Extreme drinkers on a bottle of vodka a day

SCOTLAND’S heaviest drinkers are downing the equivalent of a bottle of vodka per day – and nearly one in five are dying young.

Vodka and cider are the commonest drinks among heavy drinkers, with the equivalent of a 70cl bottle of vodka a day being consumed by some. Heavy drinkers are spending on average £68 a week on their habit.

A study carried out by campaign group Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and Edinburgh Napier University found that more than 100 of the 600 patients with alcohol-related problems they interviewed died within two and a

‘Impact on quality of life’

half years of the start of the survey, at an average age of 51.

In terms of the number of alcohol units being drunk each week, the average was 172.5 – equivalent to almost one 70cl bottle of spirits, or almost three one-litre bottles of strong cider, each day.

Dr Jan Gill, associate professor at Edinburgh Napier University, said: ‘The data sharply highlight the personal toll linked to heavy alcohol consumption, while the full extent of its earlier impact on each drinker’s quality of life and personal relationships can only be guessed.’

Dr Peter Rice, chairman of SHAAP, said the report provided more evidence for minimum unit pricing north of the Border.

But Karen Betts, Scotch Whisky Association chief executive, said: ‘Alcohol-related harm is on a downward trend in Scotland. We do not believe the evidence that minimum pricing would tackle the small minority of those drinking to hazardous and harmful levels is sound.’