Million Scots in danger from booze

Published on Wednesday 5 August 2009 22:03

MORE than a million Scots drink alcohol in amounts that might damage their health, a report revealed yesterday, amid calls for better services for people with addiction problems.

The Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (Saadat), said that more than 1.17 million people in Scotland were drinking at hazardous or harmful levels.

Their report also said that around 206,000 people were dependant on alcohol.

But while 17,000 Scots accessed treatment for alcohol problems in 2006-7, research showed this represented only one in 12 people who could benefit from specialist help.

Experts called for action to close the gap and help more people with alcohol problems.

Saadat, who are launching their Scottish Alcohol Needs Assessment report in Glasgow today, said alcohol services in Scotland were better than south of the Border, but worse than those available in the United States.

The report found that men were more likely than women to drink at harmful levels. Overall, 34 per cent of men had harmful drinking habits compared to 23 per cent of women.

Hazardous alcohol use was defined as drinking above a level that may cause harm in the future, but was not currently causing clear evidence of harm.

Harmful alcohol use was described as drinking that was currently leading to evidence of physical, social or psychological harm.

Current guidance suggests men should limit themselves to four units per day and women to three a day.

Dr Maggie Watts, chair of Saadat, said: "Our association has long been concerned about the gap between need and service availability.

"Local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships will be able to use these findings to inform the development of services provided for people with alcohol problems and continue to work to reduce the harms associated with alcohol use."

Alcohol Focus Scotland chief executive Jack Law said the report highlighted his charity's own concerns about access to services.

"It is worrying that only one in 12 Scots with alcohol problems currently access specialist treatment services," he said.

Labour health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson said: "This report's conclusion that over one million Scots are drinking 'hazardous or harmful' amounts of alcohol is frightening. It should serve as a wake-up call to the Scottish Government.

"Labour has called for a national consensus to tackle Scotland's heavy drinking culture and we will support any credible proposals to help reduce the level of problem drinking."

The Scottish Government welcomed the report, which was funded by them to provide an assessment of the current capacity of alcohol specialist services.

"While it shows that access to such services is considerably better in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK, there is clearly more to be done," a spokesman said.

"That's why the Scottish Government is investing 120 million over the period 2008 to 2011 to both prevent alcohol related problems occurring and develop specialist treatment and support. This is an increase in funding of 230 per cent on the previous three-year period."