Background and policy information
This page gives information on how Scotland's policies on alcohol have been developed, some of the reviews and research findings that have informed these developments and details of Health Scotland's plans to evaluate the impact of Scotland's new licensing legislation.
Quick links on this page:
Aims of The Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems
Review of alcohol licensing in Scotland
Licensing (Scotland) Act, 2005
Alcohol consumption in Scotland
Alcohol and young people
Alcohol and health
Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality
Problem drinking and social groupings
Alcohol and the Scottish economy – costs and contributions
Strategies and interventions
Monitoring and evaluation of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems
Evidence into Action
The Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems
The Scottish Executive published its Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems in 2002.
A revised Plan will be published shortly and will provide a framework for actions on alcohol over three years.
The overall aim is to minimise the negative consequences of drinking in Scotland. Actions are identified under four key themes:
- Changing alcohol cultures: with the long-term aim of creating a culture in which safe and sensible consumption is recognised as being compatible with a healthy lifestyle.
- Prevention and education: with the aim of promoting a cultural shift from binge to responsible drinking.
- Provision of services: with the aim of delivering equitable, accessible and inclusive services across Scotland.
- Protection and controls: with the aim of controlling the supply of alcohol.
For more information on the Plan, visit Alcohol Information Scotland's web pages on the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems (external link).
Review of alcohol licensing in Scotland
The Nicholson Committee undertook a review of licensing in Scotland (external link) and reported in 2003. It recommended a number of new guiding principles for licensing including the promotion of public health.
This work was complemented by a review of Off-sales in the Community (external link). Published in 2004, it set out a series of recommendations for more responsible off-sales provision.
Licensing (Scotland) Act, 2005
Both reviews informed the development of the Licensing (Scotland) Bill, which was ratified by the Scottish Parliament in November 2005 as the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 (external link).
The new legislation will be implemented in 2008/09 and includes measures that will allow for more flexible opening, but the presumption is against 24 hour opening. It will also specifically ban ‘two for one’ promotions and promotions that encourage speed drinking, and will make server training mandatory for most bar staff.
Alcohol consumption in Scotland
Over the last decade alcohol consumption in the UK has increased by 23%, with the greatest rate of increase occurring in young adults and underage drinkers. Among young adults, binge drinking and drunkenness are common and for many, these are regarded as acceptable behaviours. However, the majority of older drinkers do not regard drunkenness as acceptable.
The moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular risk and better mental health but many Scots drink to excess and experience serious health (physical and mental), social or legal consequences.
Alcohol and young people
Adverse consequences of drinking amongst young people are usually associated with the toxic effects of alcohol (overdose), or the consequences of intoxication (accidents, crime, violence, public disorder and regretted or unsafe sex).
Alcohol and health
Longer-term health effects such as liver cirrhosis, cancers of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts and haemorrhagic stroke usually take 15 to 20 years to develop but in some may develop more quickly.
Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that there is also an association between alcohol consumption and colorectal, liver and breast cancers, essential hypertension and chronic pancreatitis even at levels of drinking within recommended sensible drinking limits (two drinks per day).
Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality
The increase in alcohol consumption has been accompanied by an increase in alcohol-related morbidity and mortality.
Between 1997/98 and 2003/04 there was a 47% increase in hospital admissions for alcoholic liver disease and since 1980 there has been a 240% increase in alcohol-related deaths.
However, because of the time lag to the onset of disease, morbidity and mortality data are unlikely to reflect recent changes in drinking patterns. It remains unclear what the full health impact of the early onset of drinking and binge drinking will be.
Problem drinking and social groupings
Alcohol problems occur in all social groups but there is a marked socioeconomic gradient in alcohol-related morbidity.
People from the most deprived areas in Scotland are three times more likely to be admitted to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis than people from the most affluent areas, while men from the most deprived areas are seven times more likely to die from an alcohol-related condition than men from the most affluent areas.
The steepness of the socioeconomic gradient, particularly in men, is not observed in self-reported consumption data from surveys.
Alcohol and the Scottish economy – costs and contributions
Alcohol-related industries makes a significant contribution to the Scottish economy, employing about 155,000 people (6% of total employment in Scotland) and at a UK level, alcohol taxes raise 7.298 million (7% of Customs and Excise revenue).
However, in 2001, the economic costs of alcohol for Scotland were estimated to be 1.1 billion per annum.
Strategies and interventions
Recent reviews of the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol and alcohol-related harm, have consistently found that control and protection measures that reduce the availability of, or restrict access to, alcohol and reduce drink driving have the greatest impact, are comparatively cheap to implement and sustain.
Interventions that alter the drinking environment are also effective, providing that they are actively enforced.
Intensive treatment interventions are effective but only relevant to the minority of the population who are alcohol dependent.
However, brief intervention, for a larger minority of heavy non-dependent drinkers is both effective and cost-effective, compared with other interventions and has the potential to make a significant impact on alcohol consumption in the general population.
In contrast, alcohol education and public information campaigns have been found to have only very limited effect and while easy to implement are resource intensive.
Monitoring and evaluation of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems
Health Scotland is currently developing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems with a view to reviewing progress in 2008/09.
We are working with ISD to review patterns, trends and inequalities in alcohol consumption and health, social and legal consequences; we will review the recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) Inquiry into Pathways into and out of Hazardous Substance Misuse and we will develop a strategy to evaluate the implementation and impact of the Licensing (Scotland) Bill and related legislation.
Evidence into Action
As part of HS’s role in facilitating evidence into action, a set of Powerpoint slides have been developed to provide a briefing on a key priority in the HS work programme, Alcohol. The slides are also intended to be a source document for use when preparing presentations and briefings.
The dimensions covered are: epidemiological evidence, evidence on effective interventions (i.e. what we know works), Scottish Government policy in the area, and current activity, both Health Scotland’s contribution and that of other sectors.
To view the notes pages, open the presentation then click on Edit, then Edit Slides.
The slides were last updated on 21st January 2008.