18.11.2019

Alcohol

Although the focus of Safer Nightlife is providing information on the safer management of illegal drug-related harms at pubs, clubs and festivals, we would of course be remiss not to include alcohol in the resource.

Those involved in selling alcohol in the hospitality industry will be familiar with the main risks associated – aggression and violence, drink driving, accidents and, occasionally, serious harm or even death to the person consuming excess alcohol, particularly when combined with legal or illegal drugs.

There are a number of reputable training courses¹ For example: Drinkaware runs e-learning around alcohol vulnerability for staff working on licensed premises. https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/work-with-us/alcohol-vulnerability-awareness-e-learning/ to help licensed premises equip their staff with both knowledge about their legal responsibilities and duties and skills such as how to refuse to sell alcohol to an intoxicated customer in a way that does not provoke a disturbance.

Alcohol-related ill health

Alcohol is a massive health issue in England. In 2017/18 (the last year for which official statistics are available²NHS Digital (2019) Statistics on Alcohol, England 2019) there were 338,000 hospital admissions where the main reason for the admission was alcohol and there were 1.2 million admissions where the primary reason for hospital admission or secondary diagnosis was linked to alcohol – one in 14 of all hospital admissions. These figures are about 15% higher than those of the previous decade. A number of people also die every year from alcohol poisoning – consuming too much alcohol on one specific occasion.

Alcohol trends

Overall, though, we are starting to consume less alcohol as a country with young people leading the way. The proportion of men and women usually drinking at levels with an increased or higher risk of harm decreased between 2011 and 2017 (from 34% to 28% of men, and from 18% to 14% of women). The proportion of men and women usually drinking over 14 units in a week varied across age groups and was most common among men and women aged 55 to 64 (36% and 20% respectively).

Young men aged 16 to 24 years old are the age band least likely to drink at “increased or higher risk of harm” levels. While for women those aged between 55 and 64 are most likely to drink at these harmful levels.

In addition, one of the main risk factors from taking illegal drugs is to combine that activity with drinking alcohol.