According to the Office of National Statistics, a record number of persons died of alcohol-related causes in 2012, which is largely due to increased drinking during the pandemic.
There were 9,641 deaths in the United Kingdom in 2021, a 27% rise from the 7,558 deaths in 2019.
People who were already heavy drinkers before the pandemic drank more during the Covid years, according to the ONS.
The charity Drinkaware characterized the figures as “devastating” and “unacceptable.”
The 2021 numbers represent alcohol-specific deaths, which are defined as a direct result of alcohol consumption. The majority are caused by alcoholic liver disease.
They account for approximately one-third of all alcohol-related fatalities.
Scotland had the greatest rate of alcohol-related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in the United Kingdom in 2021, while England had the lowest.
- Scotland has 22.4
- In Northern Ireland, 19.3
- 15 in Wales
- 13.9 in England
James Tucker from the Office of National Statistics states, “Research indicates that persons who were already drinking at greater levels before the pandemic were more likely to have increased their alcohol intake during this period.”
As in prior years, men were twice as likely to die from alcohol as women.
In the seven years leading up to 2019, alcohol-related mortality rates in the United Kingdom were relatively steady before increasing in 2020 and 2021.
Drinkaware’s Karen Tyrell explains, “These figures are incredibly heartbreaking, as each number conceals a unique family tragedy.”
It is intolerable that in one of the world’s wealthiest nations, the rate of alcohol-related mortality among men in the poorest neighborhoods was four times greater than in the wealthiest.
People were unable to recognize warning indicators that the heaviest drinkers were drinking more during the pandemic, according to the expert.
Drinkaware is currently advocating for a new coordinated UK-wide alcohol policy to limit alcohol’s negative impact on society and public services.
