Ludo Thierry
Hi all. Beeb Scotland did carry this piece reporting ONS figures on the very encouraging drop in alcohol related death rates in Scotland this century – but it was a case of ‘blink and you missed it’. I’d noticed it yesterday early evening and had to search hard for it today by lunchtime! Link and snippets below:
Death rates caused by alcohol have dropped in Scotland in the past 10 years, according to new figures.
Scotland is the only UK nation where the rate dropped this century, despite a slight increase for women last year.
However, the Office of National Statistics said it was still twice that of England, where death rates rose.
Charities said it gave cause for optimism that minimum unit pricing was working, but warned that further action was needed to curb alcohol harm.
The Scottish government introduced minimum unit pricing in May 2018 in a bid to cut consumption and save lives.
The new report said: “Despite Scotland’s higher rate of alcohol-specific deaths, it remains the only UK constituent country to show statistically significant improvement when comparing with 2001 rates.
“In comparison, both England and Wales had statistically significant increases over the same period.”
For men, the alcohol-specific death rate has decreased in Scotland by 25% this century, while for women the rate has fallen by 10% over the same period.
There were 29.4 deaths per 100,000 men in Scotland last year, down from 37.6 in 2008. The lowest UK rate was in England where there were 14.8 male deaths per 100,000.
For women, the rate rose to 13.1 per 100,000 from 11.6 in 2017, but was still significantly lower than the 15.2 rate in 2008.
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Data published earlier this year showed that consumption in Scotland reduced by 3% in 2018.
“This gives us cause for optimism that minimum unit pricing appears to be having an effect on how much we are drinking and this should translate into improvements in health and wellbeing and fewer deaths.”
A report published earlier this year showed that sales of alcohol in Scotland dropped following the change in the law.
(Looking at those figures one can see precisely why the SNP Scottish Govt stuck to their guns and pushed through the raft of reforms to alcohol policy – in the face of MASSIVE political resistance from the britnat parties and britnat media – Truly these britnat poodles are living with a very strange (and damaging) political worldview).
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
BBC Scotland has since it was first mooted reported adversely on the minimum pricing of alcohol legislation and has given plenty of coverage to the drinks industry’s and small retailers’ opposition to legislation and the phone in on several occasions has been slanted to encourage opposition voices.
So, it is not surprising that it gave scant coverage to the data
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All of the Unionist parties professed some support for MUP in Westminster but not in Holyrood. They all pulled back and quietly dropped it. All kudos to the Scottish Government for sticking with it despite strong opposition from the industry and the Unionist parties.
The policy is making a contribution along with other policies aimed to reduce alcohol misuse.
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