DRINK and drugs are now the most frequent cause of death in young men, exceeding even accidents as the commonest agent of fatality, according to new official figures.

The number of premature deaths that they cause has tripled since 1979. Alcohol and drugs are now responsible for one in five deaths among men aged 15 to 44.

In 2001, figures from National Statistics show, road accidents were responsible for 12 per cent of male deaths. Drink-related causes, principally liver disease, were responsible for 7 per cent of male deaths and drug-related poisoning accounted for 13 per cent.

The figures, published in Health Statistics Quarterly, show an inexorable rise in drink-related deaths, which is especially marked in the 40-44 age group, by when years of heavy drinking can have caused liver damage.

Data from National Statistics show that over the past 40 years, overall death rates in young adults have fallen. But concealed within the figures is the rapid increase in the contribution of alcohol and drugs to the total.

Dr Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said: “Alcohol is one of the most dangerous and damaging drugs in Britain today. Excessive boozing kills four times as many people as drug abuse.”

He accused the Government of “delaying and dithering” on a critical public health issue and failing to prevent tens of thousands of deaths.

“The Government says it will finally implement its alcohol strategy in 2004. That is six years after it was announced. Our research shows that 240,000 people will have died from alcohol misuse within that time.”

In 1980, alcohol accounted for 2 per cent of deaths in the 15-44 age group. Now it accounts for 7 per cent of men’s deaths and 6 per cent of women’s. Drugs (including suicides by overdose as well as abuse) accounted for 6 per cent of young adult deaths in 1980. In 2001, the figures were 13 per cent among men, and 7 per cent in women.

Rosie Brocklehurst of the drug and alcohol treatment provider Addaction, said: “Drug and alcohol abuse is often dismissed as a young person's rite of passage rather than a real problem. But alcohol is a huge problem among young people, and we have a lot of evidence of problematic use of drugs among young people.”

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