Alcohol: social harm 

Excessive consumption of alcohol can have harmful and wide-reaching consequences for individuals, their family and friends as well as communities and the economy. The Alcohol Framework 2018: Preventing Harm, published by the Scottish Government includes the estimate from the 2010 study, The Societal Cost of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland for 2007, that the impact of this excessive consumption is estimated to cost Scotland £3.6 billion each year, equivalent to an average of £900 for every adult in Scotland.

This section describes some of the consequences of alcohol misuse for both adults and young people. The data are drawn from general population surveys and from routine data collected by agencies such as the police, emergency and criminal justice services. Surveys reflect respondents' self-reported answers and are not based on direct observation. Typically only a (representative) sample of the population is surveyed and therefore figures are estimates rather than exact measures.

Perceptions of alcohol-related social harm

The public perceive alcohol abuse to be a social problem in Scotland. This is reflected in the responses to a section of the 2010/11 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey focusing on perceived 'problems' in Scotland. This topic has not been covered in any subsequent survey (latest survey 2019/20) so the figures below are from the 2010/11 survey:

• Ninety-six per cent of respondents considered alcohol abuse in Scotland to be a problem, with almost three quarters (74%) perceiving it as a big problem (main survey; P1. Table 1).
• There is slight variation across age groups, with 16-24 year olds the least likely to view alcohol abuse as a big problem in Scottish society (demographic breaks, P16, Table 9).
• Women perceive alcohol abuse to be a greater problem in society than men do, with 78% of women viewing it to be a big problem compared to 69% of men (demographic breaks, P16, Table 9).
• Those living in the most deprived areas were more likely to perceive alcohol abuse as a big social problem (80% in the 15% most deprived areas compared to 73% in other, less deprived areas). However, fewer people in the most deprived areas felt it was ‘a bit of a problem’ compared to those in the least deprived areas (18% compared to 24%). When the number of respondents who consider alcohol abuse ‘a big problem’ and ‘a bit of a problem’ are combined, the figures are broadly similar across deprivation categories (demographic breaks, P17, Table 9).

According to the responses to the Scottish Household Survey, in 2008, 4.1% of the Scottish population considered alcohol abuse as an aspect of their neighbourhood they particularly disliked. This question is no longer asked in the survey. The closest proxy question in the survey is if respondents find 'rowdy behaviour' very/fairly common in their neighbourhood; in the 2019 survey 11% of adults responded that they did (see Table 4.19 of the 2019 Annual Report).

Alcohol and traffic

Alcohol consumption affects co-ordination, reaction times, and increases risk taking. Therefore, many countries have a legal limit for drinking and driving. In Scotland the drink drive limit is currently 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, 22 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath, or 67 milligrams in 100 millilitres of urine. This is lower than England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Blood: 89, Breath: 35 and Urine: 107) but in line with the majority of the EU.

 The Recorded Crime in Scotland publication for 2023/24 shows information on driving under the influences offences in Scotland.

• Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol offences (excluding prescription drugs) accounted for 4.8% (5,400) of recorded road traffic offences in 2023/24. This is similar to the number of driving under the influence offences of drugs and/or alcohol offences (excluding prescription drugs) in 2022/23 (5,493). The percentage of offences for driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol (excluding prescription drugs) has remained at between 4.8% and 5.2% of all recorded road traffic offences since 2018-19 (Table A11).
• The rate of driving under the influence of alcohol  or drugs offences in Scotland in 2023/24 was 15 per 10,000 population (Table 4). Since 2018-19 this rate includes offences for driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Transport Scotland publishes figures on road traffic accidents in Scotland; see Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2023. Relevant statistics from this report include:

• Breath tests proved positive (or the motorist refused to take the test) for 4.1% of drivers breathalysed in 2023. This represented 2.4% of the total number of motorists involved in accidents (including those who were not asked for a breath test).

Table 22 shows rounded estimates of the numbers of drink-drive collisions and casualties between 2002 and 2022 (the latest year for which estimates are available). In this time period the estimated number of collisions fell from 820 to 200 collisions, and the estimated number of casualties fell from 1,270 to 310 casualties. The number of fatal casualties has decreased from 50 in 2002, to 10 in 2010, and has since then varied between 10 and 30 fatal casualties, with 30 estimated fatal casualties in 2022.. 

Alcohol-related offences/crimes

Alcohol intoxication can be a contributory factor in many crimes (such as assault or breach of the peace) but the offence is not recorded as being alcohol-related. Variation in the offence of ‘drunkenness’ both over time and by geographical area may be influenced by local policing practice and interventions. The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 merged the previous eight police forces into a single Police Service of Scotland. The comparability of the data extracted from the new unified system with those extracted from the previous system was assessed and as a result the definition of “drunkenness and other disorderly conduct” has been updated and reported in the Recorded Crime in Scotland publications.

• The 2023/24 report states that levels of recorded offences for drunkenness and other disorderly conduct in Scotland fell 93% between 2014/15 and 2023/24. This includes a 38% decrease from 3,849 offences in 2022/23 to 2,392 in 2023/24 (Table 2).
• There were 4 drunkenness and other disorderly conduct offences recorded per 10,000 population in Scotland in 2023/24 (Table 4).

Information about a number of anti-social behaviour offences that are quite commonly associated with alcohol misuse (serious assault, common assault, vandalism and breach of the peace), by NHS Board and by Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, can be found in the PHS Alcohol Consumption and Harms dashboard and the ScotPHO Profiles.

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2021-22 reports on whether victims of violent crime perceived that the offender was under the influence of alcohol. Where the victims were able to say something about the offender in 2021/22, almost two-fifths (37%) believed them to be under the influence of alcohol. This figure is lower than the estimate in 2008/09 (63%) but unchanged from 2019/20. In 6% of violent incidents (where victims were able to say something about the offender) the victim did not know if the offender was under the influence of alcohol or not.

The Scottish Government Justice Department publishes figures on homicides relating to alcohol in the statistics release Homicide in Scotland 2023/24, from which these figures are drawn:

Of the 85 persons accused in homicide cases in 2023-24, 11 (13% of all accused) were under the influence of alcohol and 8 (9%) were under the influence of both alcohol and drugs. The alcohol and drug status of the accused was unknown for 60 persons, 71% of all accused (Table 15 from the report).

Over the last 10 years, from 2014-15 to 2023-24 the alcohol and drug status of persons accused of homicide has been unknown for 57% of accused persons. Of the remaining 330 persons where the drug and alcohol status was known.

• 20% (151) were under the influence of alcohol.

• 4% (32) were under the influence of drugs.

• 14% (104) were under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

• 6% (43) were not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Alcohol use amongst prisoners

For information on alcohol use in those in prison, the Prisoners: Health in Prison page contains further details.