The Baby Boomer generation is falling victim to heavy-drinking ways, according to official figures released today.
The rates of alcohol-related deaths among the over-55s have increased dramatically for both sexes since 2001 – despite levels for the overall population remaining fairly steady.
The increases are likely to have been down to habits that began ‘years or even decades previously’ and have now started claiming lives, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The rate among men aged 70 to 74 years has shown the sharpest increase over the 15 years, going up around 50 per cent.
During the same period the rate of alcohol-linked deaths for women aged between 60 and 64 has increased around 35 per cent.
Death rates for men and women aged over 55 were significantly higher last year than in 2001, according to the ONS. The levels are per 100,000 people
The stark figures suggest the long-term impact of drinking on the generation that dates from the end of the second world war, and grew up in the hedonistic 1960s.
The ONS measures deaths that can be attributed to ‘alcohol misuse’, including long-term and acute conditions. Liver disease and pancreatitis are some of the most common causes.
The highest rates for men last year were for those aged between 60 and 64 – with 40.3 deaths per 100,000 of the population linked to drinking.
In contrast, 15 years ago the peak level among any age group was 34.3 deaths per 100,000.
The rate among men aged 70 to 74 years has increased by around 50 per cent since 2001, from 18.7 to 28.
For women, 55-59 year olds saw the highest levels last year, at 19.1 deaths per 100,000 females.
In 2001 the top rate was for those aged 50 to 54 and significantly lower at 16.3.
Over the period the rate for women aged between 60 and 64 has increased around 35 per cent from 14 to 18.9.
‘Given that the definition of alcohol-specific deaths is heavily influenced by chronic conditions, such as alcoholic liver disease, broadly speaking, the increases in the stated age groups may be a consequence of the misuse of alcohol that began several years, or even decades, previously,’ the report said.
Overall, the ONS found there were 7,327 alcohol-specific deaths in the UK last year, an age-standardised rate of 11.7 deaths per 100,000 people.
The headline rate has been largely stable over recent years – but it higher than in 2001 when the equivalent figure was 10.6..
Death rates among men are on average of 55 per cent higher than those for women.
Scotland remains the constituent country with the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths in 2016 – but the figures have been falling since a peak in the early 2000s.
In England, for both sexes, alcohol-related death rates in 2016 were significantly higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.
In England, alcohol-specific death rates in 2016 were significantly higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas