‘Hazardous’ drinking is declining in Scotland

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has released a new document detailing alcohol trends in Scotland that shows “hazardous” drinking across the country is declining.

The Scotch Whisky Association has published a document showing alcohol trends in Scotland

Compiled by the SWA, the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, the Portman Group and the National Association of Cider Makers, the Trends in Alcohol – Scotland document is aimed at providing information for those actively working to reduce alcohol misuse.

The data covers topics of consumption levels, underage issues, health and crime.

It shows that alcohol consumption per capita among those aged over 16-years-old was highest in Scotland in 2007 but fell by 10% by 2013, although consumption among adults in this age range was 17% higher than among the same group in England and Wales.

The level of “hazardous and harmful” drinking – defined as more than 21 units of alcohol for men each week and 14 units for women – has dropped “significantly” since 2005, especially among 16-24-year-olds.

In addition, the number of children younger than 13 who have tried alcohol has halved since 2000 to 32% and for 15-year-olds this percentage has fallen from 87% to 69%.

“To fulfil the demand for information and data about trends in these areas there are a wide variety of data sources that cover various different aspects of alcohol consumption and harms,” the document read. “With no universal source of data available statistics are often quoted in isolation without considering the wider context in which they are set.

“It is vital that the facts on the scale of the problem are presented clearly and in the appropriate context to enable the debate to focus on the issues that remain.”