A campaign has been launched about the effects of harmful drinking on families after figures revealed thousands of adults with alcohol dependency in Dorset.

Public Health England (PHE) in the South West is supporting Alcohol Awareness Week 2018, which partly focuses on encouraging people to change for those they love and helping them get support.

Alcohol-related harm is estimated to cost the NHS £3.5 billion annually and the latest data for the South West shows that 36,117 people were treated in hospital for illness or injury resulting from alcohol related harm in 2016/17.

PHE’s latest figures reveal there were 3,420 adults with alcohol dependency in the Dorset local authority area in 2016/17, 1,448 in Poole and 2,850 in Bournemouth.

In 2016, there were 220 alcohol-related deaths in Dorset, 68 in Poole and 106 in Bournemouth.

Among those aged 15-49 in England, alcohol is now the leading risk factor for ill health, early mortality and disability and the fifth leading risk factor for ill health across all age groups, according to PHE.

Ian Keasey, drugs and alcohol lead for PHE South West said: “We are committed to supporting Alcohol Awareness Week across the South West.

“We know how easy it can be for people to underestimate the amount they are drinking. It can start with a glass of wine with dinner, then progresses to one while you cook and then one after your meal and, suddenly, before you know it, you could be exceeding the recommended weekly intake.

“If you are concerned about how much you are drinking, or want to speak to someone about a family member suffering from the effects or alcohol harm, you can contact alcohol support helplines who can help, Alcohol Concern have a list on their website.”

Figures have also shown the numbers of young people under the age of 18 admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific conditions.

In Dorset 97 under 18s were admitted between 2014/15 and 2016/17, while in Poole 46 were admitted and in Bournemouth 56.