Balance has welcomed a fall in alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland
Balance has welcomed a fall in alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland following action to tackle the cheapest, strongest alcohol sold from shops.
Susan Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy for Balance said: “This is welcome news and shows that action to target the cheapest, strongest supermarket and off trade alcohol can have a real impact on reducing deaths from alcohol-related liver disease.
“Minimum Unit Price is a measure which has virtually no impact on pubs but targets the cheapest, strongest alcohol sold in supermarkets and shops and which fuels drinking amongst the most vulnerable in our communities, including children and the heaviest drinkers. The North East’s alcohol consumption has been very similar to Scotland’s – so regions like ours which experience the worst harms from alcohol would have the most to gain from this.
“We do know however that these deaths are the tip of the iceberg – they don’t include conditions like cancer and heart disease. However a fall is encouraging and these figures show that reducing alcohol harm is achievable through targeted and evidence-based actions.
“Deaths and hospital admissions here in the North East are still far higher than they should be, and every life lost is an avoidable tragedy. As well as tackling the ongoing problem of cheap alcohol in England, we support initiatives for mandatory health labelling on alcohol to encourage people to stay within the low-risk limits.”
The full set of figures from the Scottish Government is available at https://www.gov.scot/news/decrease-in-alcohol-specific-deaths/