Pricing opponents must offer solution

The latest stark illustration of the effects of alcohol demonstrate why the status quo can’t continue

Scotland’s image as the sick man of Europe is down, in a large part, to our drinking culture.

It has long been part of the local schtick – the red-faced Scot downing a dram or five of whisky in a lively pub.

Now a major study – the most stark yet to offer a tangible picture of what heavy drinking can do to a human body – has shown that Scots who consume large amounts of alcohol are far more likely to die 25 years earlier than the average person.

We have known for a long time about the damaging effects of alcohol, yet it is still considered to be a source of humour, despite all of the work that has been done in terms of alcohol awareness.

We know it raises our risk of cancer, of liver disease and of many other illnesses.

Yet people still laugh about how much their friends and colleagues drink on a night out, and someone who has over-indulged is lauded a hero.

Those who don’t drink are regarded with an element of suspicion, although slowly, that is changing.

This is not the way it should be,or can be, if we want to improve our health, as a nation.

Of course the latest study – which showed that one in six heavy drinkers who took part in a survey in Edinburgh and Glasgow were dead before they had reached their 52nd birthday – is looking at the extreme end of the spectrum. All of those monitored were people who were attending NHS services for problems with alcohol. The most common cause of death, as might be expected, was from liver-related conditions.

But across all sectors of drinkers, Scotland’s relationship with alcohol is a concern, and cheap drink is without doubt part of the problem.

As a result, those who oppose minimum pricing need to come up with a solution, because while the measure may not be welcomed by everyone, at least it is a step towards tackling the problem.

What is perhaps particularly telling, in terms of the new research and its relevance to the minimum pricing scheme, is that those who consumed large amounts of the cheapest alcohol, in particular vodka and white cider, were the ones who were most likely to die while the survey took place.

If it is not minimum pricing, then a solution needs to be found which does not allow the problem to continue claiming so many lives.