Alcoholic bill soars
THE NHS bill for treating alcoholics is soaring, figures show.
More than 150,000 prescriptions for two drugs – one which treats withdrawal symptoms and one which induces vomiting if alcohol is drunk – were written in 2009, at a cost to the taxpayer of £2.38million.
The figure is 12 per cent higher than the year before and a 46 per cent rise on 2003.
NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: “This report shows the burden alcohol places on the health service in England.”
The figures also revealed that in 2008 there were 6,769 alcohol-related deaths, up 24 per cent from 2001.