SERVICES for problem drinking could face soaring demand after lockdown ends, a national charity has warned.
Alison Douglas, head of Alcohol Focus Scotland, told The National that more people are contacting support organisations over worries about a family member’s drinking.
In many of these cases, the problematic behaviour is either new or has come into “sharp focus” during lockdown.
She said: “Our concern would be that alcohol services, which were already hard-pressed before this crisis, may experience even greater demand after it. We need to be thinking now about how we ensure that services are able to offer people the help they need when they need it.
“Research which can help us understand how people’s drinking has been affected – and the impact on different groups – will be really important both in helping to shape our future service and policy responses.
“What is clear is that going into this crisis we had significant alcohol problems in Scotland and these are unlikely to have improved.
“The Scottish Government has a strong track record in tackling alcohol harm and we hope that when the lockdown is over and we return to normality they will continue to prioritise the nation’s health and wellbeing by addressing how widely available and how heavily marketed alcohol is.”
The comments come after Portsmouth University scientists launched a study to understand how many people are turning to alcohol during lockdown.
Data firm Nielsen has reported a 291% increase in online alcohol sales in the US and researchers from the university say increased alcohol use “could give rise to a second health crisis”.
Dr Matt Parker said: “It is unprecedented to have so many millions of people across the world effectively locked away from their jobs, friends and families.
“There is a lot of anecdotal evidence of people responding by drinking more alcohol worldwide.”
Scotland in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. It’s no exaggeration to say that the future of The National is at stake. Please consider supporting us through this with a digital subscription from just £2 for 2 months by following this link: http://www.thenational.scot/subscribe. Thanks – and stay safe.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel