The State of the Nation

Just over a quarter of adults aged 16 to 74 are hazardous drinkers, says Alcohol Concern in its annual State of the Nation report. The highest proportion (42 per cent) of these is aged 16 to 24 years. "This means that in the last year one in four adults will have experienced immediate problems as a result of their drinking, such as loss of memory after a night's drinking, injuries to themselves or another, failure to do what was expected of them, such as turning up for work the morning after."

The State of the Nation says that 1 person in 13 is dependent on alcohol in Britain - twice as many as are hooked on illegal drugs and prescription drugs.

Alcohol Concern emphasizes the burden placed on the National Health Service by alcohol. It accounts for twelve per cent of all Accident and Emergency attendances, with 6.8 per cent of this group having attended more than once. The two-month study at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, cited in the State of the Nation, assessed every admission to see if alcohol was involved.

Nationally, the number of non-fatal alcohol-related home accidents increased from 13,262 in 1990 to 33,345 in 1998 and to 35,757 in 1999, an increase of 169 per cent. The number of non-fatal alcohol-related leisure accidents increased from 33,266 in 1990 to 71,050 in 1998 and to 78,135 in 1999, an increase of 134 per cent.

Furthermore, one in six of all people killed on the roads, and one in seventeen people injured, are involved in drink-drive accidents. At the same time, the number of drink-drive accidents has risen over the last few years - from 10,100 in 1998 to 11,780 in 2000 and to 12,030 in 2001 - a 19 per cent rise. As far as the number of alcohol-related fatalities on the roads are concerned, these rose from 460 in 1999 to 520 in 2000 and fell in 2001 to 480 - but this still gives a 4 per cent rise since 1999. The number of casualties has also increased over the last three years from 15,590 in 1998 to 18,030 in 2000 and to 18,420 in 2001 (a 18 per cent rise). (All figures for 2001 are provisional).

The alarming statistics pile up as Alcohol Concern's report progresses. The cumulative effect of bringing them all together in the State of the Nation stresses the magnitude of the problem as the Government's Policy Unit works towards a national Alcohol Strategy for England and Wales. The report, for instance, shows that about 920,000 children are living in a home where one or both parents misuse alcohol. Childcare and social work teams estimate that at least 50 per cent, and up to 90 per cent, of parents on their caseload have alcohol, drug or mental health problems, or a combination.

The situation among youth continues to deteriorate. 11-15 year olds who drink alcohol consumed nearly twice as much in 2001 (9.8 units a week) as they did in 1990 (5.3 units a week). In 2001, nearly one fifth (19 per cent) of 11 to 16 year olds drank alcohol at least once a week. Drinking is more widespread among older adolescents with nearly half of 15 to 16 year olds drinking at least once a week.

One in eight (13 per cent) of pupils excluded from school were suspended for drinking. Excluded adolescents are more likely to drink regularly than school pupils, with 28 per cent drinking at least once a week, compared to 19 per cent of those in school. Given the relative time available to these two groups, it is perhaps more worrying that the figure among those actually attending school.

How do underage young people acquire alcohol so easily? A survey of young people found that there were a number of sources: 48 per cent are given alcohol by their parents, 29 per cent get alcohol from a friend's house, 23 per cent get someone older to buy it for them and 18 per cent buy it in a shop or off-licence. As with adults' drinking, there are regional differences in young people's drinking habits. The table below shows the percentage of 11 to 16 year olds in each region that drank at least once a week:

Again, like adults, young people's drinking habits impinge on other spheres of activity and cause problems. Another survey quoted in the State of the Nation and carried out among 14 to 20 year olds found that 20 per cent of young men and 13 per cent of young women cited alcohol as a main reason for first sex. The figures are particularly interesting in that many people might have assumed that the proportion was higher among girls.

A comparative European study of drinking among 15 to16 year olds showed that the UK has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in Europe. Sixteen per cent of this age group had drunk at least ten times in the previous month, 56 per cent had engaged in binge-drinking (over 5 units of alcohol) on a single occasion in the previous month and 30 per cent had engaged in binge drinking at least three times in the same period.

The report moves on to crime. In 40 per cent of violent crimes, victims say that the perpetrators were under the influence of alcohol. A study looking at rates of drunkenness among 169 people arrested and brought into city centre custody suites overnight showed that 59 per cent were assessed as being intoxicated and about 75 per cent told custody staff they had been drinking. Of those drunk when arrested, 60 per cent were taken into custody for alcohol-specific offences, such as being drunk and disorderly or drink driving). A further 20 per cent were arrested for public order offences and 12 per cent for assault.

The report notes that many prisoners have problems with alcohol. Among sentenced prisoners, 63 per cent of males and 39 per cent of females drank at hazardous levels in the year before imprisonment. This compares to 38 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women in the general population. Use of alcohol and drugs is a major issue among young offenders, with over 50 per cent of female and 66 per cent of male prisoners aged between 16 and 20 having a hazardous drinking habit before imprisonment. Furthermore, 58 per cent of prisoners released in 1997 were re-convicted within two years of these, 38 per cent received another prison sentence. Research shows that alcohol and drug misuse are significant factors in re-offending.

The cost to the nation of these diverse problems associated with alcohol is immense, says Alcohol Concern. It is estimated that alcohol misuse costs between two per cent and five per cent of a country's annual gross national product. Taking the lowest estimate of two per cent and a GNP for England of £542,700 million for 1999, Alcohol Concern calculates that alcohol misuse costs England at least £10.8 billion that year.

Individual UK studies show that alcohol misuse costs the NHS between 2 per cent and 12 per cent of total NHS expenditure on hospitals – in other words up to £3 billion a year on hospital services. A further £3 billion a year is lost to employers in sickness and absenteeism at work, premature deaths, accidents and alcohol-related crime.

All these surveys, figures, and estimates beg the question of what the Government is doing about the problem. Just over £1 million is spent on alcohol prevention and treatment - compared to £91.45 million on illicit drugs.

According to a MORI poll, over 80 per cent of the public agree that "the government does not do enough to highlight the risks of drinking alcohol". 58.2 per cent either "strongly agree" or "tend to agree" with the statement that "alcohol misuse is a more serious social problem than drug abuse' and 80.2 per cent either "strongly agree" or "tend to agree" that "the Government does not do enough to highlight the risks of drinking alcohol".

And eventually we might have a national alcohol strategy.