British coroner William Armstrong said that alcohol is now a major public health problem and blamed discounted alcohol for the soaring number of alcohol-related deaths. He criticized the government’s introduction of 24-hour alcohol licenses, which he said had failed to have the desired effect of ushering in more leisurely drinking habits.
Armstrong, coroner for Greater Norfolk, said that alcohol is “becoming an entrenched part of our culture, not just among the young but older people as well.” He added that he is sure the cost of alcohol is a factor. “Because alcohol is so cheap it is not a costly business to get drunk; 30 years ago it would have been more expensive,” he said.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Armstrong has dealt with many alcohol-related deaths this year. One was Leslie Hughes, 33, a father of five who died after plowing his car into a parked vehicle while driving nearly three times the legal limit and traveling at up to twice the speed limit. In May, Judge William Everard, 59, drowned after he fell into a stream while intoxicated.
Because cases involving long-term alcohol abuse are classified as natural deaths and aren’t usually subject to an inquest, Armstrong has only seen a small portion of the rising alcohol-related deaths.
Armstrong, who has been a coroner for 14 years, said he has no doubt that alcohol “plays a substantial part in many deaths.” He added, “One tends to deal with death and disaster every day in my role but I was still surprised and shocked by the extent of excessive alcohol consumption going on and the effect it’s having. It is a major public health problem.”
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