Heavy drinkers dying 25 years earlier than average
●Toll of damage from alcohol revealed in major Edinburgh and Glasgow study
The grim reality of Scotland’s harddrinking culture has been laid bare in a stark new report on life expectancy.
One in six heavy drinkers was dead before reaching their 52nd birthday – a lifespan 25 years shorter than a typical Scot – the study found.
Researchers at Edinburgh Napier University for Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) documented 639 adults from Glasgow and Edinburgh attending NHS services for problems with alcohol.
They found 105 of the participants died within a two-and-a-half year period and showed significant consumption of cheap alcohol, in particular vodka and white cider, by these now deceased patients.
The report comes ahead of a UK Supreme Court appeal against the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) by the Scottish Government from parts of the drinks industry.
Twenty participants completed interviews about their drinking and purchasing habits. Key themes included “trading down” to cheaper alcohol, a reduction in food purchasing, cutting down on heating and spiralling into debt. Research showed
that the consumption of alcohol among the Glaswegian women who took part was significantly higher than that of their counterparts in Edinburgh but no different from Glaswegian men.
By contrast male drinking exceeded that of females amongst participants living in Edinburgh.
A striking divide was evident between the two cities when comparing the prevalence of self-reported mental health conditions – 72.9 per cent in Glasgow compared with 32.6 per cent in Edinburgh.
In Glasgow, but not Edinburgh, women reported significantly more mental health conditions than men.
The most common underlying cause of death, in 46 per cent of cases, was linked to liver conditions including hepatitis.
Dr Peter Rice, SHAAP’S chairman, said: “The Scottish Parliament passed legislation to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol, at 50p per standard unit, in May 2012.
“We deeply regret that the implementation of MUP has been delayed by sustained legal challenge from parts of the drinks industry, led by the Scotch Whisky Association.
“The UK Supreme Court will hear the latest appeal on July 24 and 25. We hope that it will uphold the two previous findings of the Court of Session in May 2013 and October 2016 and that the Scottish Government is then able to implement this life-saving measure.”
0 Male drinkers consume more than their female counterparts in Edinburgh but not in Glasgow
The deceased drinkers paid significantly less for their unit of alcohol than surviving patients – a unit price of 38p compared to 46p for living participants.
SHAAP was the first organisation to call for a minimum unit pricing of alcohol in 2007.
Minister for Public Health Aileen Campbell said: “This study reaffirms why we need minimum unit pricing to tackle the cheap, high strength alcohol that does so much damage to individuals and communities and why the policy continues to be supported by such a wide range of health professionals.”