"although it was encouraging that fewer people were drinking at a higher risk level, this should not distract from the scale of alcohol harm in England. Millions of people are still drinking at levels that significantly increase their risk of serious harm, from alcohol-related cancers to life-changing injuries and long-term illness, and we have seen record high alcohol deaths in recent years, Roberts said."
"The alcohol industry will inevitably portray this harm as being confined to a small minority and argue for targeted' interventions. Decades of robust evidence show this approach does not work. The most effective way to reduce the record number of alcohol deaths we are seeing is through population-level measures such as minimum unit pricing, clear health warnings on alcohol labels, restrictions on alcohol availability, and comprehensive bans on alcohol marketing which we know drives drinking among children and young people."
A questionnaire of 10,000 people as part of the Health Survey for England showed 24% of adults in England had not drunk alcohol in 2024, up from 19% in 2022. Women reported higher abstention (26%) than men (22%), with increases across both genders. Regional variation was evident: the West Midlands (27%) and London (26%) had the highest non-drinking rates, while north-east England had 17%. Reports highlight ongoing high levels of alcohol-related harm, record high alcohol deaths, calls for population-level measures, and an estimated annual health-service cost of £4.9bn from alcohol abuse.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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