State of the South West 2008

Alcohol Consumption

8.19 Epidemiological studies have shown alcohol to be associated with certain types of cancers, cardiovascular disease, and to be closely linked with mental illness, suicide, accidents, violence and crime.

8.20 Alcohol consumption accounts for 10% of disease burden, surpassed only by tobacco and blood pressure (Alcohol Needs Assessment Research Project 2004). Patterns of drinking, as well as volume consumed, determine the harm caused by alcohol.

8.21 The General Household Survey showed that, in 2005, 22% of women in the South West drank above recommended daily limits on at least one day in the week prior to the survey - 2% higher than the 20% for England. For men, the figure was 33% -  4% lower than 2004 and 1% lower than the 34% for England.

8.22 Between 2002 and 2005 the percentage of South West adults drinking more than recommended daily limits fell by 5% for men and for 1% for women (General Household Survey 2005). However, care needs to taken in interpreting regional results for any one year due to sample size considerations. Approximately one in five men (19%) and one in ten women (8%) in the South West drink heavily (see table).

8.23 The Institute of Alcohol Studies estimate that alcohol plays a part in half of all violent crimes and impacts on physical, mental and sexual health. The Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moore’s University and the North West Public Health Observatory recently produced online profiles of alcohol-related harm for every local authority in England. The South West is estimated to have had one of the lowest violent crime rates attributable to alcohol (6.29 per 100,000 population) in 2005/06, a significantly lower rate than that estimated for England (7.33 per 100,000 population) over the same period. However, rates higher than that for England were estimated in several Local Authority areas, most notably in Bristol, Bournemouth and Gloucester.