Earlier this week, Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, met with representatives from the charity Drinkaware in the Scottish Parliament to learn more about the drinking habits of Scottish adults.
Roz spoke to Drinkaware, who were at Holyrood to talk about the findings from their latest Monitor report, a major annual survey of adult drinkers across the UK. Roz heard that while Scots drink less frequently than other adults in the UK, when they do drink, they’re much more likely to drink to harmful levels.
Roz also spoke to Drinkaware about some positive trends that have begun emerging, such as the reduction in the number of Scots who are drinking at home alone.
Whilst two-thirds of Scottish drinkers (66%) believe their country as a whole has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, many of us don’t believe our own relationship with alcohol is unhealthy. This finding indicates a gap between perception and reality, and a need to be more open and honest with ourselves and each other about our relationship with alcohol.
Commenting, Roz said:
“The work Drink Aware are doing to encourage Scots to have a more open and honest relationship with alcohol will hopefully encourage more responsible drinking habits. Encouraging more healthy relationships with alcohol is critical to the health of our adult population.”
Tom Redfearn, Drinkaware’s head of policy also said:
“We’re grateful to Roz McCall for showing such interest in our new research and supporting the work we’re doing to encourage Scots to be more open and honest about their relationships with alcohol. It’s really easy to understand more about your drinking habits and what that means for your health risk, you can complete Drinkaware’s quick and free Drinking Check on our website anytime to receive personalised advice.”
