Alcohol Help

Minimum pricing for alcohol, together with the existing ban on irresponsible promotions could prevents thousands of deaths, illnesses and crimes and save Scotland millions of pounds.

These are the findings of a revised report carried out by researchers at the University of Sheffield which was published this morning.

The report, which was published as the Cabinet Secretary for Health Nicola Sturgeon appeared at the Health Committee to talk about Minimum Unit Pricing, measures the effect that the policy is estimated to have on Scotland’s alcohol misuse problem.

The Sheffield team first carried out the report in 2009 and it has been refreshed in light of new data.

The report looks at a range of minimum prices from 25p to 70p, with and without a ban on promotions. This will help Ministers decide on the level of the minimum price, which will be announced in the Spring.

Key findings from the updated report, using a 45p minimum price, with a promotions ban, as an illustrative figure, include:

Overall weekly consumption across society would fall by six per cent. Consumption changes are greatest for harmful drinkers
Alcohol related deaths would fall by about 60 in the first year and over 300 by year ten of the policy
Alcohol-attributable morbidity decreases with an estimated reduction of 1,000 acute and 260 chronic illnesses in year one
A fall in general hospital admission of 1,660 in year one and 6,630 by year ten
Harmful drinkers would pay an extra £132 per year, compared to just £9 for moderate drinkers
A fall in crime of 3,600 offences per year
Around 36,500 fewer workdays lost through absenteeism and 1,180 fewer people unemployed because of alcohol misuse each year
Harm reduction valued at £952 million over 10 years

Ms Sturgeon said:

“We all know that Scotland has a serious problem with alcohol misuse, with Scots drinking more than any other part of the UK and these findings further confirm my belief that minimum pricing can be a key weapon in the battle against this.

“The findings also confirm that the measure will have more of an effect on heavy drinkers as they tend to favour cheaper alcohol.

“There is a clear link between the price of alcohol and consumption levels which is why we always intended to introduce a minimum price alongside the quantity discount ban.

“The support in favour of minimum pricing is now overwhelming, and I hope that this time around Scotland’s MSPs will do the right thing and back this policy.

“Doctors, nurses, the police, academics and politicians, as well as growing numbers of the general population, have now recognised the harm that alcohol is doing to our communities and the benefit minimum pricing will bring – saving lives and reducing crime.”

Scottish Government
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A new one stop shop for people affected by alcohol and drugs in the south east of the city will be launched by Kenny MacAskill, MSP today, Friday 20th January 2012.

The South East Recovery Hub will provide harm reduction advice, medical treatments, counselling and other support for those on their recovery journey.

The hub brings together alcohol and drug services provided by NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council and voluntary sector agencies for people trying to cope with and overcome problems caused or affected by their own or someone else’s alcohol or drug use.

It joins up the work of the NHS, council, Castle Project, CREW 2000, Simpson House, Edinburgh & Lothian Council on Alcohol (ELCA), Voice of Carers Across Lothian (VOCAL) and Discover Recovery to tackle the negative impact of alcohol and drugs in the south east of the city.

Service users will benefit from a single point of access and standardised assessment for all alcohol and drug services in the south east of the city.

Peter Gabbitas, Chair of the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership, said:

“Such a multi-agency partnership approach brings together​ a wide and diverse pool of professionals. This offers the public access a comprehensive range of services in one place, where service users can receive treatment and advice, such as detoxication and peer support at the same time.

“This new way of working also removes waiting times for appointments and makes the services much easier to access.”

Kenny MacAskill, MSP said:

“As MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, I was delighted to be invited to launch the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Hub in my constituency. The Hub offers an extensive range​ of services and I have no doubt that many will benefit from the valuable support on offer. I wish all involved the very best and look forward to working with the centre in the future.”

All services provided at the hub will be accessed through a drop-in that will be open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

The hub will be located on Craigmillar Castle Road and is accessible from Craigmillar and Niddrie, areas that face greater challenges around alcohol and drugs.

It was developed following a three day modernisation event, commissioned by the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership, engaging all service providers in the area. ​

NHS Lothian
Waverley Gate
2-4 Waterloo Place
Edinburgh
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Queen Margaret University (QMU) has been awarded a research grant to investigate whether Scotland’s heaviest drinkers will change their habits as a result of the Scottish Government’s alcohol policy.

