A rise in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland has led to calls for more government action on problem drinking.
Most of those who died were middle-aged but a significant number were aged between 60 and 74. Liver disease was the main cause.
Figures from the National Records of Scotland showed that 1,265 people died because of heavy drinking last year, up 10 per cent on the previous year and the highest figure since 2010. It is the third largest rise in recent years after jumps of 18 per cent in 1996 and 11 per cent in 1999.
The Scottish government’s attempts to introduce a minimum price for alcoholic drinks has been delayed by legal challenges, with the Supreme Court in London assessing the Scotch Whisky Association’s latest appeal.
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Behind these appalling statistics are real people who have died too young because of a substance that’s cheap, widely available and constantly promoted. Alcohol-related deaths are preventable. Increasing the price of the cheapest, strongest drinks through minimum unit pricing will reduce consumption and save hundreds of people’s lives.” She called on the government to focus on the availability and marketing of alcohol to make it easier for people to drink less.
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Men accounted for 867 of the alcohol-related deaths last year and women 398. Many of those who died were of working age, with the highest number of deaths (503) in the 45 to 59 category. A further 468 were in the 60-74 age group.
Peter Rice, former consultant psychiatrist and chairman of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said that the toll of deaths from drinking had plateaued in the past five years but was now rising. A report for Public Health England last December found that people in Britain drink more than in the 1980s and that alcohol is now more affordable than ever.
Dr Rice said that cutting back on alcohol could bring quite quick health benefits. “It is the drinking that you do in your last year that kills you,” he said.
Aileen Campbell, public health minister, said that the Scottish government was looking forward to the court judgment on minimum pricing and would enact the policy as soon as possible if the appeal against it is rejected.
“Our framework for action outlines more than 40 measures to reduce alcohol-related harm, including the quantity discount ban, a ban on irresponsible promotions as well as a lower drink-drive limit and our nationwide intervention programme,” she said.
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Middle-class people who have a few drinks a day are less likely to suffer dementia in old age than those who are teetotal, a study claims.
Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that those who had up to three drinks on most days were twice as likely to reach the age of 85 without developing dementia as those who did not drink. The effect was noticeable even after other lifestyle and health factors had been taken into account, the study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found.