Drink deaths higher for routine jobs

OLDHAMERS working in routine jobs are at a higher risk of dying from alcohol-related disease than those in management and professional jobs.

The North-West has the highest number of deaths related to alcohol for all classes of workers.

A report from the Office for National Statistics says men across the UK in jobs classified as routine, such as van driver and labourer, are 3.5 times more likely to die from an alcohol-related disease than those in jobs such as senior government officials, company directors and medical and legal professionals.

Women in routine jobs, such as cleaners and sewing machinists, face 5.7 times the chance of dying from an alcohol-related disease than women in higher professional jobs such as doctors and lawyers.

The report releases shocking figures that reveal the number of alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales doubled between 1991 and 2008, rising from 3,415 (6.4 per 100,000 population) to 7,344 (12.4 per 100,000).

But, says the report, the most recent figures, for 2009, reveal a drop of 3.3 per cent, to 7,099.

The analysis focuses on social inequality in alcohol-related death, which shows consistently higher rates for routine workers for both men and women.

For less advantaged groups, alcohol-related deaths peaked in middle age and then declined, whereas for managers and professionals, the risk of mortality increased steadily with age.

This means that alcohol-related deaths in the less advantaged groups tend to be younger as well as being more common.

Previous surveys suggested that less advantaged social groups drink less in total than the more advantaged groups.

Two-thirds of all alcohol-related deaths are due to alcoholic liver disease, with 18 per cent linked to fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver, mental disorders due to alcohol are the cause of 9 per cent of deaths and accidental alcohol poisoning for 3 per cent.

The figures do not cover other diseases where alcohol has been shown to contribute to the risk of death, such as cancers of the mouth and liver.

Alan Higgins, director of public health for Oldham, said: “The findings show a pattern that we are quite familiar with but they are still shocking. The fact that alcohol-related deaths have doubled is shocking and indicates the harm caused by alcohol.

“The main issue is the link between the relative cheapness of alcohol and the increase in consumption. The price of alcohol is the key driver.

“A minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol would reduce consumption and could save around 3,000 lives per year.”