Ministers told to get a grip amid boom in alcoholism treatment

The number of drugs handed out in England to help alcoholics achieve abstinence or to help prevent them from relapsing increased from 102,741 in 2003 to 178,247 in 2012, the Health an d Social Care Information (HSCIC) said.

HSCIC data also show that the number of hospital admissions related to drinking has more than doubled in the same period.

In 2011/12, there were 1,220,300 hospital admissions in England attributed to drinking – a sharp increase from 2002/03, when the figure stood at 510,700.

Men accounted for 63 per cent of the admissions in 2011/12, the HSCIC said.

For every 100,000 people in England, 2,298 were admitted to 
hospital.

However, the average figure in 
the north east of England was 3,156.

Alcohol Concern campaigns director Emily Robinson said: “These figures show that the problems caused by alcohol misuse continue to rise, which is putting an increasing strain on our NHS.

“The report highlights that the number of admissions to hospital for alcohol-related issues have risen by over 50 per cent in the last 10 years.

“The Government must get a grip and implement measures that will prevent this urgent situation from getting worse.

“The report also looks at the number of prescriptions being used to treat people with alcohol dependency.

“But the real issue is the vast numbers of people who are not getting help for their alcohol addiction.

“Alcohol Concern estimates that only one in 16 people with alcohol problems is receiving specialist help as there is just not enough treatment available.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “It’s encouraging to see that more people are getting help for problems with alcohol.

“But these figures prove that alcohol is causing harm to the health of hundreds of thousands of people and we must continue to act.

“That is why we are already improving prevention by funding
alcohol risk assessments at GPs and encouraging increased access to alcohol liaison nurses in hospitals.

“The alcohol industry has also pledged to take one billion units out of the market by 2015 and we have consulted on a range of options to tackle irresponsible practices and to strengthen local licensing powers.”