People with Lived Experience

Alcohol Focus Scotland works with people with lived or living experience of alcohol problems to ensure that their first hand experience and expertise is fed into the development of national and international alcohol policy.

Some examples of our recent work include:

Countering Cheap Alcohol 

Ahead of a  consultation on the continuation of minimum unit pricing in 2024, our team worked with the group Borders in Recovery to gather their views and create an illustration, which was used to inform decision-makers about the impacts of cheap alcohol.

Speaking up for Human Rights

We worked with 5 groups to ensure that the voices of people directly affected by alcohol were represented in the National Collaboratives consultation on the Draft Charter of Rights. The collaborative aims to integrate human rights principles into drug and alcohol policies, to improve outcomes for people impacted by substance use. Recently, we gathered feedback on the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance to contribute to its development. This ongoing work underscores our commitment to advancing human rights in this field.

To discuss human rights issues further, please contact Marc Buchanan at Marc.buchanan@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk