Alex Salmond’s description of Scotland as “a nation of drunks” caused controversy but, here’s the thing, the First Minister was spot on with the substance of his argument.
Let’s consider Scotland’s place in the alcohol league table in the UK. Top. Now let’s have a think about how we compare on the global stage? The eighth highest alcohol consumption level in the world. Take that in for a moment. Isn’t it scary?
Before I go any further and am accused of double standards, I like a pint. On occasion I even like a few and have been sometimes known to have a few too many. However, I tend to do my drinking in the pub, where prices dictate the frequency of visit and amount of alcohol going down the gullet in an evening.
What’s worrying is that, according to stats released last December, 60% of alcohol sold in Scotland’s supermarkets, shops and off licenses in 2012 was sold at below 50p per unit, the initial level proposed by the Scottish government for minimum pricing.
That means cheap booze is flying off shelves and into people’s homes. No wonder alcohol is still killing the equivalent of 20 people a week in Scotland despite a fall in drink-related deaths.
Yes, it would be nave to think simply raising the price of alcohol is some sort of miracle cure for such a multi-faceted problem. Our whole culture and relationship with drink needs to change. It’s simply not healthy.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what we can, though, and getting bargain bottles of vodka and cider off our shops’ shelves can only help.
The First Minister’s phrase was clumsy and ill chosen. It lends itself to negative headlines. But we should all consider the wider message.