Strabane and Omagh rank amongst highest in alcohol mortality

WITH alcohol deaths in the North experiencing a huge 46 per-cent rise in the last decade, two Tyrone districts rank among the most adversely-affected areas.

In 2022, the North saw a record-breaking 356 alcohol-specific deaths.

The figures gathered by the Northern Ireland Statistic and Research Agency (NISRA) showed that the highest alcohol mortality rate was recorded in Belfast, with 30.1 alcohol-specific deaths per 100,000.

However, after that was Derry City and Strabane at 28.1 deaths per 100,000, with the Fermanagh and Omagh area, in third, having 24.7.

Mid Ulster, conversely, the other local council area with territory in Tyrone, registered just 14.6 deaths per 100,000, the second-lowest of any of the North’s 11 districts.

Speaking with the Tyrone Herald, Tommy Canning, a Strabane man who is head of treatment at Northlands Addiction Treatment Centre in Derry, said the reason for the rise resides in availability, cost and culture.

“The availability of alcohol over the past ten years has changed dramatically,” said Mr Canning.

“Most people don’t buy alcohol purely in pubs or clubs or restaurants or hotels any more. Most of it is being bought in supermarkets and off licences for drinking at home, so that’s feeding into the rise in alcohol use and that is then feeding into the issues that are presenting.”

To begin stemming the trend, Mr Canning said policy around alcohol dependency must to be put “at the forefront” instead of letting it go under the radar.

BETTER SUPPORT

“We need to continue to raise this issue, put it out there… and we need to have better support and services for people.

“If 356 people have died, you can guarantee there are swathes of other people who are in trouble, so we need to be able to address that and help them.

“On cost and availability, there are issues around minimum unit pricing that have never been fully embraced in Northern Ireland, and so all those things need to be looked at if we’re going to seriously tackle this issue and turn the tide on this.

“The numbers are telling us that this is going to continue to increase unless we do more,” he said.

“Seriously, these figures are incredible – that’s nearly one person every day dying, that’s a crisis, and it seems to be just floating by us and we’re not taking cognizance of it.

“This is a huge health issue and people who are suffering from alcohol-related illnesses need support and treatment and help.”