Alcohol plays a direct role in over 60 diseases. This includes some cancers, heart and liver disease, as well as depression. For many, alcohol can be part of a healthy life. But, there are over 10 million people in England who drink at harmful levels.

In people aged 15 to 49; alcohol is the main risk factor for ill health, disability and early death. Since 1980, alcohol has become much cheaper for most people. In this time, alcohol sales in England and Wales have gone up by 42%. The North East suffers the highest levels of harm from alcohol.

Profile: More people come to our hospitals due to alcohol than almost anywhere else in the country. This is true for adults and young people locally. Alcohol misuse costs the North East over £1.3 billion a year. Alcohol is also a factor in more than half of all violent crime. 

To cut down on alcohol harms we need to challenge the stigma around how much we drink. We will also need to talk about how much we drink more often with our colleagues and patients. 

Get in touch; get involved

If you've got ideas and want more information about this important work or if you want to get involved in the prevention work STSFT is developing please contact the Prevention Team at stsft.prevention@nhs.net.

Alcohol Care Team & Liver Specialist Nurses

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