Middle Aged Boozers Drink Themselves To Death
Alcohol abuse is killing more and more middle-aged boozers, reveal latest figures published today.
While teenage binge drinking makes most of the headlines, it is actually those in their thirties, forties and fifties who are more likely to drink themselves to death.
The trend is epitomised by heavy drinking TV characters such as Robbie Coltrane's Fitz in Cracker and Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison as played by Dame Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect.
And campaigners blamed cheaper booze and work stress for the massive increase in alcohol-related deaths among the middle-aged compared to other age groups.
New figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of men and women aged between 35 and 54 who died from alcohol-related illnesses almost doubled between 1991 and 2004. The death rate amongst men in that age group more than doubled, rising from 13.4 deaths per 100,000 to 29.5 over the 13 year period.
Middle-aged women are not drinking much more sensibly either, with the death rate almost doubling for them over that period, from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 to 14.2.
And the increase for men and women in this age group was sharper than any other. Although alcohol-related deaths have also risen among younger (15 to 35) and older (55 to 74) drinkers, neither group saw such a steep increase as the middle-aged.
Frank Soodeen, spokesman for Alcohol Concern, described the latest figures as "alarming".
He said: "This is very, very worrying. We are living in a culture where binge drinking has become comfortable and embedded in society. A lifetime accumulation of damage done to the body from a history of drinking is catching up with people in middle age.
"We are losing many people who are young enough to have lived a long and healthy life."
Mr Soodeen believes that cheaper alcohol prices in supermarkets and home drinking have contributed to the problem.
He said: "There are cheaper deals in the supermarkets now and people, particularly in that 35 to 54 age group, are polishing off one or two bottles of wine a night. There is more availability and more affordability than ever before."
He also pointed to work stress as a possible reason for higher alcohol consumption.
He said: "What drives people to drink is their lives. Alcohol misuse is often linked to stress, and maybe this shows the effects of the high pressures workers put themselves under."
This worrying trend is part of a general rise in the number of drink-related deaths in the UK in recent years. In 2004, there were 8,221 deaths, nearly double the 4,144 in 1991.
Mr Soodeen wants to see more Government action, adding: " There is a huge imbalance between the amount of money and effort the government wastes and how much used to provide people with information about alcohol misuse. We want to see government working harder on this."
The ONS study also shows that far more men are dying from drinking too much than women. In 2004, the rate of alcohol-related deaths for men was 17.6 per 100,000, more than twice that of women (8.3 deaths per 100,000).
And Scotland's drinkers have more cause for concern than the rest of Britain with twice as many people north of the border dying from drink-related causes than anywhere else in the UK.
However, David Poley, chief executive of The Portman Group which represents several leading alcohol producers, insisted the problem had been exaggerated, but he added: "There is a leap in the number of deaths in older men as it can take some years for prolonged, heavy drinking to take effect.
"Producers have no desire to see their drinks being used irresponsibly. The industry has invested significantly in creating the Drinkaware Trust to improve consumer awareness of the harms. This money will be used to fund educational campaigns to raise awareness of alcohol issues. It’s a big commitment by the industry."
National News
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