Deaths from alcohol in England at record high

Amy Dickson, 46, from Reigate in Surrey, lost her dad Steve in September 2020.

She said he had been an alcoholic “her entire life” but as his addiction worsened, his health rapidly declined.

“He kind of just kept tracking along and then it was lockdown,” said Ms Dickson, a trustee for Nacoa, a charity for the children of alcoholics.

“The wheels came off for a lot of people during that time. There was nothing else to do.”

He died age 68, but Ms Dickson said the fact he survived until then was “a miracle” due to his extensive range of alcohol-related conditions.

She said she’s had to lobby for alcoholism to be included as a contributing factor on his death certificate, alongside internal haemorrhaging and heart disease.

She believes that with “more and more people” talking about addiction and mental health issues, alcoholism may be more regularly recorded as a cause of death.

Ms Dickson called for greater access to support for those struggling with alcoholism to prevent future deaths.

“It’s really hard to get help,” she said. “Rehabilitation services have been cut, mental health services are on their knees.”