“Wine o’clock culture is killing middle aged women”, says Priory addiction expert, as alcohol-related deaths hit record high

“Wine o’clock culture is killing middle aged women”, according to a leading addiction expert at Priory, who has warned of an escalating alcohol crisis. 

New figures have revealed the highest ever numbers of alcohol related deaths. More than 10,000 people died from alcohol mis-use in 2022, according to Office for National Statistics data.

The ONS data shows a 37% rise in alcohol related deaths in women aged 50-54. People aged 50-69 are the group most likely to die from alcohol mis-use.

Priory consultant psychiatrist Dr Niall Campbell, who treats patients with addiction, says greater awareness needs to be raised about the dangers of alcohol: “Every day, I see more and more middle aged women in our alcohol addiction services. This is a generation which is drowning in Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a serious cultural issue. Women are drinking earlier, and more.

“Alcohol use is ingrained in our society, so people often don’t take the risks seriously enough, but addiction is insidious, it creeps up on you.

“The rise of alcohol free drinks has created the false impression that we’re more conscious of the harms of alcohol, and that we’re drinking less. But this is not true. As a nation we’re drinking far more alcohol than ever before. The consequences are escalating. I’m very worried.

“For many, alcohol becomes a problem when it is used to self-medicate anxiety issues. It turns from being a social activity that you do with others, to something more habitual that you do on your own. Wine o’clock gradually turns into wine-around-the-clock.

“We saw a significant rise in this kind of drinking during the pandemic, and that has never returned to pre-pandemic ‘normal’ levels. It is a crisis.”

Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health, adult social care and addition rehabilitation services.

The ONS reports that between 2012 and 2019, rates of alcohol-specific deaths in the UK had remained stable, with no statistically significant changes in the age-standardised rate. In 2022, there were 10,048 deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record. The number recorded in 2022 was 4.2% higher than in 2021 (9,641 deaths) and 32.8% higher than in 2019 (7,565 deaths), the last pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic year.

Dr Campbell, who supports patients at Priory Hospital Roehampton in London, says the problem is even worse than the figures indicate.

“Alcohol related deaths are grossly under-reported, for a variety of reasons,” says Dr Campbell: “We tend to know about deaths by liver failure, and record them as alcohol-related, but when somebody falls under a bus because they were drinking at breakfast, we aren’t recording the underlying cause of death. 10,000 tragic deaths a year is way too high, but it is just the tip of the iceberg.”

ENDS

Contact: [email protected]

About Priory and MEDIAN

Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services. Priory treats more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across its nationwide network of sites. Priory also supports autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.

Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, the leading European provider of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises: Priory in the UK with 290 facilities and 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people, MEDIAN in Germany with 120 facilities and 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients, and Hestia in Spain with 15 facilities and 2,100 beds caring for 11,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees across the group.