Led by researchers at UCL and the University of Sheffield, the study analysed Office for National Statistics (ONS) data surrounding deaths caused solely by alcohol in England, finding that death rates were stable between 2009 and 2019, but increased by a fifth in 2020 and then rose by a further 13.5% between 2020 and 2022.
The latest ONS figures from 2023, though not analysed by the new study, show alcohol deaths continuing to rise to 8,274.
The team estimated that an additional 3,911 people in England died solely because of alcohol between 2020 and 2022 than would have been the case if pre-pandemic trends had continued.
The study, which was published in Lancet Public Health, has called for an immediate response from the UK Government to arrest the trend.
“The sharp increase in alcohol deaths during the pandemic was no flash in the pan – the higher rate has persisted and is getting worse each year,” said lead author Dr Melissa Oldham.
“It is an acute crisis, and urgent action is needed to prevent further avoidable deaths. This includes substantial investment in health services to better detect and treat liver disease as well as policies to reduce alcohol consumption in the population as a whole, such as minimum unit pricing and advertising restrictions.”
The largest increases were among men, people from deprived areas and those aged 50 to 69. The main cause was a steep rise in liver damage caused by alcohol, while deaths from acute causes such as alcohol poisoning also increased.
In the paper the researchers said the increase in liver disease deaths may be partly explained by an increase in drinking among heavier drinkers and by more frequent binge drinking, as well as reduced access to health services during the pandemic and reduced treatment seeking.
Persistent higher alcohol death rates since the pandemic have also been reported in Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Australia and the United States, but the researchers explained that it is unclear why changes in alcohol consumption at the start of the pandemic have persisted.
Senior author Professor Colin Angus added: “The increase in alcohol deaths is entrenching existing health inequalities, with large absolute increases among men and among people from deprived areas. Men, just as before the pandemic, are twice as likely to die because of alcohol compared to women, with almost three times as many additional alcohol-specific deaths in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived.”
The researchers received funding from the Society for the Study of Addiction, Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research.
