Dorset records 110 alcohol related deaths in 2022
That's a 10% increase on the year before
New data has revealed there were 110 alcohol related deaths across Dorset in 2022.
Nationally, drinking's attributed to have caused 8,416 deaths in England and Wales last year - that's a record number of people in 12 months, as it's thought heavier drinking in the pandemic took its toll.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 63 deaths related to alcohol in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area, with 47 in the Dorset Council area during 2022.
The numbers are 10% higher than the previous year, when 100 deaths were recorded across both council areas.
Helena Conibear from Dorchester charity The Talk About Trust is urging people to seek help and monitor how much they drink.
She tells us the impact alcohol can have:
"Early signs of liver damage are hard to spot, so often it's too late before somebody realises. But it's not always the physical harms of excessive drinking - if someone is drinking problematically, it has a massive impact on the family, as well as that person's life and their ability to stay healthy."
It’s believed the pandemic caused more people to turn to drinking, but also stopped them from seeking help.
Men over 50 are reportedly the most affected.
Helena Conibear is from The Talk About Trust in Dorchester - she's disappointed by the figures:
"We had nearly a decade of alcohol related deaths being stable, even declining slightly, but the current figures are just so tragic, something that needs to be looked at very closely, because one death is one too many."