I WRITE with reference to your recent article Know your risks with alcohol – 25/11/16

Whilst I agree that it’s important for people to understand the risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption I am concerned that the article may have left some readers with an incomplete picture about alcohol consumption in Dorset.

Official government figures show that alcohol consumption in the UK has fallen by 18 per cent over the past decade (HMRC), with a 32 per cent fall in harmful drinking among young people and binge drinking among the 16-24 and 25-44 age groups has fallen 33 per cent and 20 per cent respectively (Office of National Statistics).

In the South West alcohol related crime fell by 19 per cent between 2008 and 2013 and in Dorset alcohol-related mortality has fallen by 6 per cent during the last decade, and the rate is currently below the UK average. (Public Health England).

Although still higher than the national average, the rate of alcohol-related admissions for under 18s in Dorset has declined by 40 per cent since 2006/7.

All other indicators show that Dorset is performing better than the national average, for example Dorset has one of the lowest rates of adult alcohol-related hospital admissions in the South West.

Looking at the most up to date figures from Public Health England for the year 2014/15 we can see that the number of persons admitted to hospital for alcohol specific conditions in the county has fallen in the past year to 282 per 100,000 from 295, this is different to the figure used in the article as that figure included people being admitted on multiple occasions – which could be misleading.

Harm caused by misuse of alcohol is always serious. However, the data suggests that moderate alcohol consumption carries no greater risk than many everyday activities and that to reduce the risk further adults should avoid smoking, eat well and exercise.

The overall picture for Dorset is one of improving drinking habits with the vast majority of people who choose to drink alcohol doing so in a convivial and moderate manner.

DAVE ROBERTS

Director General Alcohol Information Partnership