Alcohol deaths surge in UK with more than 4,000 people lost since the Covid pandemic

A steep rise in alcohol deaths in England is an “acute crisis” according to a new study. More than 4,000 people died from alcohol than was expected since the pandemic. The “shocking” research found alcohol-specific deaths increased by 35.5% between 2019 and 2022.

And experts warned the number of deaths is continuing to rise and are urging the Government to take “urgent action” and save lives Since the pandemic struck in 2020 the country has seen a disturbingly higher rate of alcohol related deaths, according to the study by some of the country’s leading universities. Amy Dickson, 46, told how she lost her dad Steve, 68, during the pandemic in September 2020 as lockdown provided a "golden opportunity" for him to drink.

Lead author of the study, which was published in the Lancet Public Health, Dr Melissa Oldham, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “The sharp increase in alcohol deaths during the pandemic was no flash in the pan.

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“The higher rate has persisted and is getting worse each year. It is an acute crisis, and urgent action is needed to prevent further avoidable deaths. This includes substantial investment in health services to better detect and treat liver disease as well as policies to reduce alcohol consumption in the population as a whole, such as minimum unit pricing and advertising restrictions.”

Researchers at UCL and the University of Sheffield analysed Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures of deaths caused solely by alcohol in England.

They used the ONS definition of alcohol deaths, as those registered on the death certificate as having an ‘underlying cause that is wholly attributable to alcohol’ and did not include cases when it was a factor, such as drink driving.

They found that death rates were stable between 2009 and 2019, but increased by a fifth in 2020, rising by a further 13.5% between 2020 and 2022.

The team estimated that 3,911 more people had died solely because of alcohol in England between 2020 and 2022 than would have been the case if pre-pandemic trends had continued.

Increases in drinking seen during the pandemic and lockdowns do not seem to have returned to pre-pandemic levels, which could partly explain the continuing increase in alcohol-specific deaths each year. The largest rise came from the same groups most likely to be affected before the pandemic; men, those from deprived areas and those aged 50 to 69.

The main cause, the researchers found, was a steep rise in liver damage caused by alcohol. Deaths from acute causes such as alcohol poisoning also increased. The latest ONS figures from 2023 also show alcohol deaths continue to rise in England, up to 8,274.

Senior author Professor Colin Angus, of the University of Sheffield, said men are twice as likely to die because of alcohol compared to women, just as before the pandemic. Researchers said the increase in liver disease deaths could be linked to an increase in drinking among heavier drinkers and by more frequent binge drinking.

But they said it was not helped by reduced health service access during the pandemic. They said obesity may also be a factor along with the cost-of-living crisis, as well as worse mental health.

Co-author Dr Gautam Mehta, of the UCL Division of Medicine, said: “The average age of death from liver disease is nine years lower in the most deprived parts of the country, compared to the least... New treatments and strategies for earlier detection are urgently needed.”

Persistent higher alcohol death rates since the pandemic have also been reported in Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, , and the United States.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair, Alcohol Health Alliance, said: “Five years on from the start of the pandemic, we are still seeing the devastating consequences of increased alcohol consumption.

“Drinking trends have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the latest data confirms that alcohol-specific deaths remain at record highs – hitting those who were already at greatest risk before the pandemic the hardest.

“Alarmingly, the burden of alcohol harm continues to fall disproportionately on the most deprived communities, and it is deepening existing health inequalities. The government must act urgently to introduce evidence-based policies, such as minimum unit pricing, to reduce alcohol harm and save lives.”

The total number of alcohol deaths in England per year in 2019 was 5,820, rising to 6,984 in 2020, 7,558 in 2021, 7,912 in 2022 and 8,276 in 2023.

Amy Dickson said her dad used the pandemic as a “golden opportunity” to drink. Tragically the grandfather lost his life in September 2020, six months after lockdown began,

Mum-of-two Amy, from Reigate in Surrey, a trustee for Nacoa, a charity which helps the children of alcoholics, told how she watched her dad battle his addiction her whole life.

But she added: “Lockdown probably speeded that process up. It took away any support, any routine. It was a golden opportunity for him because my brother and I could not go and check on him, we lived 90 minutes away. "

She told how her dad was in “constant denial” about his long term alcohol addiction and claim it was something ‘he enjoyed and he could moderate’.

“He used to be a managing director of a huge construction business, we had a lovely home. That was used as an excuse for many years. His drinking always worried me, I remember being a teenager and being on holiday in France and him slumping home. I used to stand and walk alongside him so I was the one closer to the road because I didn’t want him to fall into the road.

“By the time I was 15 or 16 he lost his first job because of it. I had quite a privileged childhood, but he died a very sad death in a one-bedroom flat, having lost a lot along the way.

“He was the master of deception. He was admitted to hospital in 2019 and at that point he had admitted to a doctor he was consuming 140 units a week. That's ten times the recommended amount.

"My perception is if you are admitting 140 units a week the chances are you are probably drinking 200.

“There was constant belittling of any offers of help. I was told to stop being ‘over dramatic’ and ‘stop making a fuss.’ I now know that all of that comes from deep shame.

“He nearly died multiple times and he’d be admitted to hospital and he’d be detoxed and I’d go and visit him and we just never spoke about it. He’d say ‘when I get out I will take it a bit easier.’

“I remember taking him out for lunch from the hospital, he was drinking red wine and I dropped him back to the ward and he almost died two weeks previously. In truth it was a miracle he survived to the age he did."

She said she had to lobby for alcoholism to be included as a contributing factor on his death certificate, alongside internal haemorrhaging and heart disease.

“My dad died in less than ideal circumstances and we had to have a post mortem. Alcohol didn’t factor on his original death certificate so I spoke to the coroner and had it reissued."

She also fears there are many more hidden deaths from alcohol.

“We know it causes multiple types of cancers, we know it causes huge amounts of damage to almost every organ in the body on a long term basis but it can just be put down as heart failure for example.”

For Nacoa, the NHS recommended service, Amy visits schools to help children. She explained how one in five children in the UK has a parent who is drinking “at a hazardous level,” she said, explaining they go into schools to show children there is help out there.

“I reassure them they are not the only ones going through that. That means in every classroom five or six children know exactly what you are going through but the nature of that illness and the shame attached to it the chances are you don’t know who those other children are. That’s why our helpline is anonymous. It’s not disloyal to ask for help for yourself.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "For too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues including alcohol harm. We recognise the need for urgent action to reverse the unacceptable levels of alcohol specific deaths.

“As part of our Plan for Change, we are shifting our focus from sickness to prevention, prioritising early intervention and health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives across the UK.”

If you need help with alcoholism, call Nacoa on its confidential helpline 0800 358 3456