Does Scotland want to end its booze addiction?

A 13-YEAR old girl is carried into the A&E ward of a nearby hospital, insensibly drunk, having been discovered unconscious by her parents. Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Average are sitting at home enjoying a bottle of red wine, their reward for a long week at work.

Two scenes, both played out most Fridays in modern-day Scotland, reflecting our baffling, contradictory relationship with the Demon Drink.

For decades, no Government has ever sought to curtail the rights of Mr and Mrs Average to ensure such drunken incidents involving the young are prevented. But this week, with the publication of the most significant Government document on public health since the ban on smoking in public places, the SNP Government is to step over the threshold. Is it time that our right to a drink be curtailed for the good of society?

The document being published this week – thought to be entitled 'Action on Alcohol' – is the culmination of a long campaign by the SNP Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill for whom tackling Scotland's 'booze culture' has become a personal crusade.

"It's impossible to walk down the street at night without seeing people who've simply had too much to drink," he declared last year. "When nearly half of those accused of murder were drunk when they committed their offence, when one Scot dies every six hours from alcohol abuse, when alcohol is costing our economy tens of millions of pounds, it's time to say enough is enough."

A Government paper last month concluded that alcohol abuse in Scotland cost the country £2.25bn in 2006-07, in terms of crime, damage to the economy and costs to the NHS. MacAskill and his fellow ministers have decided to act.

As we reveal today, the consultation paper will include proposals to increase the age limit for off-sales to 21, from the current 18, following similar laws in Sweden. Widely-trailed measures will also be included: plans to impose minimum prices on off-sales alcohol; restrictions on where alcohol can be sold in shops; a ban on so-called BOGOF deals (buy-one-get-one-free); and a new 'polluter pays' tax on stores, which will be forced to pay up for policing and health costs on the grounds that the sale of alcohol has pushed up both.

But will any of it work?

The leading experts in the field have a blunt message: if ministers really want to cut alcohol consumption, there is only one way to do it properly and that is by raising prices.

Ken Barrie, the director for the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Studies at the University of Paisley, said: "If we are being serious about tackling alcohol-related problems a core element is about price. Most of us wouldn't want to pay an extra £1 for a bottle of wine but it might be that that is what it takes to bring about a change in people's behaviour."

MacAskill is considering just such an increase. One idea being considered is to tax alcohol at 50p per unit. Such a scheme would increase the cost of a pack of 20 bottles of Stella Artois from around £9 to £14. A £3 bottle of wine would go up to around £5, while a two-litre bottle of White Lightning cider would go up from around £3 to £7.

The moves are backed with enthusiasm by those who have to clear up the detritus left behind by Scotland's drink culture. Dr David Chung, a consultant in emergency medicine in Ayrshire and Arran, said: "I've been in A&E in the west of Scotland for 10 years and things are getting worse. The A&E community would welcome any detailed guidance on this."

But the proposals have been met with horror from the retail sector which, at first, dismissed MacAskill's threats as shrill warnings, but has now realised that he is deadly serious. One retail source said the sector feels like it has become the "whipping boy" for the minister's crusade, an easy target for the public's growing discomfort with the drinking habits of a few.

Retailers point to how, on the change to the age limit, many already operate a 21 and over scheme whereby anyone who looks under that age is asked for proof of age. They claim MacAskill refused to listen to them over recent months during discussions over the paper, apparently set in his view that cheap drink in off-licences and supermarkets was to blame for the malaise. And as for the drinks industry itself, there is barely disguised fury.

Gavin Partington, of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, said: "Minimum pricing is frequently raised by politicians but it doesn't address the fundamental problem here, that this is a cultural issue. If price were an issue, why is it that there aren't more drunks walking around Madrid and Paris where drink is cheaper and less taxed?"

James Alexander, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said: "It seems absurd that you should reduce the voting age to 16 and then say that you can't be trusted to have a drink for another five years."