Queen Margaret University (QMU) has been awarded a research grant to investigate whether Scotland’s heaviest drinkers will change their habits as a result of the Scottish Government’s alcohol policy that could enforce a minimum price per unit of alcohol.

The research, which is funded by the Chief Scientist Office and Alcohol Research UK, will focus on patients suffering alcohol related illnesses who, it has been shown, tend to buy more of their weekly consumption very cheaply compared to other drinkers in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill includes proposals to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol, which will mostly affect cheap white ciders and low-grade spirits with high alcohol content favoured by problem drinkers. The annual cost of alcohol misuse of alcohol to Scottish business, the NHS, social services, police and courts is estimated to between £2.48 billion and £4.64 billion.

The study will be conducted by researchers Professor Jonathan Chick and Dr Jan Gill, Reader, of the School of Health Sciences at Queen Margaret University. Professor Chick said;

“Pricing measures can reduce health harms from alcohol in two ways: by reducing the number s newly recruited into heavy drinking, and by helping to moderate the drinking patterns of already established heavy drinkers. Our research will look at the factors which influence the habits of severe drinkers before and after the introduction of minimum unit pricing. In our pilot study, we established that this group particularly consume cheap ciders and vodka, which might be particularly damaging for brain and liver cells. We will also look at whether they turn to sourcing drink from outside Scotland or begin to consume illicit or substitute alcohols or other intoxicants.”

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Nicola Sturgeon said “We are pleased to be able to support this important piece of independent research, which will provide valuable information on the impact of our proposed legislation. The research is timely and complementary to the Scottish Government Health Directorates’ overall research programme which is in place to monitor and evaluate the impact of our Alcohol Framework.”

The research will be conducted over a three year period in Edinburgh and Glasgow and will focus on around 500 of the hardest to reach group of severe drinkers. This group accounts for many of the hospital admissions and deaths related to alcohol and is under-represented in general survey data.

Queen Margaret University
Edinburgh
EH21 6UU
Tel: +44 (0)131 474 0000

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP has welcomed the news that brewery boss Rooney Anand, Chief Executive of Greene King, has backed the Scottish Government’s minimum alcohol pricing proposals.

Willie Rennie MSPWillie Rennie MSPMr Anand said the plans would go to the very heat of Scotland’s problems with excessive alcohol drinking.

Commenting, Mr Rennie said:

“Having support from the business community will help ensure the new laws are implemented effectively.

“Cutting alcohol abuse is essential if we are to help people get on in the world. Too many Scots don’t achieve all they can because they drink too much. Minimum Pricing will help with this effort.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader, Willie Rennie MSP has welcomed the support of the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party on the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland.

Party members gave their widespread support for the motion supporting minimum unit pricing during a debate at conference on minimum alcohol pricing and related issues.

The announcement marks a change of direction for the party following the majority SNP Government’s commitment to the reintroduction of a minimum alcohol unit pricing Bill.

Commenting Mr Rennie said:

“The support demonstrated across the party for the introduction of minimum pricing legislation confirms the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ commitment to improving the lives of people in Scotland.

“Alcohol abuse has a devastating impact on the lives of individuals and families across Scotland. It is a blight on our society and all options must be explored to try to tackle the problem head on. That is why I wish to work constructively with Ministers to make forthcoming minimum pricing legislation the most effective it can be.

However, Mr Rennie is under no illusion that minimum alcohol pricing will provide a “fix all solution” to the problem.

Mr Rennie added

“The introduction of minimum pricing is by no means the silver bullet, eradicating in one quick stroke the problem of alcohol abuse in Scotland. We must also look to tackle the root causes of the problem which are extremely complex.

“In addition, we must make sure that supermarkets and other retailers adhere to the rules, putting societal responsibility before competitive advantage.

“However, I believe that minimum pricing is a positive and confident step towards changing the culture of drinking to excess in Scotland.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats

New laws come into force this Saturday (1 October 2011) which will ban “irresponsible promotions” in supermarkets and a ban on the advertising of alcohol promotions.

The new rules, under the Alcohol etc (Scotland) Act 2010, are designed to limit public exposure to alcohol marketing as well as reduce retailers’ attempts to entice customers to buy more.

But Stephen McGowan, from the Law Society of Scotland’s Licensing Law committee, has warned there may be unintended consequences.

