things and ask why we have allowed our lives to be so overloaded with alcohol promotion with very few restrictions.”
Karen Slater, 55, is a Newcastle mum of four. She was a victim of child abuse and domestic violence and sought solace in alcohol, drugs and self-harm and blames alcohol advertising for a relapse which put her health at risk.
Karen said: “I’m not surprised liver disease among young women is rising. You are constantly bombarded by adverts for alcohol coming into your home, and it gets worse at times of the year like Christmas. You can’t move around a supermarket for piles and piles of alcohol.
“Alcohol advertising is insidious. It looks really glamorous with the pink drinks with the ice looking like diamonds and it makes it all look so alluring. There are millions of people trying to battle alcohol and yet they are literally pushing it into our homes. For people with addiction that is dangerous.
“As soon as you’ve seen that advert you think about it. For someone having a bad day or a bad moment that can trigger a relapse. I remember one advert – I went to bed thinking about it and woke up the next day still thinking about it. I thought “if I could just turn this pain off for one night and then go back into recovery.” Within minutes I was at the shop, and there was my relapse.”
“People who are alcohol dependent live lives constantly like this. The adverts never show that struggle. My home is my haven. I’m in recovery and alcohol ads shouldn’t be allowed in my home when I never gave permission.“
Watch Karen Slater’s powerful video
Caroline Tweedie, Lead Practitioner For Living with Cancer / Breast Cancer Specialist Nurse, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: “With breast cancer I think a lot of women will be shocked by the fact nearly 1 in 10 diagnosis that we see is down to alcohol intake. That would be 70 cancers less a year in our department alone.
“I do think that if more women knew the risks around alcohol and cancer, they wouldn’t have that peer pressure. It’s extremely difficult to say I’m not having that extra drink.
“I think if more women knew about breast cancer risk, we would unite and support and inspire one another to drink that bit less and say it’s alright if you don’t want to have another drink.”
About the Blueprint for Reducing Alcohol Harm
Last month Balance launched “Reducing Alcohol Harm”, a ground-breaking blueprint calling for urgent national action to tackle the significant impact of alcohol on health, social care, crime, disorder, workplaces, and the economy. 82% of North East adults consider alcohol to be a problem both regionally and nationally.
This new document from the North East alcohol programme underlines the critical need for stronger measures to curb alcohol-related harm across the region and the UK, and reveals the latest statistics to demonstrate how the public sees alcohol impacting on daily life.
The blueprint is supported by the Alcohol Health Alliance, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and prominent leaders from across the North East – including Directors of Public Health, Police and Crime Commissioners, the NHS Integrated Care Board for the North East and North Cumbria, and the Mayor of the North East Combined Authority – as well as by individuals who have directly experienced the harm alcohol can cause. It outlines key actions to alleviate the strain that alcohol places on the NHS and wider emergency services.
Stark Statistics Highlight the Need for Action:
- Alcohol contributes to nearly 980,000 hospital admissions and secondary diagnoses in England each year, including conditions such as cardiovascular disease, mental and behavioural disorders, cancers, and liver disease (2).
- The financial cost of alcohol is immense, with the North East alone incurring costs of around £1.5 billion annually in health, crime and disorder, social care, and economic costs (3), and nearly £27.4 billion across England (3).