Meeting of the Parliament 04 June 2015
Scotland’s relationship with alcohol is as well known as it is complex. We drink far more now than we did a generation ago, and alcohol consumption is almost a fifth higher here than in the rest of the UK.
I accept that drinking in moderation can have beneficial effects for some people. However, heavy drinking places a burden on society. It does not just damage health or cause premature death; it contributes to crime and disorder.
Binge drinking, particularly among youngsters aged between 18 and 30 on Friday and Saturday nights remains a problem. There is an economic cost to our unhealthy relationship with alcohol, including a loss of productivity through sickness. Alcohol misuse costs Scotland £3.6 billion a year. To put that into perspective, that is £900 for every adult in our country.
However, I recognise the progress that we have made in tackling alcohol misuse, and the impact of the Scottish Government’s comprehensive 2009 strategy “Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework For Action.” The framework contains a range of measures, including education, support for families and communities, and preventative public health measures, together with minimum unit pricing and other regulatory measures on issues such as the irresponsible promotion of alcohol.
It is not all bad where our youngsters are concerned. The Scottish schools adolescent lifestyle and substance use survey 2013 informs us that 13 to 15-year-olds are consuming less alcohol a week compared with 2010, and that consumption is at its lowest level since records began in 1990.
Many young people living with someone with an alcohol problem take on additional caring responsibilities in the family unit, which can be detrimental to their life opportunities. That is often underreported or undisclosed to those outside the home.
To engage young people, the Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs group has adopted a range of consultative measures involving workshops and prevalence studies. That involves challenging social stigma as a barrier to accessing support; changing social attitudes towards drinking; supporting those living in remote and rural communities; and assisting with training and resources.
As other members have mentioned, we could not have a debate on Scotland’s relationship with alcohol without mentioning the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012, which was passed unopposed by this Parliament in June 2012.
It is hoped that the Government’s alcohol framework, which is under development, will breed the cultural changes that are required to affect positively Scotland’s relationship with alcohol. Other measures have shown that that can be done. The lowering of the drink-driving limit in December last year—a campaign that I was heavily involved in—has led to many people leaving their cars at home when they go out or not drinking alcohol if they take their cars. Figures from Police Scotland show that the number of motorists caught drink driving in Scotland during the first festive period following the introduction of the new law was down almost a third on the previous year’s figure. I hope that Jackson Carlaw’s earlier comments on that are, indeed, incorrect.
As the motion states, it is wholly unacceptable that there is an average of 20 alcohol-related deaths and 700 alcohol-related hospital admissions each week in Scotland. Furthermore, Scotland now has one of the highest cirrhosis mortality rates in western Europe and is ranked eighth in the world for alcohol consumption per head of population.
We all have a role to play in tackling this scourge. We must continue the good work that has been done and the progress that has already been made.
I am teetotal. I have not drunk alcohol for nearly 15 years. I was born and brought up in Lossiemouth, which is a fishing town. There were many fishermen in that town who drank heavily and many religious fishermen who did not drink at all. In my early 20s, I moved to Stornoway. Members will all have heard about the Gaelic Mod, which is also known as the whisky Olympics.
I started drinking at a young age and, over many years, I progressed from pints of beer to whisky and so on. I was probably a pretty typical young man in the Highlands. I tended to go out on a Friday night and would drink Friday night and Saturday. I would often not drink on a Sunday but, by the time Monday came, would have a bit of a hangover and would not really be 100 per cent.
Drink creeps up on people. It is an illness. It very gradually takes hold of people. Many of us have to look at our lives, think about what we are doing and ask ourselves whether we want to carry on doing it.
I took the decision to stop drinking after I became a Christian. I was helped greatly and would say without hesitation that, if it was not for God, I would probably still be drinking. It was the best thing that I have ever done. It has changed my life. I had a successful career and was doing everything well but, at the weekends, I was drinking more than was good for me or for the people round about me. Therefore, I feel passionately about the matter.
We have to help people who have alcohol problems. Our society does not help them at the moment. Young people who start drinking go on to the flavoured alcoholic drinks—the alcopops and other things that are available these days—which draw them in far too quickly. It is like drinking lemonade. When I started drinking, people had to get used to the taste of gin, rum, vodka, whisky, beer or lager.
Anything that we can do to improve the situation must be good. We will need many different measures to deal with the problem and I am pleased that the chamber will come together and vote as one on the motion and amendment to help us to tackle the scourge of alcohol.
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