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Lockdowns Responsible for Thousands of Alcohol Deaths – ONS

by Dr Carl Heneghan and Dr Tom Jefferson
27 January 2023 12:08 PM

Christmas is a time for family, rest and reflection, when few people hit the web, read reports and look at what is happening around them. 

This is why the timing of the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) “Alcohol-specific deaths in the U.K.: registered in 2021” probably meant little pick up from mainstream media. However, the report contains disturbing facts which should be highlighted to all – it makes for a sobering read. 

First, the analysis of deaths related to alcohol is based on internationally assigned codes, so there is little wriggle room for what follows: “Alcohol-specific deaths only include those health conditions where each death is a direct consequence of alcohol.”

Second, as the report’s authors note repeatedly, the figures are likely to be underestimated as they are specifically and directly related to alcohol consumption and do not consider the broader spectrum of alcohol-related pathologies. For example, in which, excessive alcohol consumption did take place, but the cause of death was ischaemic heart disease. But here comes the bad news.

While alcoholic deaths were relatively stable in the decade before 2020 – in 2019 there were 7,565 deaths (11.8 per 100,000 inhabitants) – there has been a sudden increase in 2020, 8,974 deaths (14.0 per 100,000) and 2021, 9,641 deaths (or 14.8 per 100,000) making the 2021 tally 27.4% higher than in 2019. 

The authors attribute the increase to the higher use of alcohol during the time restrictions were applied, and the timing is highly suggestive. However, what concerns us is the speed (two years) with which the incidence has picked up. 

These are deaths wholly attributable to alcohol, which means that at least 27.4% more of our fellow citizens have drunk themselves to death thanks to the imposition of curtailment of individual freedom. Males die more frequently – twice that of females. Mental disorders and accidental poisoning events were present but played a small part in adding to the tally. Most of the deaths will have been habitual heavy drinkers who found refuge by increasing their daily intake. 

No other explanation is possible for the speed of such an increase because alcoholic disease is the result of years of abuse and an abnormal lifestyle. Alcohol-related liver cirrhosis does not develop overnight – it typically develops after heavy drinking for 10 or more years.

The ONS statisticians also issue a stark warning: the consequences of increased exposure to alcohol and lifestyle changes will take some time to manifest themselves fully. This is what they report:

The survey “Wider Impacts of COVID-19 on Health” (WICH) monitoring tool… showed that, as of March 2022, “increasing and higher risk drinking” had remained at heightened levels. Research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research suggested that if these consumption patterns persist, there could be hundreds of thousands of additional cases of alcohol-related diseases and thousands of extra deaths as a result.

So here we have another documented consequence of the social and democratic catastrophe of lockdowns. There’s plenty of evidence indicating increased consumption of alcohol during lockdowns that were associated with a host of factors, including a deterioration in psychological well-being and one’s finances. Moreover, the problem is not limited to the UK: in an online survey of U.S. adults from May 2020, one-third reported binge drinking, and 7% extreme binge drinking. Similar increases in alcohol use are observed in France and Germany; however, a systematic review shows consumption varied depending on the country.

Any reader suspicious of the timing of the release of the ONS report can be reassured: December is the expected release date of the annual alcohol report on deaths.

Listen to Tom and Carl discuss this post on their podcast.

Dr. Carl Heneghan is the Oxford Professor of Evidence Based Medicine and Dr. Tom Jefferson is an epidemiologist based in Rome who works with Professor Heneghan on the Cochrane Collaboration. This article was first published on their Substack blog, Trust The Evidence, which you can subscribe to here.

Tags: Alcohol DeathsDrinkingExcess deathsLockdownLockdown harmsNon-CovidONS

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18 Comments
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Monro
Monro
7 months ago

I thought Cleverly sounded relieved.

That is greatly to his credit.

5
0
Purpleone
Purpleone
7 months ago

Will it really matter who they pick – they are a busted flush

16
-2
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Purpleone

They are the official opposition and I think people will drift back to them from Reform – the nation had its chance and blew it. The time to destroy the Tory party was 2024. Too late now. Hope I am wrong.

1
-11
RTSC
RTSC
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

Some may drift back …. but Reform is now gunning for Labour voters in the Red Wall. And working class voters who held their nose and voted for Johnson – who comprehensively betrayed them – are more likely to vote for Reform than a CONservative Leader who was a Minister during the Great Betrayal but, we’re supposed to believe, has now had a Damascene Conversion.

4
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  RTSC

I hope you are right!

2
0
MajorMajor
MajorMajor
7 months ago
Reply to  Purpleone

I tend to agree.
If anybody, I would be the textbook conservative voter. Yet I can’t vote for them.
My problem with the Conservative party in general is that:

  • there was no “progressive”, woke, leftard idea that sooner or later they didn’t enthusiastically embrace,
  • occasionally they sounded conservative but in practice did the opposite, so the electorate started suspecting that the conservative ideas they floated from time to time were nothing more than tidbit slogans for the voters,
  • they were actually too cowardly to implement anything radical,
  • they tried to please people who would never vote for them anyway, whilst secretly despising their core voters.

My only sympathy for them is that Labour are much-much worse. The conservatives were incompetent but, perhaps, not intentionally evil.

14
-1
Purpleone
Purpleone
7 months ago
Reply to  MajorMajor

I’m not feeling so charitable, they are weak and pretty damn stupid if they can’t see the way back to power, move back to centre right from the left

6
0
MajorMajor
MajorMajor
7 months ago
Reply to  Purpleone

Well, if they are that stupid, then they deserve to disappear.

7
-1
Purpleone
Purpleone
7 months ago
Reply to  MajorMajor

I think they are… or are not allowed to behave how they want to. Tend to lean towards the former tbh

1
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  MajorMajor

I am convinced some of them are much worse than incompetent.

“despising their core voters” This never fails to make me smile: https://youtu.be/DT5tzzWhRAA?t=351

5
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RTSC
RTSC
7 months ago
Reply to  MajorMajor

The Covid Tyranny; Net Zero economy-wrecking policy and mass immigration of 4 million in just 5 years (having “promised” to reduce it) looks remarkably like intentionally evil to me.

5
0
Ron Smith
Ron Smith
7 months ago

OFF – T. Interesting article in this months The Light Newspaper regarding the holding in Jail of Reiner Fuellmich. It is understood that his defence team has been banned from giving oral evidence. reports from the trial also suggest his lawyers are not being given details of new charges being brought against him.

It is claimed that the role of the German secret services was revealed to one of the defence lawyers in April this year in a leaked paper. The leaked paper, it is alleged, recommended finding ways to prosecute Fuellmich because of his popularity and involvement in a newly founded party could cause unforeseen political problems.

His supporters also claim that his rights were violated. Article 6 of the Convention on Human Rights which states: Everyone charged with a criminal offence must be informed as soon as possible of the charge and be able to prepare his defence.

13
-1
Hardliner
Hardliner
7 months ago
Reply to  Ron Smith

Relevance to the article?

0
-5
Marcus Aurelius knew
Marcus Aurelius knew
7 months ago
Reply to  Hardliner

No relevance, hence the “Off – T[opic]” as a courtesy to the reader.

9
-1
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
7 months ago
Reply to  Hardliner

Off-T items, and I am a frequent poster thereof, get lost if they are posted in a thread earlier than the most current. It is as simple as that. Some people take exception but personally I welcome all Off-T contributions. If the subject is of no interest I ignore. In this case I believe news concerning poor Reiner Fuellmich is most welcome. A brave man who has been illegally imprisoned in the German Fourth Reich. So relevance to the current article is irrelevant.

9
-2
Ron Smith
Ron Smith
7 months ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

“ So relevance to the current article is irrelevant.”

Exactly that…..It should not need pointing out on here of all places!

0
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Hardliner

To be fair, we get so few comments on here that a few off-topic comments are not interfering with enjoyment of the site and any comments are IMO to be welcomed. I wish too many comments was an issue for DS.

8
0
Monro
Monro
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

I wonder why that might be…….

Not really:

Last edited 7 months ago by Monro
1
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Monro

It’s a crowded market, sceptics are few on the ground and probably the established alternative news sites have loyal followings

1
0
Monro
Monro
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

Or most of the comments to be found on here do not do much to encourage others to join in, debate…….

1
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Monro

I find the comments variable but on average of higher quality/interest than comments on many much busier sites.

I think your experience is skewed because of your steadfast attempts to persuade people of the merits of military support for Ukraine and the military more generally, which most here do not agree with.

2
0
Monro
Monro
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

The reason that I regularly place pro Ukraine comments on here is precisely to generate debate, research, thought on that subject.

I have no interest in persuasion, only in perspective; balance; both sides of the argument.

One side of the argument is under-represented here, in my view, so I attempt to remedy that

Everyone is very much entitled to their own opinion

But it would be a great deal more interesting if commentators at least gave some appearance of having done a bit of general research to support their position.

As it is, much commentary on here closely resembles the off the top of the head, self indulgent, shallow, uninformed and superficial reactions of the echo chamber ‘twitterati’ who many call something else; unreadable.

Last edited 7 months ago by Monro
1
0
Myra
Myra
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

I think debates could be encouraged if there was a way you were alerted to replies. At the moment it requires you to go back and search.
I receive my Daily Sceptic update in the early hours of the morning, so am often late to the party as regards to commenting, and I am sure my comments are generally not read.

1
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Myra

Underneath the “new comment” box on each article there is an envelope icon with “subscribe” next to it which gives you the option to get notifications either for all comments on the article or just for replies your comments, and there is also a bell icon next to the “post comment” button when you do a reply that will notify of replies to that specific comment of yours. I am not however aware of a way to default that to true for your user account.

2
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Myra

I skim all the articles and comments. I am sure your comments are read by quite a few people.

2
0
Jack the dog
Jack the dog
7 months ago
Reply to  Ron Smith

The fuellmich thing combined with the idiotic, immoral and surely illegal persecution of cj hopkins is deeply deeply disturbing.

It speaks to a willingness to stoop to any depths to shut down free speech.

If we are not careful in 5 years time any sort of dissent will be impossible or punishable by imprisonment across the western world, and truth or reason will be no defence.

1
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago

Sounds like the MPs cocked up in an attempt to make sure the “right” candidate had the best chance in the final vote. Serves them right.

I don’t trust any of them – all of them (the leadership candidates and most MPs) supported lockdowns and “vaccines”. I may once have considered voting Tory again if there were to be sufficient signs of contrition for the 14 years of betrayal, but I doubt I will now. Reform are a credible alternative and I don’t see much hope that the Tories will ever be a serious “right wing” party – I don’t think many of the 6 million people who voted for them at the last election want to be seen as “right wing” or want the Tories to be “right wing” – they just want a more genteel version of socialism.

To hell with the lot of them.

14
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

A true right wing Tory would be confirming their commitment to an end to ALL immigration, immediate deportation of all illegals, destruction of all NGO’s, withdrawal from the WHO, UN, NATO and proscribing of the WEF, immediate round-up of all those involved in the imposition of the C1984 scamdemic and treason trials for the likes of Bliar, Call me Dave, Johnson, May, Kneel and thousands more. And that’s just a start.

In other words I am not interested in the bubble gum tories who will forever remain the most horrendous stain on this country.

13
0
DickieA
DickieA
7 months ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

A robust post – but I can’t disagree.
If only the Conservatives had taken “right of centre” positions in 1997 when Blair was elected. I never understood why they lurched to the left instead of opposing the labour party at the time.

6
0
Purpleone
Purpleone
7 months ago
Reply to  DickieA

I guess they saw how well Bliar was polling and thought ‘we want some of that’?

0
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

“bubble gum Tories” lol this phrase could take off

6
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
7 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

Thanks tof.

1
0
Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
7 months ago

Now they really look like sincere smiles. It is like they’re living in 1987. Things are changing big time. This level of trying to cling on to the pretence because your’e petrified of the abyss is absurd. It will eat you even more quickly if you are petrified and false.

2
0
Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
7 months ago

There is no stopping the Anglo-Americans now. Officials from other countries are leaving the Anglosphere quickly. You have no control over your government or your own destiny. The time is too short for you to take it back. And so you need to seriously ponder your own position.

2
0
Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
7 months ago

You are not coming back. They are not coming back. If you have some concept of restroration or restitutiuon then you are very wrong. Is is more like you re being introduced to upheaval.

1
0
Jabby Mcstiff
Jabby Mcstiff
7 months ago

Only small number of Brits who liisten to the real news. If you have the eyes to see it you will see that the whole situation has spiralled out of control in the last few days. It is like an uncoiled spring it will go where it will. I just hope that you can accept defeat with magnaminity.

1
0
ElaineH
ElaineH
7 months ago

IMO the 4 million plus who voted Reform are unlikely to return to back to the Tories. Probably not all Tories but mostly. So Kemi B or Bobby R will need to swallow their pride at some stage and form some form of an alliance with Reform. By the next election Reforms polling may even exceed the Torys in fact.

4
0
myk
myk
7 months ago

I’m a long time Tory voter who voted for Reform his time. My worry is that a divided right will keep Labour in power indefinitely

5
0
Myra
Myra
7 months ago

I had kind of hoped for Cleverly to be chosen. It would have been the final straw for the conservatives.
So less likely to split the vote during the next election.

3
0
RTSC
RTSC
7 months ago

Hilarious …. the LibCON Party Grandees must be absolutely apoplectic.

Still, they’ve still got Gove protege, WEF-approved, Badenoch on the ticket, so all is not lost.

2
0
Cotfordtags
Cotfordtags
7 months ago

🥱🥱🥱🥱. Why are we worried. They were both part of the rubbish leadership of recent years that has put us where we are. History shows neither will lead the busted Tories into the next election. Disaster in the locals next year with Reform sweeping many Tories out of councils will see them booted out and until someone untainted by the past rises to the fore, Conservative leadership races are irrelevant.

3
0
Jack the dog
Jack the dog
7 months ago

I am bemused at your preferring the obviously unsound jenrick to obviously sound kemi.

Yes you are being unbelievably naive.

1
0
JXB
JXB
7 months ago

Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum – both accomplices in the ruination of the Tory Party and the Country, both members of that gang of deceivers and pathological liars called The Conservative Parliamentary Party.

“The elephant in the room is that there will at some point need to be some kind of entente with Reform, if only because a divided Right can’t beat even a weak and unpopular Labour…”

That would just continue a divided Right, and anyway entente is two-way: Farage’s stated aim is the destruction of the Tory Party – following the Canadian model – with a new “Conservative” Party nothing to do with the old.

People who still support the Conservative Party as is, need to take a look round, face reality, sit down and have a chat with themselves.

Last edited 7 months ago by JXB
2
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