British Liver Trust calls for alcohol strategy to tackle alcohol harm
Alcohol misuse is when you are drinking in a harmful way, such as drinking over the recommended amount of units or you are dependent on alcohol. Since lockdown, 1 in 5 people in the UK reported they are drinking more frequently, this suggests that around 8.6 million UK adults are drinking more frequently.
The British Liver Trust is calling for the Government to adopt a joined up alcohol strategy to tackle the negative effects of the UK’s drinking culture and save lives. The call comes as the UK’s leading liver health charity saw an increase in calls to its nurse-led helpline during lockdown, both from people with pre-existing alcohol-related liver disease and also those who are worried that lockdown has changed their alcohol habits and they are putting their livers at risk. The charity also saw an increase in the number of alcohol-related threads on its online forum.
Since lockdown begun at the end of March, the British Liver Trust estimates that there has been a significant increase in at-home drinking as more people are staying at home. The World Health Organisation recently recommended that turning to alcohol to cope with lockdown is an ‘unhelpful coping strategy.’
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Policy at the British Liver Trust, says: “We know this is an extremely stressful time for many of us in the UK but drinking too much alcohol is not the answer. Many of us drink alcohol to relax, especially when we’re feeling stressed or unhappy, but this habit can be counterproductive.”
“Alcohol is the leading cause of liver disease in the UK and drinking more than the recommended amount significantly increases your risk of liver damage. Drinking too much alcohol can also have a negative effect on the quality of our sleep, on our mood and, of course, our physical health.
“This is a really important time to be looking after ourselves, both mentally and physically. There are lots of other, much healthier ways, to deal with stress, like taking exercise, having a relaxing bath or listening to your favourite music. Fostering healthier habits for stress management is a much better coping strategy for the long term.”
“Drinking alcohol to excess is the leading cause of liver disease and liver cancer in the UK, and more than one in five people currently drink alcohol in a way that could harm their liver.
“Cases of alcohol-related liver disease were already increasing before lockdown. We know that alcohol sales have increased by more than 20% since then and we are really concerned that we are going to be faced with an epidemic of liver disease as a result.
“We know this is an extremely stressful time for many of us in the UK, but drinking too much alcohol is not the answer. We are particularly worried about people who were already on the brink of alcohol dependence during lockdown. For them, dependence could be triggered by bereavement, job insecurity, troubled relationships or the impacts of the recession.
“Alcohol treatment services are traditionally an easy target for cuts when finances are tight. However, we know that investing £1 in these services will save £3 in the long run, as well as directly helping affected individuals, often the most vulnerable in society.
The British Liver Trust is calling for the Government to urgently adopt joined up public health measures across the UK that include addressing the affordability of alcohol through taxation, such as by creating a minimum unit price, and putting in place stronger controls on the marketing and labelling of alcohol.
The charity is also calling for more support for people who are drinking too much, including more alcohol care teams in hospitals and changing the stigma surrounding alcohol so that people ask for help at an earlier stage.
Vanessa says: “Health and economic harms from alcohol have previously mirrored changes in society - in bad times they get worse. A healthy population drives a healthy economy, and so recovery from the pandemic must focus both on the economy and on the public’s health. This is particularly important in light of the Government’s recent announcement that Public Health England will be replaced.”
The UK’s leading liver health charity, the British Liver Trust, is urging people to drink responsibly as in-store sales of alcohol rocket since lockdown began. Alcohol misuse increases a person’s risk of developing liver disease, which is the biggest killer of 35 to 49-year olds in the UK.
Data released by the Office of National Statistics revealed that in-store sales of alcohol in March 2020[i] were 31% higher in terms of volume sales than in March 2019, following the closure of pubs and restaurants.
Alcohol consumption in the UK has increased over the past five decades, which has shifted from moderate strength beer sold in pubs to strong lager, cider, wine and spirits sold in supermarkets to be drunk at home.
The British Liver Trust recommends that people drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (the government guidelines) and have two to three consecutive alcohol-free days each week.
By drinking responsibly, it will also take pressure off the health service. Up to 70% of A&E attendances at weekends are related to alcohol – placing an additional burden on the NHS and health services, which are expected to be extremely busy over the coming months.
Vanessa says: “While it’s too early to say for sure whether alcohol-related hospital admission rates change during the virus outbreak, we can all play our part in helping the NHS by avoiding unnecessary alcohol-related A&E trips wherever possible."