Alcohol plans not fit for purpose as drinking habits change

Plans to tackle problem drinking in England are “no longer fit for purpose” due to a significant change in drinking habits, experts have warned.

The Nuffield Trust think tank said that there is a “changing profile” of both heavy drinkers and those choosing to abstain from alcohol altogether.

It said that these changes pose challenges to alcohol treatment services and other health teams.

The 2012 national alcohol strategy focused much of its attention on binge drinking and “no longer reflects the reality of problematic drinking in England,” it said as experts called for a new strategy.

In a new briefing paper, analysts point to several figures including:

– There was a record number of deaths entirely caused by alcohol consumption in England in 2023, with 8,274 deaths attributed to conditions including alcoholic liver disease and accidental poisoning. This represents a rise of 60% between 2006 and 2023.

– A further 14,370 deaths in 2023 were from conditions caused partially by alcohol.

– Around one in 20 adults (5%) in England are deemed to be heavy drinkers – men who drink more than 50 units a week and women who drink more than 35 units.

– In 2012, people over the age of 65 made up just 12% of heavy drinkers, but by 2022, this had risen to 21%.

– Around a quarter of those aged 16 to 24 said they had not drunk alcohol in the last year, according to the latest figures.

– Despite this, the average adult in England consumed the equivalent of six pints of beer (13 units) each week in 2022.

– But men’s average weekly alcohol consumption rose to 17.6 units a week in 2022 – the highest in 10 years.

“The changing profile of drinkers in England highlights critical challenges for alcohol treatment services and the wider health system. Despite the popularity of sobriety among younger people, alcohol-specific deaths have surged in recent years,” the authors of the briefing paper wrote.

They said that the 2012 strategy focuses on binge drinking and “drunks in A&E” which “no longer reflects the reality of problematic drinking in England”.

Dr Becks Fisher, director of research and policy at the Nuffield Trust, said: “If the government is to be successful in its aim to create a more sustainable NHS through focusing on prevention rather than cure, an outdated alcohol strategy which fails to address the current reality of problem drinking among older people will not cut it.

“Getting this right is really a matter of life and death, and despite young people’s changing attitudes to alcohol, the situation is worsening over time.

“New approaches to preventing alcohol related harm and deaths need to be targeted at older people who are now on average the heaviest drinkers.”

Adam Briggs, senor policy fellow at the Health Foundation think tank, which supported the analysis, added: “The 2012 national alcohol strategy is no longer fit for purpose.

“Instead, a new approach is needed that provides long term funding for public health teams delivering alcohol treatment and recovery services alongside national action to prevent alcohol-related harm in the first place.

“This includes greater restrictions on alcohol advertising and following in the footsteps of Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland by introducing minimum unit pricing.”

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.

Published: 04/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub