Alcohol abuse on the rise

Published: 23 July, 2008

Alcohol-related hospital admissions have risen sharply in the past five years, new figures show.

Figures from an NHS report, due to be released tomorrow, were published in the Observer and showed the number of men admitted to hospital across the country had risen by more than 27%. Female admissions increased by almost 29%.

The north east had the highest number of admissions per 100,000 of the population and it is estimated that more than 353,000 people across England were taken to hospital in 2005-06 because of drink-related incidents.

Nine out of 10 areas with the highest rates of admissions caused by excess alcohol were in the north with Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough in the top five for both men and women.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, told the Observer: "Together with other evidence, such as the growing number of children admitted to hospital because of drink, these data show that we have a serious alcohol problem in the country and measures to date haven't had any discernible effect".

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