THE number of people being admitted to hospitals with alcohol-related symptoms has reached a three-year high in Barrow and Copeland, according to latest figures.

Data from the two districts shows that the number of admissions reached a three-year high in both areas.

In Barrow, there were 1,930 admissions last year compared to 1,830 in 2013.

It's a similar story in Copeland as 2,120 people were admitted last year in comparison to 1,920 two years ago.

However, for the South Lakeland area, the figure dropped from 2,260 alcohol-related admissions in 2013/14 to 2,180 last year.

Across Cumbria, figures are also on the up with 13,420 patients admitted last year compared to just 11,770 in 2013.

Louise Wheeler, 44, from Barrow, was addicted to alcohol since the age of 15, until she received help from a community project called The Well.

She thinks that despite the increase in admissions, addicts are often too scared to go to hospital and admit their problems.

She said: "You don't want the world to know how you are feeling, you might see someone at the hospital who you know and then everybody knows why you're there.

"People don't understand what you have been through and what your life is like."

The figures for all three of the districts showed that men are more likely to be admitted to hospital due to alcoholism compared to women.

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Helen Davies, service manager of CADAS, which has provided drug and alcohol support across Cumbria for more than 35 years, said: "I think it's a bit of a generalisation, but men are more likely to keep issues to themselves and less likely to ask for help and support until there is a real crisis.

"I want them to know that it doesn't mean that you are weak if you ask for help and support, instead it shows that you are doing something for yourself and your family."

Carl Molyneux, who works as a manager at The Well, admitted that he wasn't shocked by the jump in admissions.

He said: "I'm not surprised at all, in fact I would have thought that the numbers would have been higher.

"Hospitals don't see it as their job to detox people in my opinion because they have just not got the budget for that."

The figures came from a report published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which showed that hospital admissions for alcohol reasons are rising across the country.

In the last decade, the number of admissions due to alcohol-related disease or injury has increased by 32% to 333,000.

Breakdown of the figures:-

2014/15: Cumbria - 13,420 hospital admissions (Men = 8,860; Women = 4,560)

2013/14: Cumbria - 13,140 hospital admissions (Men = 8,710; Women = 4,430)

2012/13: Cumbria - 11,770 hospital admissions (Men = 7,850; Women = 3,920)

2014/15: Barrow - 1,930 hospital admissions (Men = 1,280; Women = 650)

2013/14: Barrow - 1,910 hospital admissions (Men = 1,280; Women = 630)

2012/13: Barrow - 1,830 hospital admissions (Men = 1,220; Women = 610)

2014/15: Copeland - 2,120 hospital admissions (Men = 1,400; Women = 720)

2013/14: Copeland - 2,100 hospital admissions (Men = 1,400; Women = 690)

2012/13: Copeland - 1,920 hospital admissions (Men = 1,260; Women = 650)

2014/15: South Lakeland - 2,180 hospital admissions (Men = 1,400; Women = 780)

2013/14: South Lakeland - 2,260 hospital admissions (Men = 1,460; Women = 800)

2012/13: South Lakeland - 1,990 hospital admissions (Men = 1,350; Women = 640)