One in four British people feared that a loved one is drinking too much, the investigation conclusions | Alcoholism

One in four people in the United Kingdom feared that a partner, a parent or a friend drinks too much, while a in six fears that a loved one takes too much drugs.

The results of a survey representative of 2,000 adults seem to emphasize what some experts say they are an increasing “epidemic” of alcohol dependence or drugs such as cocaine and cannabis.

Official figures show that the NHS in England treats more than 310,000 people per year for drug or alcohol problems – the highest figure since 2009-2010. Alcohol -related deaths are at a record level.

“The epidemic of alcohol consumption and empire drugs. The government says that we are drinking less, but I don’t see that, “said Dr. Niall Campbell, a psychiatrist specializing in dependence on the priory clinics group who commanded the census investigation. The group has increased 40% since 2019 in the number of people looking for dependence assistance, including more women than men.

The investigation revealed:

• 10% fear that they drink too much and 5% that they too often consume drugs.

• 26% fear that a partner, a family member or a friend drinks too much.

• 16% is concerned with the use of a loved one of illegal drugs.

• Families earning more than £ 50,000 per year are three times more likely to contain a person with a dependence problem.

Dr. Richard Piper, director general of alcohol changes UK, said: “Unfortunately, these results are not a surprise and reflect our own studies on the generalized nature of alcohol through the spectrum of alcohol consumption.

“It also offers a brutal reminder of the effect of driving alcohol damage beyond individuals on those around them. With more than 10 million people in the United Kingdom exceeding “low risk risk” directives of 14 units per week – and these statistics stressing that more than a quarter of us are worried about the relationship of a loved one with alcohol – it is fair to estimate what will be millions of people.

In addition, one in seven respondent (15%) said that dependence had affected several generations of their family. Campbell suggested that genetics could help explain this, and some people can copy the behavior of one or two of their parents.

The priory, which deals with private and funded patients in its British clinics, is launching a campaign called Break The Chain to emphasize how common intergenerational dependence is.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Care said that he reconstructed the NHS drug and alcohol treatment services in England after years of negligence. “This government inherited a situation in which patients had been abandoned by years of underinvestment in dependency services,” they said.

“We provided 310 million additional sterling pounds in 2025-2026 to improve medication and alcohol treatment services and the support of recovery in England, in addition to the public health subsidy. Our change plan will transfer health care to prevention, including by early intervention, to help people live healthier and healthier lives across the United Kingdom. ”