Researchers have found that for every £1 spent on alcohol treatment the NHS would save £3. Despite this, a staggering £100 million has been cut from drug and alcohol services in England since 2012. These cutbacks have been made by England’s councils under the instructions of the central government.
Excessive alcohol consumption can cause a wide range of alcohol-related medical conditions, which is currently costing the NHS around £3.5Billion a year. In England, the recommended safe drinking levels for both men and women are no more than 14 units of alcohol per week.
The most recent Global Drug Survey released in May 2019, highlighted that Britain is Europe’s worst binge drinkers, with respondents reporting that they binge drink 51 times a year as opposed to the average of 33 times for other countries in the EU. That’s most Brits drinking to harmful levels nearly every week of the year.
Alcohol specific deaths in the UK have also hit their highest level recorded since 2008, with 2017 recording a horrifying 7,697 people dying as a direct result of alcohol consumption.
Why England is Failing Its Problem Drinkers
England’s lack of financial input into local drug and alcohol services have resulted in a 17% rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions. Currently, in England, there are an estimated 589,101 alcohol-dependent drinkers, of whom a massive 81.7% are currently not accessing the life-saving treatment they need.
Statistics recorded by the Office of National Statistics and the NHS for 2017/2018 only emphasise the scale of the problem that England faces. The report highlights the following key points:
- In 2017 there were 5,800 alcohol-specific deaths in England; a 6% increase in 2016 and a 16% increase in 2007
- 80% of the alcohol-specific deaths in England were attributed to alcohol-related liver disease
- 21% of English people aged 16 plus, drank more than 14 units of alcohol a week
- Adults in higher-income households were more likely to drink over 14 units in a usual week
- However, alcohol-specific death rates were highest in the most deprived areas of England
No matter how you view these statistics, the fact is that alcohol-related and alcohol-specific deaths ARE preventable.
Alcohol addiction and binge drinking can be successfully arrested and treated using evidence-based treatment methods. Alcoholism can also be prevented through education and early intervention.
As funding has been pulled from England’s alcohol services, England’s alcohol problem has only gotten steadily worse. Alcohol services in England are lacking in both quantity and quality and failing in many areas of effective alcohol treatment.
As a direct result of the budget cuts, fewer problematic drinkers are engaging in local drug and alcohol services – There is less alcohol-specific treatment and help available. The alcohol help that is available falls spectacularly short in the vast majority of England’s counties.
English Alcoholics Half as Likely to Receive the Correct Help as the Rest of the UK
BBC News recently reported on a study conducted by Kings College in London. The researchers found that people with a drinking problem in England are less than half as likely to receive the right help as those who live in Scotland and Wales.
In a separate study published by the British Medical Journal earlier this year, Kings College in London found that NHS hospital admissions in England for alcohol-related conditions were approximately 20-30 times higher than official statistics suggest.
Both Scotland and Wales have invested substantial funding into their alcohol services. If England does not follow their example, the outlook is that alcohol-related hospital admissions and deaths will sadly continue to rise.
Alcohol help in England now
Whilst England’s NHS sector is unable to keep up with the treatment needs and demands of problems drinkers, private alcohol rehabs are able to facilitate immediate admissions for alcohol detox and rehabilitation.
Rehab Today by PCP specialises in the treatment of alcoholism. Our affordable alcohol rehab programmes save lives and reunite families on a daily basis.
All of our detox and rehab centres are CQC registered, highly regulated, provide excellent standards of patient care and deliver evidence-based treatment methods. Rehab Today by PCP also offer free aftercare following completion of both short term and long term alcohol treatment programmes.
As renowned and established addiction treatment experts, we have four outstanding alcohol detox and rehab clinics in England – located in London, Bedfordshire, Midlands and Essex.
Call us today for more information on how we can help you or a loved one to overcome an alcohol problem once and for all.
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