A ten per cent rise in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland has triggered further calls for strong action to tackle alcohol harms as the Government awaits the Supreme Court's verdict on Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP).
In 2016 there were 1,265 alcohol-related deaths in Scotland, an increase of 115 (10%) compared with 2015. The definition of deaths used does not include fatal accidents involving alcohol and excludes some partially attributable causes such as certain cancers, but reflects alcohol-related deaths such as alcohol-related liver disease or poisoning.
As with all national figures, significant regional, gender and age group variations were seen, with a stable pattern of roughly twice as many deaths in men as women. The 45-59 age-group has had the largest number of alcohol-related deaths almost every year since 1979, whilst increases in rates amongst the older age groups has been recorded in more recent years.
What's behind changing death rates?
Evidencing causal links to alcohol-related harms is tricky business. Public health advocates typically emphasise the significance of overall consumption levels - influenced most strongly by price and availability - as a key driver, although a need for caution over the total population model and deaths has been argued here by Sheffield's John Holmes. Alcohol-related deaths reflect only one aspect of alcohol-related harms for which a range of socio-demographic factors will vary across a range of heavy drinking groups.
Reporting on the figures, the Herald highlighted the recent cuts to drug and alcohol budgets; concerns that are also seen south of the border and may have influenced a dip seen in the most recent alcohol treatment figures. However alcohol-related deaths in England have been more stable, though are still also higher than levels seen in the mid 1990s, which subsequently saw rates climb then fall, before stabilising in 2012.
Mortality among a cohort of heavy drinkers in Edinburgh & Glasgow
A new report on alcohol-related deaths amongst heavy drinkers in Edinburgh and Glasgow has been released by SHAAP based on research funded by Alcohol Research UK and the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland). The project explored the effects of alcohol on over 600 heavy drinkers across the two cities, of which 105 (16.4%) of the initial participants had died by the end of the study.
The research identified that those who had died had paid on average less per unit than survivors, with other associations with death including drinking white cider or vodka, being a hospital inpatient and scoring high on an alcohol-related problems questionnaire. The most common underlying cause of death (46% of cases) linked to liver conditions, including hepatitis and hepatocarcinoma.
The report recommends further work to look into the needs of female heavy drinkers, particularly in Glasgow. Future research should focus on issues around mental health, especially in the context of social service cuts and any changes impacting on the sale or availability of alcohol, particularly white cider and vodka.
Responding to the latest death figures, Chair of BMA Scotland Dr Peter Bennie said:
These latest figures showing a worrying increase in alcohol-related deaths last year make clear the scale of the damage caused by Scotland’s relationship with alcohol.
It underlines why as a country we need to redouble our efforts to tackle the harms caused by alcohol misuse, and why we need the Scottish Government’s coming alcohol strategy refresh to include the kind of wide-ranging measures the BMA and other alcohol campaigners recently called for, including action on marketing and availability.
Chief amongst these though is the need for minimum unit pricing, a policy that big alcohol producers have spent far too long delaying and trying to prevent and which must be implemented as swiftly as possible once the legal process finally ends.
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