Does Wales have a drinking problem? If so, what can be done about it? Is the problem fixing itself?
Having first looked at alcohol policy and independence 10 years ago – and as a neat little follow-up on this summer’s drugs policy series – it’s time for an update.
Given the central role alcohol plays in our cultural and social lives – as well as our hospitality industry – how an independent Wales could approach alcohol policy isn’t as superficial as it seems.
How much do we drink as a nation?
According to the adult lifestyle element of the National Survey1, in a typical week (of 2022-23):
- 17% of people over the age of 16 didn’t drink any alcohol (-3% compared to 2016-17).
- 66% of respondents were considered to be moderate drinkers, consuming up to 14 units a week (+6%).
- A combined 17% were considered to be hazardous (14-35 units a week) or harmful (35+ units) drinkers (-3%).
- Males are more likely to drink, and be heavier drinkers, compared to females.
- The average number of units drunk per year has fallen amongst those aged 16-44 since 2016-17 (by up to 20%; and 40% amongst young females), but hasn’t changed very much amongst the over-45s.
The overall trend is a marginal decrease in “hazardous” levels of drinking – though these figures remain stubbornly high amongst men. There hasn’t been much change in drinking habits amongst the most “harmful” drinkers – who I assume would be categorised as alcoholics – which have remained at a fairly consistent level of 2-4% of people.
Overall, drinking habits haven’t changed that much over the past decade, other than a noticeable decline in drinking amongst younger generations (“millennials” and “Gen-Z”) – but particularly younger women.
Alcohol & the Welsh NHS
There are a mix of short-term and long-term health impacts related to alcohol.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced at least some of the short-term ones when overdoing it: hangovers, dehydration, “the fear”, short-term memory loss, nausea and a loss of inhibition leading to embarrassment, getting into fights or injuries.
As alcohol contains a lot of sugar, as well as contributing to obesity the long-term health effects of alcohol include liver disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and dental problems. Mental health issues include alcoholism/alcohol addiction and depression.
It’s not all bad news.
Low to moderate alcohol consumption (under 3-4 units a day) may have some health benefits. Alcohol can help reduce social anxiety (but this can lead to addiction). Antioxidants in wine have multiple benefits. There’s research that moderate drinking can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and gallstones.
Not everyone is so fortunate and, like any addictive drug, alcohol ruins and ends lives.
According to Public Health Wales data2, during 2022-23, there were 12,700 hospital admissions relating to alcohol abuse. This is roughly three times the number of (illegal) drug-related admissions (Wales on Drugs: The Impact of Drugs on Wales).
Middle-aged people are more likely to be admitted to hospital for alcohol abuse, while younger age groups are more likely to be admitted to hospital for illicit drug abuse.
The good news is hospital admissions have been trending downwards, with drops in admissions averaging around 20% nationally compared to 2017-18; only Wrexham saw an increase during that period.
In terms of the number of alcohol-related deaths, ONS3 data showed 15 recorded deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 in Wales – which is only slightly higher than England (13.9), but significantly lower than both Scotland (22.4) and Northern Ireland (19.3).
Ranked alongside the English regions, the Welsh mortality rate is in the middle, with 5 regions having a higher rate, and 5 regions having a lower rate.
Alcohol & Crime
Alcohol is a factor in violent crime – to the extent that Cardiff University has a dedicated research group for violence.
The ONS seemingly no longer collects statistics concerning alcohol-related crime. A report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies in 20234 suggests an overall decline in alcohol-related violence since 2009-10 in EnglandandWales.
However, across the study period between a third and half of instances of domestic abuse and violence from acquaintances involved alcohol, while alcohol was involved in the majority of violent offences involving strangers.
The report acknowledges the figures – particularly those for domestic violence – may have been underestimated due to changes in data collection as part of the EnglandandWales Crime Survey.
Â
The other major alcohol-related crime is drunk driving.
In EnglandandWales, the current limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.08% of blood volume), 35mg per 100ml of breath or 107mg per 100ml of urine. These are the highest limits in Europe.
