UK needs national strategy to tackle alcohol related harms
Sustained funding is needed for screening and care, but industry must also shoulder costs Alcohol is widely available and drunk by around 80% of adults in the UK. No safe level of alcohol consumption has been established,1 and the physical and mental health harms increase (at different rates) with the amount consumed.2 Alcohol is well recognised as a leading preventable cause of cancer.3 The health and social harms of alcohol are higher in socially disadvantaged groups4 despite lower rates of use than in more advantaged groups. This “alcohol harm paradox” means that alcohol consumption has the greatest detrimental effect on the most vulnerable in society and is a significant contributor to health inequalities and premature death.567 The challenges faced during the covid-19 pandemic89 resulted in an increase in the number of people drinking alcohol at increased and higher risk levels.1011 Deaths from alcohol specific causes in England also rose by 42.2% between 2019 and 2023, the highes