McGowan said: “A ban on alcoholic drinks promotions will apply equally across all licensed premises.

“The change will mean an end to various supermarket deals such as ‘buy 3 bottles of wine for £10′ as of this Saturday.

“But the multipack rule only applies if you are also selling the same product as single items so premises may simply decide to stop offering singles and stock multipacks only – meaning customers may, in fact, be forced to buy more than they desire.”

The new rules also require promotional and advertising material of alcoholic products to be contained within a designated display area in stores.

Furthermore, the rules state that advertising cannot be used within 200 metres of the store premises.

McGowan, licensing solicitor at Lindsays, said: “The ban on alcohol advertising within 200 metres may have all sorts of bizarre consequences.

“For example, this could affect shop names – if they contain reference to alcohol in their titles and on a literal interpretation it could even affect delivery vans dropping off stock to the premises.”

The Society also raised concerns on competition law issues that could arise, as the legislation progressed through Scottish Parliament last year.

McGowan explained: “As this Act will apply to operators in Scotland only, the Society is concerned that this change in legislation has the potential to create two separate markets within the United Kingdom for alcohol products.

“It could lead to shoppers purchasing in England and Wales to take advantage of savings not available in Scotland.

“This is a real possibility in view of the existence of internet retailing and ease of transportation between Scotland and England.”

The Scottish Government has issued guidance on the new rules which appears to suggest further secondary legislation may be introduced to address these difficulties.

New rules affecting alcohol promotions in supermarkets will include:

• A ban on multipack discounts – meaning a multipack can only be sold for the same price as when buying the items individually

• ‘Buy one, get one free’ and similar “quantity discounts” will be banned

• Promotional material such as advertising of alcoholic products can only be used within the designated alcohol display area inside the premises and cannot be used within 200 metres of the boundary of the premises

Scotland Food & Drink

Statistics that show people with drug and alcohol problems are continuing to access treatment more quickly have been welcomed by Scottish Government Ministers Roseanna Cunningham and Michael Matheson.

The ministers were speaking following the publication of the latest quarterly waiting times that show from April to June 2011, 84 per cent of clients who started their first treatment for drug or alcohol use had waited three weeks or less since their referral, with half of those clients accessing treatment within a single week of referral.

The findings maintain the strong progress that has been made since the HEAT target was launched in April 2010 as a performance target for NHS boards to get people seeking recovery from drug the treatment they need. The target was extended to alcohol for the first time in April 2011 and these initial figures also show an encouraging picture.

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs Roseanna Cunningham, who has responsibility for drug treatment, said:

“The publication of the latest drug and alcohol treatment waiting times statistics show that people are continuing to tackle their addictions and are being assessed and treated more quickly.

“In addition to well-performing areas continuing to progress, we are also seeing strong improvement in other areas. For example, in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Forth Valley, only a tiny fraction of clients are not accessing treatment within five weeks and nobody is waiting longer than eight weeks to begin their treatment – which marks a vast improvement.

“We are well on course to meet our target that by March 2013, 90 per cent of all clients referred for drug and alcohol treatment will get the support they need for their recovery within three weeks.

“I want to thank all those in front-line services who have made such a difference and encourage them to continue their efforts to ensure that people get the help they need to recover from their problems, when they need it. They play a vital role in supporting recovery in our communities. Their work has contributed to a 16 per cent reduction in drug related deaths in Scotland since 2008.

“Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson, who has responsibility for alcohol treatment, said:

“This Government recognises the importance of people with drug or alcohol problems being able to access the right treatment and support, at the right time. I’m encouraged by the positive initial figures on alcohol waiting times, that suggest our continuing significant investment in tackling both alcohol and drug problems – which we have pledged to continue until 2014-15 – is starting to make a real difference.

“But we must also continue our efforts to prevent people developing problems in the first place. We believe the introduction of a minimum price of alcohol is one of the most effective ways of reducing alcohol misuse and harm. That is why we will soon introduce a Minimum Pricing Bill.”

Scottish Government

The Scottish Government will introduce the Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill in autumn 2011 which will introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol. A specific minimum unit price will not be contained within the Bill because the Scottish Government considers separating the principle of the measure and the actual price allows each to be fully scrutinised and considered in turn. The aim of the Bill is to protect and improve public health by reducing alcohol consumption.

