Alcohol

Alcohol and substance abuse

Alcohol is often included into the wider umbrella term of substance use, but whilst alcohol use is often a factor in those who use substances, it can be a standalone issue affecting all areas of the population.

When is alcohol use problematic?

Drinking becomes problematic when it affects a person's everyday life and or their health, even if this is not noticeably apparent. This includes physical and psychological dependence. Problematic drinking is often divided into the following three categories:

• harmful drinking
• dependent drinking
• binge drinking

What is harmful drinking?

Harmful drinking, or high-risk drinking, is when there is a pattern of alcohol consumption that causes mental or physical health problems, defined as the consumption of more than 35 units per week for women and more than 50 units per week for men.

What is dependent drinking?

Dependent drinking is when alcohol affects everyday life and a person is unable to function without alcohol. It is characterised by craving, tolerance, a preoccupation with alcohol and continued drinking despite harmful consequences.

What is binge drinking?

NHS England defines binge drinking as 'drinking heavily over a short space of time'. This equates to more than 8 units of alcohol during a short period of time for males, or more than 6 units for females which is based on the government's alcohol strategy published in 2021.

Unmet need

Unmet need is the estimated percentage of dependent drinkers who are not currently in structured treatment. It is calculated by using the estimated number of dependent drinkers and subtracting the number in treatment services over the past 12 months, and turning this into a percentage. 

This unmet need data only reflects those who are not in structured treatment (Tier 3) and some of these people may be accessing Tier 2 support services such as Alcoholics Anonymous.