Prescriptions to help treat alcoholism rocket The number of prescriptions handed out to help treat alcoholism has increased by 73% in the last decade. The amount of drugs handed out in England to help alcoholics achieve abstinence or to help prevent them from relapsing increased from 102,741 in 2003 to 178,247 in 2012, the Health and Social Care Information (HSCIC) said. HSCIC data also show that the number of hospital admissions related to drinking has more than doubled in the same timeframe. In 2011/12, there were 1,220,300 hospital admissions in England attributed to drinking - a sharp increase from 2002/03, when the figure stood at 510,700. Men accounted for 63% of the admissions in 2011/12, the HSCIC said. For every 100,000 people in England, 2,298 were admitted to hospital. But the average figure in the north east of England was 3,156.