Given the link between consumption and harm, and evidence that affordability is one of the drivers of increased consumption, addressing price is an important element of any long-term strategy to tackle alcohol misuse. The Scottish Government has the powers and a strong mandate now to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol.

There is general recognition that Scotland’s problem with alcohol must be addressed. Recently published alcohol sales data suggests that enough alcohol was sold in Scotland for every adult to exceed weekly recommended limits for men (21 units) each and every week since 2000. Alcohol sales are now 23% higher in Scotland than in England and Wales – the biggest difference ever recorded during the 17 years measured since 1994. The total cost of alcohol misuse to Scotland is estimated to average £3.56 billion every year – that equates to £900 for every adult living in Scotland.

Minimum pricing is one of over 40 measures in our Alcohol Framework aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm.

The Scottish Government

An NHS Health Scotland report has revealed that Scottish adults consume 23% more alcohol than their English and Welsh counterparts, with sales in alcohol more than twice what they were in the mid-1990s and up 2% on 2009 figures.

The report, Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: An update of alcohol sales and price band analyses, shows that on average 2.2 more litres of pure alcohol were sold in Scotland to people aged 16 and over than in England last year. The amount of vodka sold in off-licences was almost two-and-a-half times higher.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who is preparing an alcohol minimum pricing bill, which is to be revealed by the First Minister when the Scottish Parliament reconvenes, described the figures as ‘shocking’, saying: “This situation must be tackled head on. The impact of excessive consumption is estimated to cost Scots £3.56bn each year. That’s £900 for every adult.”

The report also revealed a massive shift over the past decade in how people buy and consume alcohol. It shows a 28% decrease in alcohol sales in pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels between 1994 and 2010, and a rise of 52% in off-sales. It is now estimated that two-thirds of alcohol sales are made in supermarkets, grocers and other off-sales outlets, which have faced criticism from the Government and campaigners over cheap drink promotions.

Ms Sturgeon said: “For too long Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol has gone unaddressed.

“These figures, alongside the 3% increase in alcohol-related deaths reported earlier this month, make it clear to me that further action is needed and evidence shows us that minimum pricing is the most efficient and effective way of reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms.”

Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said she looked forward to debating the Government’s proposals but added: “Given alcohol prices are broadly similar across the UK, the difference in consumption levels cannot be explained away solely by price.”

The report comes in the wake of one by The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommending that safe limits for alcohol consumption by older people should be drastically cut. The report said that people over 65 should drink a maximum of only 1.5 units of alcohol a day – the equivalent of just over about half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine – because they are less able to process alcohol and the drink might also interact with medication they may be taking for other ailments.

It warned that current advice – 14 units of alcohol for women and 21 for men each week – is based on young adults and that excessive drinking in older age is both widespread and preventable.

Age Scotland

Alcohol sales are now 23 per cent higher in Scotland than in England and Wales, the biggest difference ever recorded during the 17 years measured since 1994.

The new figure is contained in a report published today by NHS Health Scotland.

The publication shows that on average 2.2 more litres of pure alcohol per adult were sold in Scotland than in England in 2010 – 11.8 litres versus 9.6 litres.

This equates to 22.8 units of alcohol per adult per week in Scotland, above the recommended upper weekly limit of 21 units for men.In addition almost 2.5 times more vodka was sold per adult in Scotland through off-sales than in England and Wales

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said:”For too long Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol has gone unaddressed.

These shock statistics show that the difference between alcohol consumption in Scotland and England and Wales is now at its highest rate for 17 years.

This is a situation that must be tackled head on.”The impact of excessive consumption is estimated to cost Scots £3.56 billion each year.

That’s £900 for every adult.”We have already taken bold action against this most pressing of problems.

Our Alcohol Framework outlines a package of over 40 measures to reduce alcohol related harm.”In addition we have banned quantity discounts and restricted promotions in off-sales, measures which will take effect from October this year.”However, these figures published today alongside the three per cent increase in alcohol related deaths reported earlier this month, make it clear to me that further action is needed still.

Evidence shows us that minimum pricing is the most efficient and effective way of reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol related harms.

That is why we will introduce a Minimum Pricing Bill as a priority in the Autumn.”Minimum pricing can and will help us to redress the balance when it comes to our unhealthy relationship with alcohol.”

The Scottish Government