Scotland ‘continues to face a significant alcohol problem’, according to a new report from Public Health Scotland (PHS), with people drinking 50 per cent above the safe guidelines of 14 units a week.
‘Despite recent improvements’ people who drink are still consuming an average of more than 21 units weekly, says PHS – with the most deprived communities ‘hit hardest’. While the volume of alcohol sold in Scotland is decreasing it remains higher than the amount per adult in England and Wales.
The report, which includes data on alcohol harms across a range of areas including hospital admissions and mortality, reveals ‘stark inequalities’, says PHS – with people in the country’s most deprived areas six times more likely to be hospitalised or die from alcohol-specific causes than those in the least deprived.
Scotland introduced minimum unit pricing (MUP) in 2018, with MSPs last year voting to increase the rate from 50p to 65p. Despite this, Scotland’s most recent alcohol-specific death figures were the highest since 2008, at 1,277, while a PHS report from earlier this year warned that the number of people with chronic liver disease – most cases of which are alcohol-related – is set to rise by more than 50 per cent over the next two decades.
A report from Audit Scotland last year said the country had been slow to progress its strategies for addressing alcohol harm, with the sheer scale of Scotland’s ongoing drug death crisis ‘shifting attention away from tackling alcohol issues’.
‘Today’s updates add to the evidence base that as a population, Scotland is consuming too much alcohol,’ said PHS consultant in public health medicine Dr Tara Shivaji. ‘If current drinking patterns continue, we project a 21 per cent increase in alcohol-related disease burden by 2043 compared to 2019 levels. This means thousands more individuals and families facing the devastating impacts of alcohol related ill-health such as liver disease, heart disease, stroke and cancer.’
The new data provided compelling evidence that Scotland’s relationship with alcohol ‘remains deeply problematic and requires immediate attention’, she said. ‘This isn’t inevitable. With urgent, collective and evidence-based action to tackle harmful alcohol use, we can change Scotland’s path. This means addressing the availability, affordability, and attractiveness of alcohol, as well as providing early intervention and support for people experiencing problems. But that work must start now.’
Alcohol consumption and harms dashboard available here