Scots drink a fifth more pure alcohol than the English and Welsh, study says

The average person in Scotland bought the equivalent of a bottle of vodka a week in 2014, data from the NHS says.

Scots bought 10.7 litres of pure alcohol, which equates to 41 700ml bottles of 37.5 per cent vodka, or 20.5 units a week. In comparison, drinkers in England and Wales were found to buy about nine litres of pure alcohol a year, according to the study.

The Scottish figure was up from 10.6 litres in 2013 - a worrying development given that on average 22 people in Scotland die a week because of alcohol related conditions.

Scottish public health minister Maureen Watt told the i newspaper:

It's concerning that the decline in consumption seen in recent years now appears to have stalled... [the Holyrood government remains] absolutely committed to tackling Scotland's difficult relationship with alcohol head on.

It is possible in Scotland today to exceed the maximum weekly recommended intake of alcohol for men (21 units) for less than £5 - something the Scottish parliament plans to address through minimum unit pricing, Watt added.

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