10,048 deaths from alcohol-specific causes were registered in the UK in 2022, the highest number on record.
The ONS has published their annual report, sharing the statistics for deaths related to alcohol poisoning. In 2022, there were 10,048 deaths registered (16.6 per 100,000 people), an increase of 4.2% on 2021’s registrations (9,641 deaths).
As with previous years, the amount of alcohol-related deaths recorded for males were double that recorded for females (22.3 and 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people). Scotland and Northern Ireland saw the highest rates of alcohol-specific deaths (22.6 and 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people).
Since 2019, there has been a statistically significant increase in the amount of alcohol-specific deaths across England, Scotland and Wales. The North East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region in 2022 (21.8 deaths per 100,000); whilst the East of England had the lowest rate (11.0 deaths per 100,000).
Danny Hames, NHS APA Chair, commented on the recently released statistics, saying:
“As with the drug-related death statistics we saw released earlier this year, the amount of alcohol-related deaths are also sadly increasing year on year. People should be able to access harm reduction and treatment when they need it, but to achieve this we need to see considerable funding improvements and joined up working across services. Breaking down stigma also plays a vital part in making sure that such treatment can be accessed without fear of judgment or embarrassment.
“Without change, we will see these statistics continue to rise each year. Families and friends will continue to lose their loved ones. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
The NHS APA Alcohol Harms Working Group commented:
“The increasing number of people dying from alcohol-specific causes is deeply troubling and should be an alarming wake up call for the government to increase their focus on tackling the widespread harms caused by alcohol.
Recent years have seen a welcome increase in political focus, strategic direction, and funding for drug treatment services. The same must now happen for alcohol treatment services, which have been overlooked for far too long and – as the latest statistics show – at a terrible human and social cost.”
The NHS APA is committed to sharing information through our Stigma Kills campaign in order to improve access to treatment and break down the stigma that people experiencing addiction often face. You can learn more about our national #StigmaKills campaign here.