Alcohol: what is a problem?
Alcohol: The Facts
- Alcohol is the most widely abused drug in Britain.
- Deaths in England and Wales caused by alcohol-related disease have doubled in the last 20 years.
- The year 2001 showed the highest percentage increase in alcohol-related disease for any year since 1979.
- The death rate for those aged 25 - 44 has tripled since 1979.
- Higher levels of alcohol consumption are consistently found amongst the unemployed and homeless.
- 30% of divorces, 40% of domestic violence and 20% of child abuse cases are associated with alcohol misuse.
- 65% of suicide attempts are associated with excessive drinking.
- 725,000 hospital admissions for mental and behavioural disorders are due to alcohol including 31,300 for alcohol dependence syndrome.
- The BMA estimate that either the offender or victim has been drinking in 65% of homicides, 75% of stabbings, 70% of beatings and 50% of fights or domestic assaults.
- Almost a million children live in a home where one or both parents drink excessively.
- 21% of children aged 11 to 15 drink alcohol regularly and the amount they consume has almost doubled in 10 years.
- Arrests for drunken behaviour peak at age 18.
Alcohol: Causes of Addiction
The development of effective treatment is partly
dependent on identifying the causes of addiction. Therefore it is essential to investigate what makes someone develop a problem. Research shows that a complex interaction between forces such as availability and price of alcohol, genetic characteristics, and life experiences are all implicated in
alcohol addiction. Countries where
alcohol is more available have higher rates of alcoholism.
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