Alcohol harm costs England £27.4 billion a year, new research by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has found.
In the first nationwide analysis of its kind in over 20 years, the latest figures show that there has been over a 40% increase in the cost of harm from alcohol since last calculated in 2003. Tax revenue from alcohol only raises around £12.5 billion each year, meaning it is dwarfed by the financial cost of harm.
Vanessa Hebditch, British Liver Trust Director of Communications and Policy said: “These figures are alarming, but not surprising, given that we know that over 10,000 people sadly died from alcohol-related causes 2022. 76% (7635) of these deaths were attributed to alcohol-related liver disease, an alarming 46% increase since 2012. These figures underscore the critical need for immediate action to address both the economic costs and the human costs of excessive alcohol consumption across the nation.”
More than one in five people drink to an extent that could put their liver in danger
The economic burden on the NHS now stands at £4.9 billion, enough to pay for the salaries of almost half the nurses in England.
“Year after year, we have seen steady increases in alcohol consumption, and deaths are at a record high”, said Dr Katherine Severi, IAS’s Chief Executive. “Now we have data to show that the financial cost of harm has risen too. As a country we cannot afford to sit back and do nothing. The government should develop a comprehensive alcohol strategy to tackle this rising harm, which would have a knock-on effect of reducing the financial burden too.”
For two decades the most authoritative estimate of the total cost of alcohol harm came from a 2003 study by the Cabinet Office. Growing frustration over the government’s failure to update this figure led to the Public Accounts Committee stating last year that the lack of an up-to-date estimate meant the government was “not even in a position to identify an appropriate response” to alcohol harm. IAS uses the same Cabinet Office methodology and breaks the total cost into the following categories:
- £4.91 billion cost to the NHS and healthcare in England – such as hospital admissions and ambulance call-outs.
- £14.58 billion cost to the criminal justice system, police, and wider crime and disorder.
- £5.06 billion cost to the wider economy due to lost productivity – such as people missing work or being less productive at work.
- £2.89 billion cost to social services.
TOTAL COST = £27.44bn
The figure reflects the ‘external’ cost of alcohol, demonstrating the scale of the harm drinkers impose on others. Across the population, the average cost per head of alcohol harm is £485 a year.
To tackle the harm of alcohol in the UK, the British Liver Trust is calling for the Government to deliver a comprehensive alcohol strategy. The UK needs joined-up public health measures that address the affordability, promotion, and availability of alcohol to reduce its detrimental impact. The charity is also calling for more support for people who are drinking at harmful levels and early intervention programmes for people who are not dependent but still drinking well above the Government’s recommended guideline of 14 units a week.
The region with the highest cost per head of alcohol harm was the North East, with every person contributing £562 a year. Susan Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy at the regional alcohol office Balance, said: “The North East suffers the worst alcohol harms in the country – and this impact is rising year on year for our people, our streets, our health and our economy. We need real action urgently to tackle this alcohol crisis and ensure that the prosperity of our region isn’t further compromised in the future.”
Liver doctor and Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, said: “This data is published on the same day the Health and Social Care Select Committee is hearing evidence from health experts about how to prevent alcohol harm. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals spend so much of their time treating alcohol-related harms, all of which are preventable. And with the NHS as stretched as it is, it is increasingly important that staff time is dedicated to unavoidable harms. But so much of the UK’s policymaking is in thrall to Big Alcohol, which overplays its economic contribution while underplaying the massive cost of harm. A truly responsible government would understand that tackling alcohol harm should hold primacy over the industry making money for its shareholders.”
The British Liver Trust has provided a written submission to the Health and Social Care Select Committee on alcohol harm and liver disease.
In response to the shocking new figures, IAS has called on the government to reflect on the overwhelming evidence base regarding how to reduce alcohol consumption and harm, which would help reduce its economic burden. The measures they have called for include: tackling the increasing affordability of alcohol by introducing Minimum Unit Pricing and raising alcohol duty; restricting alcohol marketing, to protect children and vulnerable groups; and empowering local leaders to control the availability of alcohol in areas with high rates of harm.