New figures reveal number of alcohol-specific deaths in Bedford reach record breaking high

Latest figures for deaths registered in 2023 show that 26 people living in Bedford lost their lives as a direct cause of alcohol.

This figure is up by 4% from the previous year (25 deaths).

Most worryingly to national alcohol addiction treatment experts at The UKAT Group is the rise in alcohol-specific deaths in the area since the Covid crisis.

The UKAT Group’s analysis of the figures shows that in 2019, the year before the pandemic hit, just 18 people living in Bedford lost their lives to alcohol.

This has risen by a staggering 70% in just a few years as the fall-out of the multiple lockdowns and increased isolation shows just how impactful they were on people’s drinking habits.

These figures represent the number of people living in Bedford whose death was wholly caused by alcohol consumption.

The Government states that alcohol consumption is a contributing factor to hospital admissions and deaths from a diverse range of conditions. Alcohol misuse is estimated to cost the NHS about £3.5 billion per year and society as a whole £21 billion annually.

The Government has said that everyone has a role to play in reducing the harmful use of alcohol - this report is one of the key contributions by the Government (and the Department of Health) to promote measurable, evidence based prevention activities at a local level, and supports the national ambitions to reduce harm set out in the Government's Alcohol Strategy.

Lee Fernandes, lead therapist at The UKAT Group, said: “These figures are incredibly sad, because they represent members of the Bedford community who have lost their lives as a direct result of their consumption of alcohol.

“Alcohol is a legal substance, and one that is unfortunately not perceived to be as dangerous as other substances but is in fact, extremely addictive and in some cases, can be fatal.

“Whilst drinking alcohol can be fun for some, for others, especially since the pandemic, it could have very quickly become unhealthy and problematic. We know first hand that the pandemic had a huge impact on people’s relationships with alcohol; a lot of people turned to drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism and in some cases, the drinking never stopped. And we’re now seeing alcohol-specific mortality rates rising to record breaking highs than ever before.

“We’d urge anyone who thinks they might have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol to seek professional help; and the sooner the better.”