What is alcohol misuse and how can we prevent it?
Author: RSPH 02 August 2024 1 min read
Here's how we can support alcohol misuse prevention and reduction.
What is alcohol misuse?
Alcohol misuse is when you drink in a way that's harmful, or when you're dependent on alcohol.
It is one of the biggest risk factors for death, ill-health and disability among 15-49 year-olds in the UK, and costs the NHS an estimated £3.5 billion every year in England alone.
In England there are an estimated 602,391 dependent drinkers with only 18% receiving treatment. Data shows that in 2020 there were 8,974 alcohol-specific deaths. This is a 18.6% increase in deaths from 2019.
A report from Alcohol Change UK states that over two-thirds of local authorities have cut their funding for alcohol support services, some by more than 50%, over the last few years.
Change doesn’t just happen overnight. Multiple factors influence attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol, and there are many ways that behaviour change can be influenced and supported.
How can I support someone to change their behaviour around alcohol?
To support someone to change their behaviour around alcohol, you must understand the things that influence them to misuse alcohol. This could be anything from social to economic reasons. You nust also undersrand the personal and social consequences of alcohol misuse - from the financial implications, to the effects that it has on family and friends. Finally, you must know how to provide help and support the individual. This could include signposting to further support services.
Take a qualification or course
You can find out more about how to support behaviour change towards alcohol through a qualification like our Level 2 Award in Understanding Alcohol Misuse.
One of our recent learners supported their daughter through alcohol recovery and now better understands how painful and difficult it must have been for her daughter to detox.
Inspire Ignite
The training was very useful for not only understanding alcohol misuse but the integration of an attendee from a local alcohol service, helped me know how to apply the knowledge. I can signpost to local services.
Learner, Level 2 Award in Understanding Alcohol Misuse
What public health interventions could help reduce alcohol harm in the UK?
Public health interventions like improved labelling of alcohol products and minimum unit pricing could also contribute to the reduction of alcohol harm in the UK. At RSPH, we have been calling for these policy changes to be enacted by the Government.