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Death from alcohol abuse on rise in women

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Two females drink wine in a central London pub

THE NUMBER OF women dying from alcohol abuse has nearly doubled in fifteen years, new figures show.

Death from drinking in women aged between 35 and 54 has rocketed to almost twice the level in the early 1990s, attributed to the growing booze culture and binge-drinking in Britain.

Approximately 14 women in 100,000 in this age group die from alcohol-related conditions, such as liver failure.

The figures were released by the Office for National Statistics fuelling fears that the open-all-hours law introduced two years ago is now affecting the UK's health statistics.

Alcohol is responsible for the deaths of more than 8,000 men and women a year, compared with only 4,000 in 1991.

It is also to blame for taking an average of seven months off the life of every man and woman and prompts more than half a million hospital admissions every year.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians said: 'Alcohol is our favourite drug. It is around 24 hours a day and to turn the tide of rising health harm, we are going to need some action on price, promotions, availability and advertising.' (22 October 2007)