We are all drinking more – and government fear-mongering won’t stop us
Over the last year, the continual barrage of gloom and doom from the medical establishment has produced a sense of weariness and frustration among the public, writes Janet Street-Porter
We got through house arrest during the past year by drinking more. A lot more – there’s been a 20 per cent increase in the sales of booze, with beer up 31 per cent, spirits up 26 per cent and wine up by a fifth. Now, the World Health Organisation says that this increase in consumption is responsible for one in seven cancer cases in the UK and one in four globally. Even moderate drinking – an extra glass of wine a day above the recommended limit of one – can increase the risk of breast cancer by 6 per cent, according to a new study published in The Lancet.
Public Health England (PHE) confirms the detrimental effects of drink on our health, and say it is responsible for a 20 per cent increase in alcohol-related deaths since last year, with mental and behavioural problems soaring by 11 per cent. PHE says that from March 2020 to the same time this year, there was a 59 per cent rise in people admitting they were drinking more, and at “higher-risk levels”.
This rise in physical and mental health issues related to booze isn’t reflected in rapidly rising hospital admissions, because people were too scared to seek help at a time when Covid seemed out of control. Liver disease is now the second cause of death among people of working age, and the evidence indicates this will continue.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies