Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England

This report sets out the Government’s strategy for tackling the harms and costs of alcohol misuse in England. The aim of this strategy is to prevent any further increase in alcohol-related harms in England. It will become a key feature of the public health policy which the Government is at present consulting on and will publish later in the year. The vast majority of people enjoy alcohol without causing harm to themselves or to others – indeed they can also gain some health and social benefits from moderate use. But for others, alcohol misuse is a very real problem. The Strategy Unit’s interim analysis estimated that alcohol misuse is now costing around £20bn a year. This is made up of alcohol-related health disorders and disease, crime and anti-social behaviour, loss of productivity in the workplace, and problems for those who misuse alcohol and their families, including domestic violence.

Publication Date: 
2004