BOOZE DEATHS AT RECORD HIGH

BOOZING is killing more Brits than ever before.

Alcohol was directly linked to the deaths of 9,214 people in the UK in 2016.

That was up 5% on the previous year and twice as many as in 1994.

Men from Scotland and the northeast are the most likely to die from their drinking habit.

Data from the Office for National Statistics also shows many more men than women are killed by their boozing.

There were 6,070 men whose deaths were attributable to alcohol, compared with 3,144 women.

Where you live also has a significant effect on how likely you are to die from booze. The numbers include cases where people have died from ailments, such as alcoholic liver disease, which are directly related to their drinking.

Experts believe many more people die from secondary consequences of their drinking – such as a fall or an accident – or general health problems made worse by drinking.

The highest death rate was in Scotland where 33.9 men died per 100,000. Next highest was north-east England on 27.

For men, the lowest death rate was in the east of England where 14.2 per 100,000 died. For women the lowest death rate was in London where it was just 6.5. Scotland was the worst place for female alcoholrelated deaths with a rate of 14.1. In Northern Ireland and north-west England the rate was 13.6. Experts say that in England alone more than one million hospital admissions annually are related to drinking.

The cost to the NHS has been put at £3.5billion per year.

Andrew Misell, a director at Alcohol Concern, said: “The figures highlight the huge impact excessive drinking has on the nation’s health.

“It’s clear alcohol-related deaths are proportionately higher in more deprived regions, despite alcohol consumption often being less in those areas than in more affluent parts of the country.

“It’s likely that many other factors – such as poor housing or diet – are leaving people more vulnerable to alcohol-related harm.

“Evidence from around the world indicates that the price of alcohol is a big factor – the cheaper alcohol is, the more of it gets consumed.”