Alcohol-related deaths increase to record level in Wales

Alcohol-related deaths have risen to a new record high in Wales, health officials have said.

A Public Health Wales report recorded 562 deaths in Wales in 2023 which is a 15.6% increase from the previous year.

Eurwyn Thomas, a former police officer from Caernarfon, Gwynedd, described himself as a "rampant alcoholic" who lost family and friends due to the abuse.

"We can't always deal with what happens in our lives in the healthiest way, sometimes we turn to things that we shouldn't," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

The report found that alcohol-related hospital admission had also risen.

"It would be great if we could all enjoy a couple of glasses of wine or a pint to unwind, that works for some people but it didn't work for me," said Mr Thomas.

His addiction to alcohol started in the mid-2000s which quickly became a "massive problem".

"Not only did it destroy my life, having been three years sober now, I can see that it not only destroyed mine but it destroyed the lives, and many, many others, that I was around at the time," he said.

"It's torn relationships apart and it's meant that I've been unable to see children for many, many years. Many more than I care to say really. It upended my whole life."

Mr Thomas worked as a police officer in Caernarfon, and he said it felt like he was balancing out three lives.

"I had my personal life, I had my family life and a professional life. So it's trying to juggle all of them and inevitably it all came crashing down," he added.

Mr Thomas resigned as a police officer in 2019 due to his addiction to alcohol.

Report author and Head of Substance Misuse at Public Health Wales Prof Rick Lines, said substance-related harm is felt "most severely" in areas of multiple deprivation.

He said there were "multiple vulnerabilities" related to deprivation, which mean people may not have the resilience or the protective factors such as economic security.

"So that clearly highlights the continuing issues that addressing substance is more than just providing services, it's also looking at the broader conditions of life," he said.

Mr Thomas now lives in Cardiff and has been sober for three and a half years.

"It's great to sit here and be up front about these things and say 'yeah I really messed up'," he said.

"So this is what happens when you let alcohol take over your life because everything will come crashing down."

A Welsh government spokesperson said its approach to "alcohol and drug misuse includes prevention, treatment, and recovery support, focusing on improving health outcomes and reducing harm".

It added that it is working with health boards and area planning boards to ensure a range of services are in place.