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Leeds ranked second in the country for “dangerous” drinking culture

There were almost 10,000 alcohol dependancy cases recorded in one year.

Sophie Smith - 30th June 2022

According to a new study by Private Rehab Clinic Delamere, Leeds has been named the second-worst city in the UK for dangerous drinking.

The study ranked each city in the UK out of a possible 80 and the team determined a rate of binge drinking by considering factors like: the number of clubs and bars, alcoholism rates, number of off-licences, alcohol tours and bottomless drinking locations. 

Whilst we are fully aware that our bottomless brunch offerings are extensive compared to quite a few other UK cities our size, factors like alcoholism rates are far less likely to be known to the public.

Overall Leeds was given second place as the worst city for drinking culture in the UK, with a score of 11 out of 80. 

This was based on a bottomless drinks score of 0.8/10, with 60 recorded locations and events offering free-flowing booze. 3,310 hospital admissions were documented between 2019-2020 and finally, there were 9,954 recorded alcohol dependency cases between 2018-2019. 

Completing the top three was Bristol with a score of 16.6 out of a possible 80. 

Taking the top spot however was the nation's capital. The research revealed that London had the most dangerous drinking culture in the UK with an overall score of 0 out of a possible 80. 

Other factors that were considered included:

• Alcohol death rates per 100,000 people
• Average alcohol consumption per year (litres)
• The percentage of the population with alcoholism
• Number of bars and clubs listed on Tripadvisor
• Number of alcohol tours listed on Tripadvisor
• Searches for ‘alcohol delivery’ on Semrush

As the most populated city in the country, London had a huge 26,580 alcohol-related hospital admissions recorded between 2019-2020, 190 bottomless drinking locations and 1,068 bars and nightclubs that all contributed to its toxic drinking culture. 

The Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities for Drinking Culture

1. London - 0/80 
2. Leeds - 11/80 
3. Bristol - 16.6/80 
4. Manchester - 17.1/80
5. Liverpool - 19.9/80
6. Birmingham - 22.3/80
7. Newcastle - 25.6/80 
8. Nottingham - 31.1/80
9. Sheffield -31.2/80
10. Brighton -32/80

When compared against other countries in Europe, the UK was in the top three "at risk of dangerous drinking levels" with a score of 17.7/80.

Read More: Smoking in beer gardens could be banned in the UK under new proposals

Martin Preston, Founder and Chief Executive at Delamere, shared his insight on why binge drinking rates are so high in the UK:

“The coronavirus pandemic caused an alarming spike in binge drinking levels across the UK, the isolation caused many people to turn to drinking high levels of alcohol at home. 

Drinking at home, rather than at a pub, removes the need to wait between drinks and also the worry around spending too much money. For example, the average bottle of wine in the UK costs around £6, which is what some glasses of the same wine can cost in pubs and bars. 

The endless hours spent at home during the lockdowns meant that 18.1% of people were drinking at a high-risk level. While one in four (22%) of adults had increased their alohol consumption, causing 10% of people to worry about the strain of alcohol on their health. 

As well as this, our research found that the top three cities with the highest binge drinking problems had a large number of drinks delivery services, so the need to leave the house to buy alcohol was eliminated. 

For more information about drinking culture in the UK and the results of this study, including tips for combatting binge drinking and alcohol dependancy, visit the Delamere website.

Feature Image- Fred Moon, Unsplash

All infographics were supplied by Delamere / JBH