Balance responds to worrying ONS alcohol deaths
Balance the North East Alcohol Programme is calling for the introduction of a long overdue, evidence-based national alcohol strategy, as latest alcohol deaths figures for 2021 show a devastating 27% increase on 2019 figures.
The Office for National Statistics has released the alcohol-specific deaths data for 2021 which shows there were 9,641 deaths linked to drinking last year – a 7.4% increase on 2020 data and a staggering 27.4% increase from 2019 – the last year before the pandemic began.
For the eighth consecutive year, the North East had the highest rate of any English region, with 20.4 deaths per 100,000 in the North East – an increase of 22.9% since 2019.
Sue Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy at Balance, commented: “The latest ONS alcohol-specific deaths figures show that the North East has higher rates of people dying from alcohol than any other English region.
“We know that alcohol harms have been on the increase for many years, but the picture has worsened since the pandemic. The tragic deaths figures are the latest manifestation of the fact that alcohol is too affordable, too available and too heavily promoted by the multi-billion pound alcohol industry.
“Although we are led to believe that this is the problem of an irresponsible minority, in reality, research in the North East found that almost half of the population – approximately 1 million adults – are drinking above the low risk guidelines.
“Every death from alcohol is a life lost too soon and a grieving family left behind. Enough is enough. It’s vital that we have evidence-based action to address the harms and reverse some of the devastating inequalities alcohol is driving. The introduction of a long overdue national alcohol strategy, free from influence of commercial interests, is an essential first step.”