A RECORD high number of alcohol deaths have been confirmed in Northern Ireland, with an increase in fatalities among women.
Figures collated by a government statistics agency show 336 people lost their lives in 2019 due to "alcohol specific causes" - a third more than a decade ago.
The deaths are coded as those which have resulted from a health condition directly linked to excessive drinking, such as liver disease.
While the number of male deaths is higher, the Northern Ireland Statistics Agency (Nisra) show an increase in the mortality rate for women, with 126 females deaths recorded - the highest to date.
More people in the 55-64 age bracket are dying as a result of alcoholism compared to 10 years ago, researchers found.
Poorer areas were also more affected, with the death rate in the most deprived areas more than three times higher than the least deprived.
Dr George O'Neill, who chairs the Addiction NI charity and is a GP in west Belfast, said the findings were representative of what his profession was witnessing with more "secret drinking" among older age groups, particularly in women.
Divorce, bereavement, unemployment and social isolation were among the causes for alcohol abuse, according to Dr O'Neill.
"Many of these cases usually present at hospital emergency departments with fractures or injuries resulting from a fall," he said.
"The challenge is this is all done very quietly. No-one is aware of it until they present to hospitals or admitted as inpatients due to liver failure or damage caused by alcohol.
"We picked this up in our own practice through a national programme a few years. The shock was, there is this percentage of the population over 50 who are drinking on their own for a variety of reasons - and they use alcohol as a crutch."
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