The number of people dying from alcohol-related causes rose by nearly 40 per cent from 5,287 in 1999 to 7,341 last year, figures obtained by the Conservative MP James Brokenshire, a shadow Home Office minister, show.
Number of deaths each year in the UK, around 600,000. Alcohol mortality has thus risen from just under 1% of all deaths to just over 1% of all deaths.
The Department of Health said that alcohol “is one of the most challenging public health issues we face”.
No it isn’t you lying little shit.
Bog off.
7 responses so far ↓
1 john b // Jul 9, 2009 at 10:05 am
…and a sizeable amount of money says that the apparent rise is entirely or primarily due to a change in the way that they’re accounted for (e.g. carrying out posthumous booze tests on a higher % of accident victims, or similar).
2 The Remittance Man // Jul 9, 2009 at 10:49 am
Number of deaths each year in the UK, around 600,000
Actually I think it’s closer to 800,000 (60 million divided by average lifespan of 75 years). It’s still less than 1% of all deaths.
The lying little shit can still bog off though, just with knobs on.
3 Rob // Jul 9, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Wasn’t it 10% last week? Any wonder why no-one believes them?
4 David Gillies // Jul 9, 2009 at 4:33 pm
If you wander out pissed into the middle of the road and get hit by a bus, that’s an alcohol-related death. If you’re just an absent-minded twat who isn’t looking where he’s going and get hit by a bus, it’s not.
This area is one of the few where johnb and I see eye-to-eye. It is risible to think that there has been a change in Britain’s drinking habits in 12 years sufficiently large to cause a 40% increase in the death rate. It is obviously a statistical artefact, on a par with the idea that it’s kids magically getting cleverer and teachers magically becoming more competent that explains GCSE results, rather than unabashed jiggery-pokery with how you measure things. Trouble is, that self-same dumbing down by the schools has left us with a mass of people with broken bullshit detectors.
5 john b // Jul 9, 2009 at 4:53 pm
@DG indeed (nine rather than 12 years, but that doesn’t really matter). Although I’m sceptical that either the populace or journalists ever had much understanding of statistrickery and its abuse – cf from 1954…
6 Mark Wadsworth // Jul 9, 2009 at 6:48 pm
This is excellent news! A week ago, it was claimed that five per cent of all deaths (in Scotland) were alcohol-related, so we’re back down to 1.5 per cent*
* Number of registered deaths in the UK was 509,090 in 2008.
7 Monty // Jul 9, 2009 at 8:15 pm
I would also like to know how they define attribution in these cases. Personally, if I snuff-it at the age of 100 after a wild all-night party with booze, fags, chips, (got to have chips), and a bit of a larkabout with a loaded gun, I don’t have a problem with that.
The information the public want to know, is how many premature deaths are being caused, which would not have happened without the target stimulus (whether that be smoking, alcohol, obesity, exposure to radon etc).
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