North tops table for alcoholics in need of drug help

Numbers of prescriptions issued for two drugs to treat drink dependency went up by 12 per cent in England to more than 150,000 in 2009.

On average 27 prescriptions were issued per 10,000 people in England for alcohol dependency but this rose to 36 per 10,000 in Yorkshire, 43 per 10,000 in the North East and 47 per 10,000 in the North West at a total cost of 2.4 million across the country.

The prescription increase – a 46 per cent rise on 2003 – further underlines growing concern about the worsening health and social impact of alcohol, with binge-drinking significantly worse in Yorkshire among both men and women.

Chris Sorek, chief executive of the charity Drinkaware, said: "You don't have to be dependent on alcohol to be drinking at levels that put your health at risk.

"More than one in five men and over one in 10 women are technically binge-drinking once a week and they probably don't even realise.

"It's shocking to discover that alcohol-related deaths are again on the increase – and, with a rise in prescription items dispensed to treat drink dependency, it's vital now, more than ever, that we act to educate people on the effects of drinking too much before more people come to harm."

In 2008 there were 6,769 alcohol-related deaths, up 24 per cent from 2001. Of these, 4,400 were due to alcoholic liver disease.

Two thirds of people surveyed in 2008 in Yorkshire had drunk alcohol in the previous seven days.

Some 25 per cent of adults had binged on alcohol on at least one day in the previous week in the region, the highest rate in the country, compared with 18 per cent on average in England.

Twice as many women binged in Yorkshire at a rate of 21 per cent compared with the West Midlands and East of England at only 11 per cent.

Around 29 per cent of men binged in the region compared with 19 per cent in the Midlands.

Drinkaware yesterday published research claiming the average person goes to work in Yorkshire suffering from the effects of too much alcohol three times a month, with 70,000 working with a hangover on average each day.

One in 10 people with a hangover have to leave work early because they are too ill to carry on. It warns the impact of excessive drinking could take a greater toll with the World Cup looming.

Concerns over alcohol misuse have prompted the new coalition government to pledge to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price. The measure would stop retailers from running loss leader promotions on lager, wine and alcopops. Some supermarkets currently sell beer for less than 17p a pint – lower than the price of bottled water or milk.

Ministers also plan to review alcohol taxation and pricing and strengthen licensing powers by allowing councils to charge more for late-night licences to pay for additional policing.

Supermarket giant Tesco has backed tighter price controls but others groups remain opposed.

Simon Litherland, managing director of Diageo GB, which makes beers, wines and spirits, said: "While alcohol misuse remains a serious issue in Britain, these figures not only show that overall alcohol consumption continues to fall, but that there is clear progress in raising awareness and tackling misuse among target groups.

"The number of people binge drinking, drinking under age and exceeding Government guidelines have all fallen – clear signs of the early success of campaigns by Government and industry."