LEADING public health experts have raised the alarm a "catastrophic" rise in deaths caused by drinking, calling for urgent action for the government to address the "alarming trend". Deaths caused deaths caused "solely by alcohol have increased by a catastrophic 42 per cent since 2019", the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) wrote in a open letter. "Such a devastating rise in death rate has never been seen before," it said.
Members of the Alliance - which is made up of medical royal colleges, charities, treatment providers and academics - penned a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting to highlight the devastating toll of alcohol on Brits and England 's healthcare system. Some 8,274 people in England lost their lives to alcohol in 2023, the AHA said - but this is just the "tip of the iceberg" as there will have been many more deaths where alcohol was a contributing factor. The true toll is likely three times higher, it stated.
Read more on alcohol The letter also underlined how "health inequalities" affect death rates across the country, as alcohol mortality rates in the North East were more than twice as high than those in London . Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the AHA, said: “These new statistics are a stark reminder of the devastating impact alcohol takes on our society, not just in lives lost but in the shattered families and communities left behind. "Each of the 8,274 deaths in 2023 represents a life cut tragically short - a loved one whose absence leaves a void that.
