The COVID-19 hangover: why we need to take harm caused by alcohol seriously as an indirect effect of the pandemic

What is it about?

In the UK, changes in alcohol consumption have been one of the indirect effects of the pandemic. There has been a rise in the prevalence of increasing and higher-risk drinking, and a sharp rise in alcohol-specific deaths since spring 2020. HealthLumen's microsimulation model was used to project future rates of nine major alcohol-related diseases to 2035. Depending on future trends in alcohol consumption, the model projects there will be up to 147 892 additional cases of the nine alcohol-related diseases studied in England by 2035, with up to 9914 extra premature deaths, and additional costs to the NHS of up to £1.2 billion. These additional health problems and NHS costs are not inevitable if effective policies are put in place to prevent harm from alcohol.

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Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash

Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash