Everybody needs to deal with bereavement at some stage; but for some people, this can be a more difficult process. There are many factors that can influence how people cope with the loss of a loved one, including level of family support, financial resources, stress, and the circumstances surrounding death.
Over the past decade there has been a marked increase in levels of alcohol consumption in society, both in terms of the proportion of the population who drink alcohol and in the amount of people who regularly drink above the recommended level. At the same time the number of people dying from alcohol related causes in Northern Ireland has been rising. Recent evidence has shown that alcohol related deaths rates in Northern Ireland, while traditionally being similar to those experienced in England and Wales are now increasing at a faster rate, and as a result the alcohol related death rate in Northern Ireland has exceeded those in England and Wales for a number of years.