In December 2014, Scotland cut the drink-driving limit to 50mg per 100ml of blood (0.05%) and 22mg per 100ml of breath – bringing them into line with Ireland and most of mainland Europe.
In 20205, there were 10 fatal accidents recorded in Wales involving drunk drivers – 14% of all fatal accidents. 313 people were either seriously injured or injured in an accident involving drunk drivers too.
14.3% of the 25,000 breath tests carried out by Welsh police forces in 20226 were positive, with the highest proportion of positive tests being in the Gwent force area (16.5%).
The number of breath tests undertaken by police has declined by as much as 67% since 2014, despite an increase in the proportion of breath tests that come back positive.
Alcohol & The Economy
Alcohol remains an important part of the hospitality and food & drink industries.
The hospitality industry was hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in one of Wales’ largest brewers – Cardiff-based SA Brain/Brains – being forced to sell their coffee and pub chains to Cafe Nero and Marston’s respectively during 2022-23.
The largest brewery in Wales is AB InBev’s Magor brewery, which brews brands such as Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona.
Domestically, the shift towards small-scale craft brewing has seen the re-establishment or increased popularity of some famous older established local brands (i.e. Wrexham Lager, Hurns/Tomos Watkin), as well as the emergence of new contenders like Tiny Rebel (Newport).
At the beginning of 2024, it was estimated that the Welsh drinks industry generated a combined turnover of £820million – with alcoholic drinks making up at least £450million of that7.
While the drinks industry is going through a purple patch, there has been concern about the future of pubs and clubs. In 2023, Wales was losing “a pub a week” – twice the rate of England at the time8.
Alcohol Policy & Devolution
Â
Similarly to drugs (Wales on Drugs: The Welsh War on Drugs), alcohol policy is one of these “grey areas” in devolution where responsibilities are shared between the Senedd and UK Parliament.
There’s no disputing that public health is devolved to Wales, but many significant alcohol policy powers are not devolved.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t any local control over alcohol. Licensing decisions – and the creation of designated public spaces where public drinking of alcohol is banned – are taken by local government.
One measure the Senedd has introduced – which straddles the line between devolved and non-devolved – is the minimum unit price (MUP) policy.
The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) Act 2018 introduced a formula setting the minimum price at which alcohol can be sold in Wales:
Minimum Unit Price (50p) x strength (% Alcohol by Volume) x volume (litres)
The aim was to target high-strength, low-price alcohol (i.e. white cider) which has been linked to hazardous binge drinking.
The policy is set to “sunset” in March 2026 unless the Senedd approves regulations to continue it.
1. Welsh Government, National Survey of Wales (2021-22). “Adult lifestyle”. Available at: https://www.gov.wales/adult-lifestyle-national-survey-wales-april-2021-march-2022
2. Public Health Wales (2022-23). “Data mining Wales: Annual statistical report for substance abuse” (p-16-22). Available at: https://phw.nhs.wales/publications/publications1/data-mining-wales-the-annual-profile-for-substance-misuse-2022-23/
3. Office of National Statistics (8th December 2022). “Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2021”. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/alcoholspecificdeathsintheuk/2021registrations
4. Institute of Alcohol Studies (February 2023). “Patterns in alcohol-related violence: exploring recent declines in alcohol-related violence in England and Wales”. Available at: https://www.ias.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Patterns-in-alcohol-related-violence-IAS-February-2023.pdf
5. Motoring offences in Wales: 2021 (February 2023). Available at: https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2023-02/motoring-offences-2021-216.pdf
6. Stats Wales (2022). “Screened breath tests in Wales by police force area”. Available at: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Transport/Roads/motoring-offenders/Drinking-and-driving/screenedbreathtestsinwales-by-policeforcearea-year
7. Food Manufacture (31st January 2024). “Beer and spirits strategies aim to help sector”. Available at: https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2024/01/31/Welsh-beer-and-spirits-strategies-aim-to-help-sector
8. Daily Post (19th January 2024). “The shocking pub closure rate in Wales with at least one a week shutting in 2023”. Available at: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/shocking-pub-closure-rate-wales-28478460
