Latest figures on substance misuse from Public Health Wales have revealed worrying trends in alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions across the country. 

The report, which examines data from health, social care, education and criminal justice services highlights the continuing need to recognise and address the growing public health impacts of alcohol consumption. 

Alcohol-specific deaths – those from conditions wholly or partially caused by alcohol – increased to a new record high with 562 fatalities recorded in Wales in 2023, marking a 15.6 per cent increase from the previous year (486) and a significant rise from 10 years before (351 in 2014). Of the alcohol-specific deaths in 2023, nearly two thirds (64.8 per cent) involved males.  

Furthermore, there were 683 alcohol-related deaths in Wales in 2023, which represents a 10.5 per cent from the previous year (618) and a substantial rise from a decade before (462). 

Alcohol-specific hospital admissions continue to rise with over 12,000 (12,236) admissions involving more than 8,000 (8,147) individuals. Older adults aged 50+ made up two thirds (67 per cent) of those cases. Highest admission rates were recorded in Merthyr Tydfil (397 per 100,000 people), more than double the rate in Powys, which had the lowest admissions. 

Deprivation plays a significant role with individuals from the most deprived areas in Wales 2.8 times more likely to be admitted for alcohol-specific conditions than those from the least deprived areas. 

While overall alcohol-specific hospital admissions among those under 25 declined by 17.4 per cent compared to the previous year, school exclusions related to drugs and alcohol reached a new record high of 939 cases in the 2022/23 academic year.