Alcohol Scotland

Information, advice and support to help relieve the misery caused by Scotland's alcohol problems. For people worried about their drinking, families and friends affected by alcoholism, and anyone looking for practical help or clear answers.

Sources

These are the main statistics, reports and health sources used across Alcohol Scotland. Wherever possible, links go directly to the organisation that produced the information.

Deaths & hospital admissions The main official Scottish sources for alcohol deaths and hospital harm.
National Records of Scotland — Alcohol-specific deaths 2024↗ Public Health Scotland — Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard, 27 January 2026↗ Public Health Scotland — Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard, 1 September 2026↗ Alcohol Scotland — Alcohol statistics in Scotland→
Drinking & alcohol sales Retail sales, consumption and self-reported drinking.
Public Health Scotland — Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard, 30 June 2026↗ Scottish Government — Scottish Health Survey 2024: Alcohol↗ Alcohol Scotland — Drinking & alcohol sales→
Inequality & deprivation Sources for deprivation gaps in deaths, admissions and drinking patterns.
National Records of Scotland — Alcohol-specific deaths 2024↗ Public Health Scotland — hospital admissions by deprivation↗ Scottish Health Survey 2024 — drinking and deprivation↗ Alcohol Scotland — Inequality & deprivation→
Treatment & recovery Clinical guidance, treatment waiting times and Scottish service reports.
NICE CG115 — Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis, assessment and management↗ NICE CG100 — Alcohol-use disorders: physical complications↗ Public Health Scotland — National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times, April to June 2026↗ Scottish Government — Detoxification support in residential rehabilitation settings↗ Scottish Government — Annual Alcohol and Drug Partnership Survey 2024/25↗
Health Major sources used for the physical and mental health effects of alcohol.
World Health Organization — Alcohol fact sheet↗ NHS inform — Alcohol↗ NICE — Alcohol-related physical complications↗ Alcohol Scotland — Health effects→
Families & young people Scottish research on children, families and alcohol-related harm.
Scottish Government — Review of evidence on young people experiencing harms from alcohol and drugs↗ Scottish Government — Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment↗ Alcohol Scotland — Children & families→
Policy & pricing Minimum unit pricing and Scotland's alcohol policy.
Scottish Government — Minimum Unit Pricing: operation and effect 2018–2023↗ Scottish Government — Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026–2035↗ Alcohol Scotland — Alcohol policy→
Main publishers The organisations behind much of the material used on this site.
Public Health Scotland↗ National Records of Scotland↗ Scottish Government — Alcohol and drugs↗ Alcohol Focus Scotland↗ NICE↗ World Health Organization — Alcohol↗
Corrections If a source, figure or link is wrong or out of date, please tell us.

Statistics and guidance change. Important figures are dated where possible, and links are provided so the original source can be checked.

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