Alcohol’s harm to others: Script

When talking about alcohol problems we often think of damage to drinkers’ health. Liver disease, cancer and alcohol dependency are all big concerns for our National Health Service.

In addition to individual health harms, alcohol impacts many people other than drinkers. For example,

• People killed or injured by drunk drivers
• Children neglected or abused
• Babies born with Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders
• Victims of violence, theft and damaged property
• Workers having to work twice as hard to cover for their hungover colleague.

Rates of harm experienced by another person’s drinking in the UK are high.

In Scotland more than half of people have experienced harm from another person’s drinking, while in North West England this figure rises to more than three quarters of people.

These harms include:

• Being harassed or insulted on the street by someone who has been drinking
• Feeling unsafe or threatened in public
• Being kept awake at night because of drunken noise
• Being sexually harassed

The total cost of alcohol’s harm to others in the UK is estimated at more than £15 billion each year, excluding the costs to family and social networks.

Evidence shows that the most effective policies to reduce alcohol harms, including harms to others, are:

• Raising the price of the cheapest alcohol, through taxation and minimum unit pricing
• Regulating the density of outlets that can serve alcohol and restricting the permitted hours of sale
• Drink driving laws, including a lower legal blood alcohol limit and random roadside breath tests
• Screening and brief advice for people who are at risk of drinking to a level that is harmful to themselves and others

However, the most effective approach is a comprehensive, multi-sectorial set of measures that work together to reduce levels of harmful drinking. Together these can improve the health and well being of the population and create safer communities.