For those who like statistics and other evidence based information the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report on Alcohol Treatment Services has some worrying revelations.Published in May 2023, the report focusses on the under investment in Alcohol Treatment Services. The report is only 25 pages long, but the headlines are:
- An estimated 10 million people in England regularly exceed the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines, including 1.7 million who drink at higher risk and around 600,000 who are dependent on alcohol.
- A staggering 82% of the 600,000 dependent drinkers in England are not in treatment.
- While most adults do not regularly drink to excess, according to the Health Survey for England 2021, an estimated 21% drink in a way that could risk their long-term health.
- In 2012, the Department of Health estimated the annual cost of alcohol harm to the NHS at approximately £3.5 billion and wider costs to society through health impacts, crime and lost productivity at around £21 billion
- Alcohol harm impacts not only drinkers themselves but also their families and wider communities. It is linked to over 100 illnesses, can drive mental disorder, self-harm, and suicide, and is a major cause of preventable death.