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NHS HIGHLAND: Drugs and alcohol stats are grim, so what can we do?





As well as dealing with the immediate effects of drugs and alcohol we should support the efforts to tackle the underlying causes, says our columnist.
As well as dealing with the immediate effects of drugs and alcohol we should support the efforts to tackle the underlying causes, says our columnist.

Drugs and alcohol are having a big effect on the health of people in Scotland both locally and nationally.

We have large numbers of people admitted to hospital due to the direct effects of alcohol consumption.

Even more people are admitted to hospital because alcohol has contributed to their illness, for example making their high blood pressure worse.

Drug deaths in Highlands fell in 2023, according to new figures from National Records of Scotland

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Drug deaths continue to hit the headlines and rates in Scotland are among the highest in Europe. Faced with these rather grim statistics we may wonder whether that means something for us and if there is anything that we can do to help.

There has been a fashion in recent years for talking about taking a public health approach to big problems in society such as gambling harm or knife crime. This means looking at the root causes of these problems as well as the harmful outcomes and seeking to change the underlying issues so that there will be a long-term improvement. Such a public health approach is certainly needed for the harms caused by drugs and alcohol.

We must be ready to deal with the immediate serious effects of drugs and alcohol. This will include knowing what to do if someone we know uses substances and takes an overdose. It will also include making sure that we are aware of the harms from alcohol and encouraging people to seek help. Also, our own attitude to alcohol, drunkenness and drink-driving can have a big effect on others.

But as well as dealing with the immediate effects of drugs and alcohol we should support the efforts to tackle the underlying causes. One example of this is the Planet Youth programme which is based on a successful approach in Iceland, improving the safety, health and happiness of young people through understanding their circumstances and working with their schools and communities. The enormous changes in Iceland did not happen overnight but the lives of young people were transformed, and this can happen locally too.

The public health approach to problems looks at the harmful outcomes and the underlying causes, but it also considers other issues that contribute to the problems. For alcohol and drugs this includes supply and availability, although the way this is handled will be very different for alcohol and for illegal drugs.

The availability of alcohol is affected by the decisions of council licensing committees about where alcohol can be sold. Consumption is also affected by price. This prompted the national decision in Scotland to introduce minimum unit pricing for the sale of alcohol, so that each unit of alcohol bought would cost at least 50p. After several years, the minimum unit price has now recently risen to 65p. This will mean that some lower priced alcoholic drinks have become more expensive, but it is also part of the overall effort we all need to make to reduce harm.

Dr Tim Allison is NHS Highland’s director of public health and policy.


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