Alcohol abuse kills 20 Scots every week
CHEAP drink has been blamed for a rise in alcohol-related deaths last year, as further calls were made for minimum unit pricing to tackle Scotland’s heavy drinking culture.
There were 1,152 deaths caused by alcohol in 2014, a rise of 5 per cent on the previous year, according to new figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).
Around 20 people died each week during 2014, with men accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the deaths.
Widespread availability of cheap, high strength alcohol was at the heart of the problem, warned Dr Peter Bennie, chair of BMA Scotland, who expressed frustration at delays to the introduction of minimum unit pricing, which would set a floor price for a unit of alcohol.
The legislation was approved by the Scottish Parliament in 2012 but it has not yet been implemented due to a legal challenge from the Scotch Whisky Association.
Dr Bennie said: “It is disappointing to see the rise in the their 40s and 50s. People are dying because alcohol is far too cheap, it’s available anytime, anywhere, and it’s too heavily promoted.”
The figures, which were published in the NRS document Scotland’s Population 2014, provide a “tragic reminder” of the nation’s poor relationship with alcohol, said Scottish Lib Dem health spokesperson Jim Hume MSP.
He said: “Whilst we share the Scottish Government’s frustration at the current legal process over this policy, there can be no let up by Scottish ministers in finding effective ways to prevent alcohol-related deaths.”
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said there was no room for complacency on this issue and redoubled her calls for minimum unit pricing.
Ms Watt said: “There is no doubt that a key factor in alcohol related harm is affordability.
“This is why minimum unit pricing is such an important part of our package of measures to tackle the availability of cheap, high strength alcohol that causes so much damage in our communities.”