Under 40s risking serious health harm

Nicola Sturgeon

Scotland’s culture of heavy and binge drinking is having an increasing impact on the health of younger people, according to statistics published today.

And the nation is also bucking the international trend for chronic liver disease. While most European countries have seen levels fall, rates in Scotland have almost trebled over the last 15 years.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told Hebrides news Today:.

“Scotland’s love affair with drink is well documented and we’re taking radical and decisive action to tackle pocket-money prices which – as the World Health Organisation recognises – help to drive consumption and harm.

“Most worrying is the increase in alcohol-related problems among young people, who are putting themselves at risk of serious health problems. Alcohol is now around 70 per cent more affordable than it was in 1980 and, over the same period, consumption and alcohol-related harm have spiralled. These factors are not unrelated.

“Cheap alcohol is making a serious situation even worse. By linking price to product strength, minimum pricing will put an end to the sale of high-strength alcohol for less than the cost of bottled water.