Deaths from alcohol misuse in Sheffield rising every year due to “decimated” support services

A local charity has said too many lives have “needlessly” been lost due to alcohol.

The death rate is rising faster in Sheffield than it is in South Yorkshire, or in the UK as a whole.

19.8 per 100,000 deaths in the city region were directly attributable to alcohol in 2020-22, significantly higher than the English average of 13.8.

Vicki Beere, CEO of drug and alcohol recovery service Project 6, said: “We have lost far too many people needlessly.

“Austerity measures have decimated the ecosystem of the sector”.

Project 6 saw referrals to its Sheffield centre triple during the first lockdown.

Elise Grehan, deputy director of operations at the service, said: “Just as people were experiencing the negative psychological effect of lockdown, access to support became more difficult as services struggled to provide the same level of support online.”

The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on April 22, shows a sharp spike in alcohol-specific deaths during the pandemic.

Alcohol-specific deaths are those which are wholly attributable to health conditions caused by alcohol misuse, such as alcoholic liver disease.

The rate of these deaths reduced slightly after 2020, but the overall upward trend has persisted since ONS began data collection in 2001.

Ms Grehan puts this down partly to government funding cuts to addiction services.

She said: “The drug and alcohol [recovery] sector has been severely impacted by a decade of austerity and cuts. 

“New funding has been made available and is very welcome, but it will take time to see the impact of this investment as services continue to recover from underfunding.”

Demand for Project 6’s services has remained higher than pre-pandemic, particularly among young people and over-45s. 

Between 2020-2022, more people died as a direct result of alcohol in Sheffield (294) than in other much larger cities, including Manchester (239) and Liverpool (280).

Ms Grehan added: “Despite the increased number of people accessing our services, we know there are many individuals and communities still facing barriers to treatment. 

“Stigma continues to play a huge role in stopping people from accessing an alcohol support service. People fear judgement from friends, family and colleagues and the shame of admitting there is a problem means many simply never get in touch.”

“Comprehensive prevention and education, especially for young people, are the most powerful tools we have in talking about-alcohol related deaths in our communities.”

Alcohol-specific deaths and alcohol-attributable deaths are recorded separately by the ONS. 

Alcohol-attributable deaths caused by conditions made more likely by alcohol but which could occur without it, such as heart disease or some cancers.

If you are worried about your alcohol use and would like to speak to someone, please contact Project 6’s Sheffield centre by emailing [email protected], calling 0114 258 7553 or visiting https://project6.org.uk/sheffield/.