ALCOHOL kills one Scot every THREE HOURS, devastating new figures have revealed.
The shock NHS report suggests five per cent of all deaths are related to booze abuse ? TWICE the rate originally feared.
Experts say drink played a part in 2,882 fatalities in a single year, from stomach cancer and strokes to assaults and road crashes.
And Scotland?s top doctor last night demanded a hike in booze prices to stem the tide. Chief Medical Officer Dr Harry Burns said: ?The evidence is overwhelming ? when prices tack down, deaths stack up.?
Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, added: ?Minimum pricing would save lives and save the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds in NHS and crime costs.?
The survey identified 53 causes of death ? with direct factors like liver disease only accounting for half.
Just over a fifth of all drink deaths are from cancers, while booze is an issue in a third of fatal fires. Alcohol is responsible for a QUARTER of all deaths in the 35-44 age group.
But the true toll could be higher as data dates back to 2003.
Among top-earning Scots, 45 per cent down more than 21 units a week, while almost one in 12 hospital patients are affected by drink.
Last night Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: ?To have one in 20 Scots dying from alcohol-related causes is a truly shocking statistic.?
But she faces opposition to a crackdown on cut-price booze deals. Tory Health spokesman Mary Scanlon said: ?A co-ordinated plan is required.?
The shock NHS report suggests five per cent of all deaths are related to booze abuse ? TWICE the rate originally feared.
Experts say drink played a part in 2,882 fatalities in a single year, from stomach cancer and strokes to assaults and road crashes.
And Scotland?s top doctor last night demanded a hike in booze prices to stem the tide. Chief Medical Officer Dr Harry Burns said: ?The evidence is overwhelming ? when prices tack down, deaths stack up.?
Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, added: ?Minimum pricing would save lives and save the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds in NHS and crime costs.?
The survey identified 53 causes of death ? with direct factors like liver disease only accounting for half.
Just over a fifth of all drink deaths are from cancers, while booze is an issue in a third of fatal fires. Alcohol is responsible for a QUARTER of all deaths in the 35-44 age group.
But the true toll could be higher as data dates back to 2003.
Among top-earning Scots, 45 per cent down more than 21 units a week, while almost one in 12 hospital patients are affected by drink.
Last night Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: ?To have one in 20 Scots dying from alcohol-related causes is a truly shocking statistic.?
But she faces opposition to a crackdown on cut-price booze deals. Tory Health spokesman Mary Scanlon said: ?A co-ordinated plan is required.?
Comment