Alcohol killing one Scot every three hours

30/06/2009

New research shows alcohol-related illnesses could be killing one in 20 Scots - twice as many as previously thought.

The study totalled the proportion of 53 different causes of death - ranging from stomach cancer and strokes to assaults and road deaths - in which alcohol consumption played a part, to show that nearly 3,000 deaths in 2003 were alcohol-related.

This is double the figure for deaths from illnesses caused almost entirely by alcohol consumption alone, such as alcoholic liver disease.

It means one Scot may be dying from alcohol-related causes every three hours.

While alcohol-related deaths accounted for five per cent of all deaths in Scotland, this proportion rises to more than a quarter of deaths in men and a fifth of women aged 35-44.

In addition, around 41,414 people were discharged from hospital due to alcohol consumption - more than one in twenty (7.3 per cent) of patients over 16, and 50 per cent higher than figures based on wholly attributable conditions.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "This research shows that alcohol misuse is taking an even higher toll on Scotland's health than previously thought.

"To have one in 20 Scots dying from alcohol-related causes is a truly shocking statistic.

"Drinking alcohol is part of Scottish culture, but it's clear that many people are drinking too much and damaging their health in the process.

"Alcohol misuse is the biggest public health challenge we face and the Scottish Government has made crystal clear our determination to get to grips with it."

Jack Law, Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland said: "These statistics show the urgent need to reduce Scotland's overall alcohol consumption. It is particularly concerning to note that over 1000 Scots under the age of 55 died because of alcohol.

"The evidence shows that the most effective way to reduce consumption, and consequently harm, is to increase the price of alcohol. Introducing a minimum price per unit of alcohol would increase the price of the cheapest, most harmful drinks which appeal to heavier drinkers e.g. strong white ciders and cheap spirits. Minimum pricing would save lives as well as saving the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds in NHS, crime and employment costs."