Four simple questions could reveal if you have a drinking problem, as a study warns death rates from alcohol have soared post pandemic.
Scientists found death rates linked to booze in England had increased by a fifth in 2020, when the country went into lockdown and many became Britons became socially isolated.
But rather than a blip, experts from University College London and the University of Sheffield found death rates have since risen a further 13.5 per cent between 2020 and 2022.
This, they estimated, meant almost 4,000 more Britons had died due to alcohol than if pre-pandemic trends had continued.
Dr Melissa Oldham, an expert in epidemiology at University College London and lead author of the paper, warned the data suggested the nation’s alcohol problem was now an ‘acute crisis’.
‘The sharp increase in alcohol deaths during the pandemic was no flash in the pan. The higher rate has persisted and is getting worse each year,’ she said.
The researchers found men, Britons living in deprived areas and those aged 50 to 69 accounted for the majority of the additional fatalities.
Medics have previously warned that many drinkers fail to recognise they have a problem because their body hasn’t yet become reliant on alcohol, which causes telltale signs like shakes.
Doctors have been using the CAGE test – which stands for Cut, Annoyed, Guilty and Eye, relating to each question – to identify alcoholism since the late 1980s
However, there is a simple test that doctors use to spot a hidden, ‘functioning’ alcoholic.
Called the CAGE test, the tool involves asking the patient four key questions about their drinking habits.
Developed by American psychiatrist and addiction specialist Dr John Ewing in 1984, the questionnaire is estimated to be between 76 and 93 per cent accurate for identifying alcoholism according to studies.
The questions include the following:
Have you ever felt you needed to cut down your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt guilty about drinking? Do you need to drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or lessen a hangover?
Experts say answering ‘yes’ to two or more of these questions means a patient could have a drinking problem.
According to studies, people consuming one or two drinks four or more times a week had a 20 per cent higher risk of premature death, compared with those who drank only three times per week or less.
The latest study analysed data from Office for National Statistics focusing on fatalities where alcohol wholly contributed to a death and was not just a factor, for example road traffic accidents.
This chart from the study shows how the death rate for alcohol deaths in England has soared after the Covid pandemic
Researchers found the additional deaths were mainly caused by a steep rise in liver damage from alcohol with deaths from alcohol poisoning also increasing.
Writing in the journal The Lancet Public Health the authors said the increased deaths may be explained by an rise in the amount of alcohol consumed among heavier drinkers and by more frequent binge drinking.
They added that rising obesity levels, drinking habits formed during lockdown being hard to break, and stress from the cost-of-living crisis during the study period leading people to drink more as a coping mechanism as other potential factors.
Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, who was not involved in the study, said the increased death toll was ‘shocking’.
‘We’ve known for years now that changing drinking habits during lockdowns increased levels of alcohol harm – this study underlines the impact that had on worsening health inequalities across England,’ she said.
‘The government has made tackling inequalities one of its health priorities. There is no way of doing that without introducing a comprehensive alcohol strategy that tackles cheap, excessively available, and aggressively marketed alcohol.’
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, added that the study demonstrated the consequences of increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic.
‘Drinking trends have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the latest data confirms that alcohol-specific deaths remain at record highs – hitting those who were already at greatest risk before the pandemic the hardest,’ he said.
‘Alarmingly, the burden of alcohol harm continues to fall disproportionately on the most deprived communities, and it is deepening existing health inequalities.’
The latest ONS data shows deaths from alcohol have soared to a record high in Britain with almost 10,500 fatalities related to drinking in 2023.
The NHS recommends people drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week — the equivalent to six pints of beer, or six medium glasses of wine — spread out over at least three days.
However, up the one in four adults in England report drinking over this level.
Those concerned they may have a problem with alcohol should visit their GP, who can make an assessment and refer them to specialist clinics for counselling and help with withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, shakiness, vomiting and fast heart rate, usually resolve within a week, according to the NHS.
