Alcohol-related deaths are the highest in Scotland since 2008 – but it won’t be hard to beat that grim record

Despite so many people using drugs like alcohol, only a relatively small proportion develop problems, explains Ian Hamilton. Addiction isn’t accidental

In Scotland, deaths due to alcohol rose by 17 per cent in the last year with 1,190 people losing their lives (PA)

If ever we needed a reminder of how deadly drugs are, data released by the National Records of Scotland yesterday reminded us: deaths due to alcohol rose by 17 per cent in the last year with 1,190 people losing their lives. That’s the highest recorded number in over a decade, with little sign that this will be the last year a record is set.

Alcohol is sexist, as twice as many men as women die due to drinking. The inequality doesn’t stop there though. Those living in the most deprived areas are four times more likely to die compared to those in the most affluent areas. Although this gap isn’t quite as marked as the one for other drugs such as heroin and cocaine, where the ratio widens to a startling 18 times.

Behind these cold sounding statistics there is a sad reality. Most people don’t die due to using a single substance; they lose their life as a result of using multiple substances. Most of those who have alcohol recorded on their death certificate will also be smokers. Just like most of those who die with heroin on their death certificate will have regularly used alcohol, diazepam and tobacco.