Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic - London

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BMA Board of Science
Box 3 – summary data on alcohol-related hospital admissions in England and
Scotland
England:
the number of NHS hospital admissions of adults aged 16 and over with a primary or
secondary diagnosis specifically related to alcohol more than doubled from 89,280 in
1995/96 to 187,640 in 2005/06
in 2005/06, the most common causes for admission for adults aged 16 and over, where
alcohol was specifically related to the primary or secondary diagnosis, were mental and
behavioural disorders due to alcohol consumption (139,680), alcoholic liver disease (39,180)
and toxic effect of alcohol (25,210)
the number of NHS hospital admissions of children under 16 with a primary or secondary
diagnosis specifically related to alcohol rose from 3,870 in 1995/96 to 5,280 in 2005/06
in 2005/06, the most common causes for admission for children aged under 16, where
alcohol was specifically related to the primary or secondary diagnosis, were mental and
behavioural disorders (4,360) and toxic effect of alcohol (940). 40
Scotland:
in 2005/06, there were 39,061 alcohol-related general hospital discharges, of which
381 were children aged under 15
there was an overall increase of 7 per cent in alcohol-related discharge rates from
Scottish general hospitals between 2000/01 and 2005/06
in 2005/06, mental and behavioural diagnoses accounted for 64 per cent (24,869) of all
discharges, while alcoholic liver disease and toxic effect of alcohol accounted for 15 per
cent (6,016) and 10 per cent (3,723) respectively
in children under 15 years, the most common cause of alcohol-related discharge in 2005/06
was mental and behavioural diagnoses (260), followed by toxic effect of alcohol (77). 12
Alcohol-related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour
Alcohol misuse, particularly the pattern of binge drinking and the frequency of getting drunk, is
associated with a wide range of crimes, disorders and anti-social behaviours. 54
Alcohol-related
crime and disorder significantly impacts on quality of life, both directly through the effects of
physical or sexual assault, or indirectly through the impact on the urban infrastructure (eg broken
glass, noise and litter). 8
There are two main categories of offences associated with alcohol-related
crime and disorder:
alcohol-defined offences such as drunkenness offences or driving with excess alcohol (see
page 42 for further information on driving and road safety)
offences in which alcohol consumption was a contributory factor in the committing of an
offence, usually where the offender was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Examples of offences which are often committed by people under the influence include
physical and sexual assault, breach of the peace, criminal damage and other public order
offences.
Alcohol consumption is also strongly associated with anti-social behaviour, particularly at
54, 76, 77
weekends, in both urban and rural environments. Anti-social behaviour can be defined as
acting ‘in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress’ 78
and includes
activities such as nuisance and rowdy behaviour, noise disturbance, street drinking and begging,
littering, and intimidation or harassment.
Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic