‘ Two in five’ affected by others’ drink habits

TWO in five ( 41%) of adults in Scotland have been negatively affected by someone else’s drinking in the last year, according to a study from Drinkaware.

The research highlighted that younger people were particularly affected with the figure rising to 57% of 18 to 34- year- olds in Scotland.

Roughly a quarter ( 24%) of adults in Scotland between the ages of 18 to 34 felt emotionally hurt or neglected by others’ drinking, compared to the Scotland wide average of adults of 14%.

The annual Drinkaware Monitor is the “state of nation” survey conducted for Drinkaware by

YouGov, providing an insight into the drinking habits of 6318 UK adults, including 1001 in Scotland.

The focus of this year’s study is the harm that alcohol can do to others.

Those who took part in the survey highlighted the influence that other people’s drinking had on them, such as being physically threatened, involved in an argument, feeling uncomfortable at social occasions, or being let down by someone.

The study also found that 27% of adults in Scotland have been concerned about someone else’s drinking in the last 12 months.

This is a significant increase on the 17% who were concerned about someone else’s drinking during the pandemic, when asked in summer 2021.

Drinkaware chief executive, Karen Tyrell, said: “We all know alcohol can be harmful to individuals, but our research shines a light on the impact it has on wider society.

“Alcohol can cause serious upset to others around us, damaging relationships and careers, and it’s especially worrying that other people’s drinking is hitting younger people the hardest.

“Alcohol harm puts huge pressure on public services as well as employers, friends and family. The NHS is facing enormous, sustained pressure, and police officers across the country are becoming increasingly stretched.

“But we are pleased to see that the Scottish Government’s framework for tackling alcohol harm considers the impact of drinking on others, particularly children.

“We look forward to contributing to the debate on restricting advertising and promotion of alcohol products and we encourage the SNP administration to bring their proposals forward soon.”

The research was carried out between April and May this year.