Furthermore, later next week, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead is expected to launch the SNP Government's 'food and drink' strategy, in which retailers and consumers will be urged to source Scottish products – like whisky. "The hypocrisy here is unbelievable," said another retail insider.

But there is no sign that MacAskill will be diverted. He has spent nearly a year laying the ground for this week's announcement, with his insistence that something must now be done to tackle Scotland's drink culture. On the smoking ban, ministers successfully managed to convince the public that the time was ripe for change. Now, the Justice Secretary has set himself the target of persuading Scots that our other great vice needs to be addressed as well. Are Scots prepared to pay massively inflated sums for their drink, in order to end our 'booze shame'? The next few weeks will tell.

Drink and drugs fuel nation's suicides and murders

A REPORT commissioned by the SNP Government is expected to this week say that Scotland's high rates of drug and alcohol misuse mean people north of the border are twice as likely to kill or commit suicide than those in England and Wales.

Researchers from Manchester University studied all homicides and suicides in Britain over the past six years. Suicide rates in Scotland equated to 18.7 per 100,000 compared to 10.2 per 100,000 for England and Wales.

Meanwhile, murder rates were 2.12 per 100,000 people in Scotland, compared to 1.23 per 100,000 in England and Wales.

The authors lay the blame on alcohol and drug consumption which, they say, are invariably involved in suicides and murder, particularly among people with mental health problems.

The report is being released this week as SNP Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill launches his much-awaited alcohol strategy, in which he proposes a historic crackdown on drink, including price increases and an end to promotions.

The paper will enable MacAskill to claim that drink is directly linked to many of the dozens of murders that take place in the country every year.

Previous research has found that half of murders in Scotland are committed by people under the influence of drink or drugs. A report by the World Health Organisation found Scotland has the second highest murder rate in western Europe.

The Manchester University report also studied people with mental health problems who had committed suicide or killed. In the case of suicides, well over half the patients had a history of alcohol abuse. For murders, two our of every three killers had a drink problem.

The 'Lessons for Mental Health Care in Scotland' report was commissioned by the Scottish Government.

Louis Appleby, Professor of psychiatry and director of National Confidential Inquiry, which carried out the report, said: "Alcohol and drug misuse runs through these findings… suggesting that alcohol and drugs lie behind Scotland's high rates of suicide and homicide and the frequency with which they occur as antecedents in our report are striking."

Scotch plans that may ghettoise key export

Gavin Hewitt
Chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association

SCOTTISH Government support for Scotch whisky will be tested this week as ministers try to square the circle of capitalising on Scotch's global appeal while also launching a plan to tackle alcohol misuse.

The two are not mutually exclusive. A fresh approach to alcohol misuse, with full industry support, can put Scotland on the international map just as positively as encouraging tourists to visit their favourite distillery.

Getting it wrong risks ghettoising Scotch whisky at home and sending a negative message overseas about our largest export. 'Scotch' means 'Scotland' in countries as diverse as India and China – it's seen as a product of high quality, heritage and aspiration. This underpins the balance of trade and attracts over 1.2 million visitors a year.

Contrary to popular belief the number of men drinking above recommended levels is falling. Reinforcement of that positive message would build on research showing excessive consumption can be reduced once individuals realise their peers are not consuming at the level believed.

We have an extensive regulatory framework of alcohol control. With test purchasing and strict enforcement, the Licensing Act from September 2009 will make a real impact.

More targeted measures are the way forward, with interventions in medical and criminal justice settings, backed by school-based education.

Scotland has a cultural problem with excessive drinking. But it also has a cultural and economically important icon in Scotch whisky. Scotland can have its dram and enjoy it.

'If they're too young, they get someone older to buy it'

Gareth Rose

THE shop posters warn that alcohol will not be sold to anyone under 21, but the smashed bottles of Buckfast in alleyways suggest otherwise.

In Armadale stricter licensing laws have already been piloted in an attempt to crack down on antisocial behaviour in the West Lothian community of 9,000.

