Dry January: thousands admitted to hospital last year with an alcohol related condition

Alcohol poisoning, liver cancer, heart disease, tremors — alcohol misuse can cause a myriad of health problems.

Exacerbated by the lockdown and the Christmas period, many of us will be guilty of drinking a bit more than normal too.

Now with Covid-19 putting an unprecedented strain upon hospitals, health experts are urging drinkers to cut back on the booze this year and reduce the risks to their health and well being.

When drinking becomes a problem

Analysis by the JPIMedia Data Unit reveals every region in England saw a rise in the number of alcohol related hospital admissions between 2014/15 and 2018/19. 

Figures from Public Health England show there were over 350,000 hospital admissions in 2018/19 — the equivalent of nearly 7,000 every week.

Despite tougher restrictions on alcohol sales, including minimum pricing, hospitals in Scotland are also treating thousands of patients with alcohol related conditions.

The latest figures from Public Health Scotland show over 23,000 patients were admitted to hospital with an alcohol related condition in 2019/20. That number has remained relatively stable over the last five years.

In Northern Ireland there were more than 2,500 hospital admissions with an alcohol related condition in 2019/20. There has been a 4.1% drop in the number of admissions since 2015/16.

Why you should cut back on booze

Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of the charity Alcohol Change UK, said hospital admissions related to alcohol “continue to remain far too high”.