Scots are drinking 25% more alcohol than people in England and Wales, according to a government study that shows the consumption gap between drinkers either side of the border is widening.
On average, adults in Scotland consumed 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person last year - equivalent to 540 pints of beer, 130 bottles of wine, or 46 bottles of vodka. This compared with average consumption of 9.7 litres of pure alcohol per person in England and Wales.
While the amount consumed by English drinkers fell by 0.7 litres over the past five years, it has remained virtually unchanged in Scotland.
The average Scots drinker consumes 26.7 units every week. The maximum safe drinking level recommended by the government is 21 units per week for men and 14 units for women. In England and Wales, the average weekly consumption is 21.8 units.
According to the figures, which covered the year to September 2009, for the first time sales of alcohol per head from supermarkets and shops were more than double those of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Advertisement
The figures have been seized upon by the government as evidence for the need to introduce minimum alcohol pricing in Scotland. Under the plan - opposed by Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - consumers would be expected to pay a minimum price of about 40p per unit.
"It's possible to exceed the weekly drinking guidelines for a man for less than £3.50," said Nicola Sturgeon, the health secretary. "Setting a minimum price is a key weapon in the battle against alcohol misuse."
She said the policy is supported by the UK's four chief medical officers, the British Medical Association, the Royal Colleges, the House of Commons select committee on health, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.
A separate study published last week by the government put the cost of alcohol abuse in Scotland at £3.6 billion a year.
A spokesman for the Portman Group, the body set up by the drink industry to promote responsible alcohol consumption, said: "We should be focusing policies on the minority of Scots who are heavy drinkers."