With the cost of food and drink rising a huge amount in 2021, and continuing to affect us in 2023, some people hoped that alcoholism rates would decline due to people not being able to afford to drink.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case. People are more worried than ever about the financial state of the country, and this makes them more likely to turn to heavy drinking. This is a particular concern for people who are already more vulnerable to alcohol use, such as men aged between 55-74 years old (1).
Our infographic shows that an astonishing 73% of men are worried about the cost-of-living crisis, along with 77% of people aged 50-69, and 70% of over-70s. This tells us that some of the people who are the most vulnerable to alcoholism are having to deal with a huge stressor that increases their chances of either turning to addiction for the first time, or relapsing.
Regardless of the fact that alcohol may be less accessible currently due to the price, some vulnerable people will continue to do everything they can to secure the substance as a way to ease the financial stress that they are dealing with.
Besides, alcohol is actually lower in price in some places, despite the prices of food and drink rising all round (2). This further highlights the fact that the cost-of-living crisis is not good news for the UK’s alcoholism rates.
Some organisations are offering resources on how to survive the cost-of-living crisis as someone who has an alcohol addiction. Not only do these resources help people with alcoholism, such as alcohol rehab in Manchester, but also anyone who is experiencing worry or anxiety at this time – which, as our infographic shows, is the majority of Brits. We recommend Alcohol Change’s stress-busting hacks (3).
By Keith Prance, Rehab Recovery
Rehab 4 Addiction: UK Drug & Alcohol Rehab – Rehab 4 Addiction
References
[1] Alcohol Consumption UK https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/research/alcohol-facts-and-data/alcohol-consumption-uk
[2] Is it right to raise the cost of booze during a cost of living crisis? https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/alcohol-booze-minimum-pricing-scotland-b2099568.html
[3] British Drinking Culture, Meet Cost of Living Crisis https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7gnpq/cost-of-living-crisis-british-drinking-culture