The minimum age limit has already been raised, from 18 to 21, on Friday and Saturday evenings, to try to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder, a harbinger of the restrictions Kenny MacAskill would like to see rolled out to the rest of Scotland.

The initiative appears to have had a positive effect: there has been a 57% reduction in recorded assaults, a 54% fall in vandalism reports and a 55% drop in complaints from residents about antisocial behaviour.

However, one 75-year-old woman complained the ban has not stopped gangs of youths, many of them younger than 18, drinking on the streets. "They were outside my house last night," she said.

"They stole a pole from my washing line and used it to fight each other. It happens every night.

"I used to go out and confront them, but I daren't now."

At about 1pm, Martin Ellis, 17, is perched on a railing with his friends. He claims the new laws have not made a huge difference.

He said: "I don't drink on the streets, but sometimes my mates do.

"Usually they go to someone's house, but sometimes that's not an option."

He nods at Ochilview Square, a pedestrianised area that extends behind some shops. It is renowned as a local haven for teenage drinkers, as it provides a convenient hiding place from passing police cars.

Ellis said: "There's usually people sitting on the benches there. They can get alcohol from any shop in Armadale, because if they're not old enough they'll get someone else to go in who is.

"It doesn't matter if you have to be 18, 21, even 25 or whatever, there's always someone old enough to buy it."

Michelle Alexander, at 21, is old enough to buy alcohol but does not have any form of photographic ID and so relies on other people to buy it for her. "I can't buy alcohol anywhere. I get ID'd all the time because I look young."

Some people between the ages of 18 and 20 simply drive five minutes down the road to neighbouring Bathgate to buy alcohol.

This has made the law unpopular with Armadale shopkeepers, who believe they are being robbed of an important group of customers.

Susan Lang, supervisor at Spar in West Main Street, said: "We would not like to see this introduced long term as it would affect our sales.

"We used to get a lot of 18 to 21-year-olds in, but there's definitely been a dip. Most of them either get it before 5pm or go to Bathgate.

"There seems to have been a drop in antisocial behaviour, but we still get young drinkers out there, so the problem's not gone away."

There's a suspicion that the wrong people have been targeted. In some cases 18 to 20-year-olds are parents themselves, and more likely to want a glass of wine after the kids have gone to sleep than an extra-strength cider as they tear up the streets, inflicting fear and harassment on passers-by.

Linda McNab, 40, a shop worker, said: "My daughter Debbie is 18, she's very sensible and a good girl. Why shouldn't she be allowed to drink?

"She does not hang around on street corners getting into trouble. So if she wants a bottle of wine in an evening I'll go and buy it for her. I'm sure a lot of parents round here will do the same, although not all their children will be well behaved."

Pauline Borthwick, 21, is a mother-of-two and part-time cleaner, but at certain times of the week she is unable to buy alcohol because of the reliance on photographic ID. She sometimes finds it easier for her partner to go.

"I think it's ridiculous. I have two kids: one is two and a half, the other is 18 months. I'm 21 for God's sake."

Counting the cost

£2.25bn

AMOUNT alcohol cost Scotland in 2006-07, according to the government. This is made up of £405m costs to the NHS, £385m to law and order and £820m in wider economic costs - such as lost days at work.

UP to 35% of all cases in an Accident & Emergency ward are alcohol related, according to the Cabinet Office.

ALCOHOL is assumed to be a key factor in 40% of violent assaults in Scotland.

SWEDEN is the only country in Europe which currently had a different age limit for off-sales. Swedes have to be 20 before they can buy a drink in a shop.

SCOTTISH ministers are considering imposing minimum prices on offsales alcohol, with 50p per unit of alcohol added to the cost of a drink. A £3bottle of red wine would be pushed up to £5 under such a scheme.

MINISTERS back a 'polluter pays' scheme so that stores have to pay the NHS and police for related costs.

SNP Ministers are also pressing for a reduction in the drink drive limit to just one unit of alcohol.