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National Statistics
Publication, Part of

Statistics on Alcohol: England, 2006

Official statistics, National statistics
Publication Date:
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Clinical Commissioning Groups, Ambulance Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Regions
Date Range:
01 Apr 2005 to 31 Mar 2006

Summary

This statistical bulletin presents a range of information on alcohol use and misuse; drawn together from a variety of sources.

The topics covered include drinking among adults and school children, drinking in pregnancy, alcohol related crime, drinking related ill health and mortality, economic costs associated with alcohol as well as a summary of government plans and targets in this area.

Highlights

  • In England in 2004, 74 per cent of men and 59 per cent of women reported drinking an alcoholic drink on at least one day in the week prior to interview. Fifteen per cent of men and 8 per cent of women reported drinking on every day in the previous week
  • Thirty-nine per cent of men and 22 per cent of women had drunk more than the recommended number of units on at least one day in the week prior to interview
  • Older people were more likely to drink regularly - 30 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women aged 45-64 drank on five or more days in the week prior to interview compared to 8 per cent of men and 5 per cent of women aged 16-24. Younger people were more likely to drink heavily, with 48 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women aged 16-24 drinking above the daily recommendations compared to 19 per cent of men and 5 per cent of women aged 65 and over
  • In the UK in 2004, 61 per cent of people reported that they had heard of the government guidelines on alcohol intake. Of these people, more than a third (36 per cent) said that they did not know what the recommendations were
  • In 2005, 22 per cent of pupils in England aged 11-15 reported drinking alcohol in the week prior to interview; the proportion doing so has fluctuated around this level since the mid 1990s. Average weekly consumption almost doubled between 1990 (5.3 units) and 2000 (10.4 units), fluctuating around this level since then
  • In the UK in 2000, 30 per cent of mothers who drank before pregnancy reported giving up drinking during pregnancy. Those mothers who continued to drink during pregnancy reported drinking very little, with 71 per cent consuming less than 1 unit of alcohol a week, on average
  • In 2004/05, there were around 35,600 NHS hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol.

Resources

Last edited: 11 April 2018 5:21 pm