Minimum pricing for alcohol

[JAStewart]

Should we put the prices of fatty foods up too?

Should we put the prices of red meat up too?

Should we put the prices of computer games too?

 

Can't we decide what's best for our own bodies and not the government?

 

I read the first link. Unfortunately it was not the myth-busting piece it promised to be. I was expecting a scientific journal article, not a two-page PDF, but anyway...

 

If the minimum price is set at 45p for example,

moderate drinkers can only expect to pay around 11p more per week.

What is a moderate drinker? Lack of clarification.

 

Supermarket ‘own brand’ whisky and vodka sells for between £5 and £8 depending on which

supermarket you buy it from. This would become £12.60 as a minimum price (28 units x 45p).

Moderate drinking for a student is probably nearly a full 70cl bottle of vodka in a week, if my experiences here have taught me anything. This is a rise of at least £5. Remaining lack of clarification.

 

Most people would agree that this is a reasonable price for a 75cl bottle of whisky or vodka.

Who are these 'most' people? Did they do a survey? Lack of evidence, assumption.

 

There is no evidence to support this. The retailers might not sell as many drinks but the higher price

for some drinks would mean that it would balance out

This is a complete assumption, which they have not backed up with any evidence. Lack of evidence is not evidence. Lack of evidence, assumption.

 

If young people are drinking less, they will be less at risk of coming to harm themselves and less likely to disrupt those living in the local area.

Who's young? I'm quite young at 21, and so far I haven't harmed those living in the local area! (I think...). Lack of clarification.

 

All this, and the article-thing doesn't even address the increase in crime which raising the price could cause especially among alcoholics and the aforementioned 'youth' who I presume they mean 'neds'.

[derick]

Mmm - Never heard o onybody peggin oot fae playin computer games

Can't we decide what's best for our own bodies and not the government?

 

Weill du can decide fur deesel

- I wid reydir tak advice fae da British Medical Association, da World Health Organisation, an all 4 UK chief medical officers.

See da graphs

Alcohol related morbidity

Scottish men 37 per 100,000 population

English men 15 per 100,000

I mak da scottish figure ta be roughly 146% higher as da English een.

 

Age standardised morbidity due to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 1970-2005

for scottish men roughly twice as high as UK figure.

both scottish and uk figures climbing steadily, as compared to Europe where the figure is falling steadily

 

http://www.healthscotland.com/topics/health/alcohol/MinimumPricing.aspx#problem

 

'...around 1 in 20 Scots die an alcohol attributable death, from causes ranging from cancer to car accidents ...'

 

'...The effect of hazardous drinking on our communities is clear for all to see in alcohol fuelled crime and disorder.'

 

'...The misuse of alcohol costs the Scottish economy around £2.25bn each year. That’s a cost of around £500 per year, or £10 a week, for every taxpayer...'

 

Evidence for the effectiveness and cost–effectiveness of interventions

to reduce alcohol-related harm World Health Organisation

 

Abstract

Policies that regulate the economic and physical availability of alcohol are effective in reducing alcohol-related harm.

 

The evidence shows that information and education programmes do not reduce alcohol-related harm;

 

In all parts of the European Union, population-based interventions represent a highly cost–effective use of resources to reduce alcohol-related harm.

[MuckleJoannie]

Mmm - Never heard o onybody peggin oot fae playin computer games

 

 

Rare but it happens! See this story.

 

A South Korean man has died after reportedly playing an online computer game for 50 hours with few breaks.

The 28-year-old man collapsed after playing the game Starcraft at an internet cafe in the city of Taegu, according to South Korean authorities.

 

The man had not slept properly, and had eaten very little during his marathon session, said police.

[JAStewart]

^Also you can argue, no doubt, that playing too much computer games will give you back problems when you are older and will turn you fat. Fattyness = Heart disease, which we are famous for. Cmon! Let's start a campaign to ban it!

 

I don't doubt that Scotland has a huge problem with alcohol.

 

I just don't want the government to legislate my shopping cart anymore.

 

If it costs £2.25b, start charging people in the hospitals for alcohol related injuries. It's only because we have government-supplied healthcare that they feel the need to invade our bodies.

[Claudias]

Alcohol related morbidity

Scottish men 37 per 100,000 population

English men 15 per 100,000

I mak da scottish figure ta be roughly 146% higher as da English een.

 

Age standardised morbidity due to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 1970-2005

for scottish men roughly twice as high as UK figure.

both scottish and uk figures climbing steadily, as compared to Europe where the figure is falling

 

 

 

.

 

Is this because drink is much more expensive in England and Europe? I don't think so. Thousands of Brits cross the channel every day to stock up on cheap booze and fags. Duty free.

[MuckleJoannie]

^^^

Duty free between the UK and EU countries ended in 1999. Alcohol taxes are still a lot lower across the Channel.

[Vdub]

^ I thot that was an irish tattie spirit...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poit%C3%ADn

 

nae tatties in u'r recipie?

 

you are probably correct, first item in google search to demonstrate how easy it is to make your own alcohol which is what a lot of people will do if the price goes up to far, with no control of the poison some people will make which in the long run could cause far bigger problems.

[piggywiggie]

if people want alcohol that badly they wont care how much it costs

[Claudias]

My point was that the greater number of drunks in Scotland is not due to any price differential,it is due to the Scottish mentality. Are Shetland drunks from Scottish decendants?

[Vdub]

if people want alcohol that badly they wont care how much it costs

 

Yes and they wont care where the money comes from either, childs dinner money, house keeping, steel it etc etc as I said will cause all sorts of problems.

[tirvaluk]

On the TV the other week they showed that what the SNP was proposing wouldn't alter the price of Buckfast, the biggest scourge next to heroin on the West of Scotland, but would put up vodka by 90odd pence, WTF difference is that going to make. And it really pisses me off that I can't buy a bottle of wine with my shopping before 10.00am, ridiculous!!!

I have also seen from past experience that when the price of "legal" drugs go up, people go onto cheaper "illegal" drugs.

[JAStewart]

And it really pisses me off that I can't buy a bottle of wine with my shopping before 10.00am, ridiculous!!!

I think so too. What if you are having a meal at your place but you are working from 9-6 and don't really have time to run to the supermarket to get a bottle.

 

Can't we decide what's best for our own bodies and not the government?

 

Weill du can decide fur deesel

- I wid reydir tak advice fae da British Medical Association, da World Health Organisation, an all 4 UK chief medical officers.

Have you no responsibility of your own? I don't need x quantity of professionals to tell me not to drink alcohol, I'll drink it or I won't. I choose to drink it and drink it in moderation.

 

We're humans. We can make rational choices if we like. If we don't, we have to live with the consequences. I prefer that to a government who forces choices on everyone and thus everyone feels the effects, for better or for worse.

[mainlander]

And it really pisses me off that I can't buy a bottle of wine with my shopping before 10.00am, ridiculous!!!

 

I totally agree. On the days I'm not working, I like to do my shopping after dropping the family off at school. However, if I'm going to be buying any alcohol, I now have to do a special trip later on. A total pain, and it won't affect how much alcohol I either buy or drink.

[JustMe]

Mixed views on the 10am restriction. Certainly it is a pain for people who like to shop early in the day and I very much doubt if it will really reduce the consumption of problem drinkers but it may help people like me who like a drink and drink a bit too much as I can shop at the supermarkets without being subjected to the temptation to buy the latest bargain on display.

 

Yes I could just resist temptation and/or avoid the drink aisle but this helps a little.

[mainlander]

Interested to hear that you think it might help you, JustMe, I won't complain about it again if it really is going benefit folk who are struggling a bit!