A comment authored by two Royal College of Physicians' special advisers on alcohol, Sir Ian Gilmore and Dr Nick Sheron, and colleagues from the British Society of Gastroenterology, provides the latest projections on alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales over the next two decades.
The data suggest that if current trends continue (a worst-case scenario for the UK), there will be up to 210,000 avoidable alcohol related deaths in the next 20 years, of which 70,000 will be avoidable deaths from liver disease and the rest from other causes including avoidable deaths from liver disease, accidents, violence, and suicide or from chronic diseases, such as hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract.
Alcohol-related liver deaths in England and Wales fell from 6,470 in 2008 to 6,230 in 2009, but then increased again to 6317 in 2010. The authors said: “Unfortunately, the recent moderate improvement might be related more to the recession than to current alcohol policy; the fact that deaths increased during 2009-10 indicates there is no room for complacency.”
The authors highlight the conflict of interest in current UK Government alcohol policy, which relies on the alcohol industry being party to a voluntary ‘responsibility deal’ promoting safe drinking.
The authors believe the UK is at a potential tipping point in tackling preventable loss of life caused by alcohol, which often affects younger people – the peak age for alcohol-related deaths is in people aged 45–65 years and alcohol is a factor in 26•6% of deaths in men aged 16-24 years. There are signs that the UK Government might reconsider adoption of the evidence-based strategies of increasing price, reducing availability, and preventing marketing of alcohol to children and young people.
The authors concluded: “There are understandable concerns over the legal status of a minimum price per unit of alcohol and whether the general public is ready for tough action on the widespread availability of cheap alcoholic drinks. Can the UK Government, however, afford to duck effective action on alcohol that will have such a positive impact on crime and disorder, work productivity, and health? The UK Government will have to withstand powerful lobbying from the drinks industry, but the prize of reversing this tragic toll of alcohol-related deaths is there for the taking.”
