Survey shows Scots are UK's biggest drinkers

Published on Thursday 25 September 2008 21:52

SCOTS drink almost two litres more alcohol per person a year than people in the rest of the UK, campaigners said yesterday.

Figures showed that last year over-16s in Scotland drank the equivalent of 11.8 litres of pure alcohol per person – compared with 9.9 litres drunk in England and Wales.

Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (Shaap) said it disproved claims by the industry that Scots were drinking less than people elsewhere in the UK.

Research has suggested that a one-litre increase in average alcohol consumption is linked to a 30 per cent rise in alcohol-related liver cirrhosis deaths.

Most of the difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK was seen in spirits. While Scottish over-16s drank 3.5 litres of spirits, the figure for England and Wales was 1.8 litres.

Shaap said previous comparisons of drinking habits had been made using data from population surveys and drinkers often under-reported by as much as a half. But they had analysed figures based on alcohol sales in the UK.

Dr Bruce Ritson, who chairs Shaap, said the figures reinforced the need to act now to reduce overall alcohol consumption in Scotland.

"The most effective and efficient means of reducing the demand for alcohol is to regulate price and availability," he said.