Some facts about alcohol

• In England, 2.9 million people (7%) of the adult population have a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.
• The proportion of males drinking more than 50 units per week is 7.1%.
• Rates are 3 x higher in men than women.
• Heaviest drinkers tend to be men in their late teens or twenties.
• Rates are increased in homeless people and those living in institutions such as prison.
• Certain occupations are at increased risk. These include: chefs, barmen, brewery workers, executives and salesmen, actors and entertainers, seamen and journalists and doctors.
• Risk is increased in those with a family history of alcohol related disorder.
• Rates of alcohol misuse are increased in those who self medicate for chronic pain.
• Co morbidity with other mental illnesses is very common, especially the following conditions:
  • Anxiety Disorder.
  • Depressive illness.
  • Bipolar Affective Disorder.
  • Personality Disorder.
  • Drug abuse.
  • Phobias.
  • Panic disorder.
  • Schizophrenia.

• Alcohol dependence is often characterised by periods of remission and relapse, but a third of people manage to recover without professional intervention.
• Roughly two thirds of people receiving treatment show some improvement in their pre-treatment condition.
• Alcohol misuse is associated with social deprivation. A 1997 census of people seeking treatment for alcohol dependency showed that 36% were receiving sickness benefits, 31% were unemployed, and 18% were either homeless or in temporary accommodation.
• The onset of chronic complications of alcohol predicts a poor prognosis.