Alcoholics Anonymous Reviews

With alcohol-related deaths in Scotland almost doubling in the past decade and one of the fastest growing alcoholic liver disease rates in the world, it's hard to believe that some people still argue that harmful alcohol use in Scotland is a minority problem (Platform, 20 June).
The truth is that many of us, young and old alike, are drinking at levels that put our health and wellbeing at risk. More harm is associated with the much bigger group of risky drinkers than the smaller group of dependent drinkers. Policies need to target the whole population rather than just the heaviest drinkers.

Effective action to reduce alcohol consumption in the population means controls on price and availability. A minimum pricing policy can achieve health goals by eliminating cheap alcohol and by preventing below-cost selling and deep discounting of alcohol. With the price of alcohol as low as 16p per unit, women can drink twice the recommended daily limits for as little as 96p and men for £1.28. A binge can cost less than the price of a sandwich.

Alcohol misuse in Scotland costs us more than £2 billion a year, costs borne by the whole population, regardless of how much we drink as individuals. No single solution will solve the problems caused by alcohol, so it is heartening to see the Scottish Government proposing such a comprehensive package of measures. Little we have done to date has worked, including education. The medical and public health community urges our parliament and the Scottish people to give their full support to the Scottish Government's courageous proposals. The people of Scotland are already paying too high a price for our current pattern of drinking.

Scotsman