Latest figures on substance misuse from Public Health Wales have revealed “worrying” trends in alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions across the country.

The report highlights the “continuing need to recognise and address the growing public health impacts of alcohol consumption.”

Alcohol-specific deaths increased to a new record high with 562 fatalities recorded in Wales in 2023, marking a 15.6 per cent increase from the previous year (486) and a significant rise from 10 years before (351 in 2014).

Of the alcohol-specific deaths in 2023, nearly two thirds (64.8 per cent) involved men.

Furthermore, there were 683 alcohol-related deaths in Wales in 2023, a 10.5 per cent from the previous year (618) and a substantial rise from a decade before (462).

Alcohol-specific hospital admissions continue to rise with 12,236 admissions involving 8,147 individuals.

The report found that deprivation plays a “significant role” with individuals from the most deprived areas in Wales 2.8 times more likely to be admitted for alcohol-specific conditions than those from the least deprived areas.

While overall alcohol-specific hospital admissions among those under 25 declined by 17.4 per cent compared to the previous year, school exclusions related to drugs and alcohol reached a new record high of 939 cases in the 2022/23 academic year.

Prof Rick Lines, Head of the Substance Misuse Programme at Public Health Wales, said: “The impacts of the harmful use of alcohol continue to be a concern across Wales, both in terms of drug related deaths in which alcohol is a factor as well as the long-term health effects of alcohol.

“Access to substance misuse services for people who experience problematic alcohol use continues to be an important intervention.

“However, it’s important to recognise the risk of harm even among those who do not require treatment services.”