Britain records sharp rise in alcohol deaths due to lockdown

The death toll from Covid infections – 2.8 million worldwide, 127,000-plus in the UK – has caused widespread grief over the past year, but there is increasing evidence that the side-effects of living under lockdowns have brought pain to even more.

This column has already reported on increased mental health issues and a rise in domestic violence in Britain.

Now figures show an upward trend in deaths caused by alcohol.

According to the Office for National Statistics, a total of 5,460 such deaths were registered in England Wales during the first nine months of 2020, up 16 per cent on the same period in 2019 and the biggest toll since records began in 2001.

The high rates spanned the period during and after the first Covid lockdown – we are currently in our third.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Addiction Treatment Group said it had first-hand evidence that many had died and many more were struggling with alcohol since the pandemic began.

Lost their lives

Nuno Albuquerque, head of treatment at the group, said, “What we are talking about here aren’t just figures, they are people – mums, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbours who have lost their lives to alcohol, a substance that is so controlling, addictive and life-threatening.”

The alcohol death toll may be a corrective to growing excitement over a planned relaxation of the rules.

From tomorrow, April 12, non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen, as will outdoor areas attached to restaurants and pubs.

That such an easement may lead to an increase in infections has not been lost on many Britons and the government is considering the introduction of so-called vaccine passports as a counter-measure.

These would be certificates showing the vaccine, test or immunity status of the holder. The government has stressed that their aim is to facilitate international travel and they would not be needed for admission to pubs or restaurants.

Opinion poll

More than 70 MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties are nevertheless opposing the scheme as discriminatory and divisive, although an opinion poll found a majority of ordinary people in favour of it.

There will be a series of trials before a final decision is taken.

These will include the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London, the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield and events in Liverpool, including an evening at a night club, a cinema screening and a business conference.

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One effect of the pandemic for me has been using those extra hours alone raking back through TV programmes which I remember enjoying.

One such was a marvellous account of the American Civil War by the top documentary maker, Ken Burns.

Among its outstanding merits was a gorgeous tune, ‘The Ashokan Farewell’, which I assumed to be a folk tale from those times. In fact, I discovered recently, it was composed in 1982 by a New York musician, Jay Ungar, in memory of a village of that name in the Catskill mountains which disappeared under the requirements of change.

If you want five minutes or so of quiet bliss in this restless world, look it up on YouTube. I guarantee you will be bewitched.

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A couple of weeks ago, this column reported plans to tag released wrongdoers with GPS trackers on their ankles to check if they were in the vicinity when a crime was committed.

Widening the science, there are now sobriety tags which report if a person serving a drinking ban is consuming alcohol.

The tags monitor the wearer’s perspiration every 30 minutes and alert the probation service if any alcohol is present. Offenders could then face further punishment.

More than 100 people who were tagged last October when the scheme was introduced remained sober on more than 95 per cent of the days they were monitored, the Ministry of Justice said.

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There’s a widespread belief that Scots folks are, not mean, exactly, but let us say, careful.

As everybody knows, it’s entirely untrue, but it makes for good jokes.

An American tourist in Scotland approached a local man and asked if he could give him a match. “Well, I don’t know,” said the Scot doubtfully, but then reluctantly produced a box of matches and selecting a single match, gave it to the American.

At that point, the American slapped his pockets and said, “Drat it, I must have left my cigarettes in the hotel.”

To which the Scot responded by holding out his hand. “In that case,” he said, “you won’t be needing the match.”

* * *

A father of five children won a toy in a raffle and called his kids together to decide who should have the present.

“Who is the most obedient?” he asked. “Who never talks back to mummy? Who always does what she says?”

Five voices answered as one: “Okay, Dad, you get the toy.”

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