With latest data revealing that Liverpool has high rates of alcohol dependency, Director of Public Health, Professor Matthew Ashton talks about alcohol harm, the support available for those struggling and how society needs to get serious about our relationship with alcohol.
“It’s clear that alcohol plays a significant role in the lives of people in Liverpool – both positive and negative.
It can be central to so many different social, cultural and sporting occasions and with the hospitality sector central to the city’s economy – it also helps create employment opportunities.
Liverpool is just about to host the biggest party ever in May – and alcohol will definitely be flowing as part of the celebrations.
Events like Eurovision not only showcase what a fun and welcoming bunch us Scousers are, but it will also support long term recovery and economic growth.
Like many people, I like to socialise with my friends and family over a beer.
When drunk in moderation, alcohol can help people to relax – however, the way in which we now consume alcohol is changing.
Stronger alcoholic drinks, generous home measures and the availability of cheap alcohol have all resulted in people consuming more alcohol than they realise – and this is contributing negatively to our health.
During the pandemic there was an increase in the number of ‘higher risk drinkers’ – meaning people were drinking at significantly higher rates than the current guidelines.
It’s recommended that we drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across three days or more – which is around six medium glasses of wine, or six pints of low strength beer.
I definitely noticed a change during lockdown, and that I was drinking more alcohol than usual due to the added stress at work – so I now make a conscious effort to drink less, and to have days off the booze during the week.
Heaviest drinkers increased their alcohol consumption the most during the pandemic, bringing a risk of more alcohol-related health problems – and because illnesses like chronic liver disease can take years to develop, the long-term (and indirect) effect of the pandemic on alcohol harm is currently unknown.
Did you know that during 2020/21 it was estimated that around 10,000 adults in Liverpool were alcohol dependent? This is significantly above the England average.
Our rate of hospital admissions for alcohol related conditions is also one of the highest in England.
Data also tells us that the gap in life expectancy between Liverpool residents and the rest of England for alcohol related diseases like cirrhosis of the liver is now over 5% for men (and over 3% in women.)
Further analysis suggests there’s a clear relationship between alcohol-related harm and socio-economic status – and that rates of mortality and ill health is highest amongst men aged 35-55 years living in areas of highest deprivation.
But this relationship is very complex – and has come about as a result of other health inequalities or “wider determinants of health” – such as poverty and unemployment which can impact on health behaviours and outcomes.
This narrative isn’t something we’re accepting – and there’s lots of work taking place to address the harmful effects of alcohol.
Whilst most people do drink moderately – some people require specialist support to address their levels of alcohol consumption – and support is available in many different ways.
We have community support available via the Liverpool Community Alcohol Service (LCAS) – and there’s a hospital-based services which supports people in managing things like alcohol withdrawal.
As ever, the free ’12 step’ Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) programme is also widely available to people who are struggling.
Alcohol harm is significant, and we need to keep acknowledging and addressing this within our communities.
Evidence shows that making alcohol less affordable is the most effective way of reducing alcohol-related harm, and bold population-level interventions which are less reliant on the individual, and more focused on society as a whole are key.
Minimum unit pricing of alcohol in Scotland has led to successful and widespread change north of the border, so Liverpool will continue to work alongside regional and national partners in lobbying for things like this, and for alcohol pricing to be index-linked to the rate of inflation.
Understanding when drinking becomes risky can be difficult – so self-help tools like www.drinklessfeelgood.com are key in helping people to understand when their drinking is potentially problematic.
The website helps people calculate what they are drinking and includes tips on how they can lower their intake.
We do need to get serious about our relationship with alcohol – individually and collectively, because of the significant harm it does, and the resulting costs to the individual – and society.”
