Over 1,500 years of life lost in alcohol-related deaths in Portsmouth in 'devastating' statistics

This comes after the number of people who passed away from drinking-connected deaths soared across England during the Covid-19 pandemic. Office for Health and Improvement Disparities figures show premature deaths – due to alcohol-related conditions – led to a potential 1,575 years of life being lost in Portsmouth in 2020.

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Of these, 64 per cent (1,008) were among men and 36 per cent (567) in women. Across England, 293,980 years of life were lost due to alcohol-related conditions in males in 2020.

This fell to 138,060 years among females, though both are at their highest level since records began in 2016.

This is calculated by multiplying the total number of alcohol-related deaths occurring at each age by the number of remaining years left to live, according to life expectancy estimates. These include deaths from conditions such as alcoholic liver disease, heart disease and various forms of cancer.

Karen Tyrell, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: ‘These statistics are absolutely devastating, each number masking an individual family tragedy.

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‘We also know that the heaviest drinkers drank more during the pandemic, and warning signs were missed as people saw each other less and were less able to access support. This created a perfect storm and we are now seeing the consequences.’

Office for National Statistics figures show 1,064 people in the South East died from alcohol-specific causes – up from 828 in 2019 and also a record. The Department for Health and Social Care said they are taking action to support ‘those most at risk’.