« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
3. Changing alcohol cultures
Introduction
3.1 The original Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems (2002) defined culture as "the way we view things and do things around here". It acknowledged that there is no single culture surrounding drinking in Scotland, arguing that there are differences between age groups, genders, ethnic and religious groups and urban and rural areas. These cultures can have positive points such as the association of drink with many social occasions but also worrying aspects such as the perception that alcohol is needed to relax, the stigma attached to seeking help for alcohol problems, a lack of personal responsibility for alcohol-related behaviour or a tendency to excuse the negative consequences of drink such as hangovers or argumentative behaviour. This plan provides a framework of action to accentuate the positive and tackle the negative aspects of these cultures. It aims to bring about sustainable changes in drinking behaviour across Scotland in order to improve health and reduce alcohol-related harm in our society.
Drinking cultures in Scotland
3.2 The two principal sources of evidence used to assess and understand Scotland's alcohol consumption habits are the General Household and Scottish Health surveys. In an effort to gain insights into the attitudes towards alcohol that prevail within Scotland, the Executive sponsored a module on alcohol as part of the 2004 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. Whilst a majority of respondents to the survey believed that the misuse of alcohol causes harm to our society, two thirds agreed that alcohol is part of a "Scottish way of life". Alcohol is viewed as a "social lubricant", with 35% agreeing or agreeing strongly that "It's easier to enjoy a social event if you've had a drink". This belief rises to 47% amongst Scottish men.
Figure 3.1 "It's easier to enjoy a social event if you've had a drink"
3.3 The survey revealed that "getting drunk" attracts more stigma than acceptance across Scottish society as a whole, but suggested big differences in attitudes to getting drunk between different age groups. Figure 3.2 shows that while overall just 18% of respondents agreed that getting drunk at the weekends is acceptable, this figure rises to 57% among 18-24 year olds. Similarly, 35% of 18-24 year olds agree that there is nothing wrong with people their age getting drunk regularly, compared with just 4% of respondents aged 65 or older. Younger people, it appears, are much more accepting of "getting drunk" in general, and of drinking excessively at the weekends in particular. Attitudes towards getting drunk also differ between the sexes, with men being more likely than women to agree that getting drunk at the weekend is perfectly acceptable (23% compared with 14% of women) and that there is nothing wrong with people their age getting drunk regularly (14% of compared with 9% of women).
Figure 3.2 Agreement with statements about getting drunk, by age
3.4 Chronic drinking is viewed as a much more likely cause of serious long-term health damage, although a majority of respondents (86%) also think that excessive drinking, i.e. drinking above recommended limits is at least "fairly likely" to damage health. Younger people are less likely than older people to think that excessive drinking will have long-term health effects. People are most likely to recommend that a chronic drinker see a doctor for help, while they are most likely to think that someone who drinks more than the recommended limits should talk to family and friends. This provides support for the view that chronic drinking is more likely to be viewed within a "medical model", while bouts of excessive drinking are seen as a social problem.
The historical perspective
3.5 Alcohol problems are nothing new. Drinking habits may have changed as we moved from the gin palaces of the eighteenth century to the designer bars of the present day but alcohol has remained a constant feature of our social and cultural life. Similarly, there has long been pressure on governments to reduce alcohol-related harm, be that the politically powerful temperance movement in the twentieth century or the growing social awareness and political consensus in the modern world of the need to tackle the antisocial behaviour that has come to characterise excessive drinking in our towns and cities.
3.6 Since the middle of the last century, levels of alcohol consumption right across the United Kingdom have been rising. Alcohol has become more affordable, more freely available and been marketed more attractively since the end of the Second World War.
Figure 3.3 UK consumption of alcoholic drinks per head of total population
3.7 The volume of alcohol consumed in the UK has risen steadily over the past 40 years from around 4.5 litres in the 1960s to around 9.5 litres per head of population in 2002. The greatest growth is in cider consumption, which doubled in the 1990s. ( World Drink Trends WARC, 2004).
International perspective
3.8 In 2003, the UK ranked 7th out of 23 EU countries for alcohol consumption and also 7th in the world.
Figure 3.4 EC consumption per capita of pure alcohol, 2003
Source: HM Revenue and Customs Alcohol Factsheet 2005
Figure 3.5 World consumption per capita of pure alcohol, 2003
Source: HM Revenue and Customs Alcohol Factsheet 2005
3.9 Although this chart suggests that we are a mid ranking country in terms of alcohol consumption, our consumption is continuing to rise whilst consumption in countries such as France and Italy is now falling. If present trends continue, the UK will rise to near the top of the consumption league within the next 10 years. Furthermore, despite the partial convergence of European and Northern European drinking cultures, Scotland and the UK as a whole continue to display drinking patterns where episodes of excessive drinking are more common than in other European countries.
Approach
3.10 Our long-term aim is to create a culture in which the safe and sensible consumption of alcohol is recognised as a component of a healthy lifestyle. We want to see a society in which people are free to enjoy themselves and, if they wish, to use alcohol in responsible ways, in order to further that enjoyment. Responsible citizenship demands that we treat alcohol with respect and recognise the damage that it can cause. We want to establish a culture of responsible drinking in which people set out to have a good time rather than to get drunk for the sake of getting drunk.
3.11 Accurate information is needed to help people make informed choices about alcohol. But information is only one factor influencing behaviour. Our various drinking cultures can be shaped by amongst other things, our immediate environment, images portrayed in the media, the availability of alcohol, and the attitudes and expectations of those around us. If individuals are to make responsible choices it is important that we go beyond the provision of information to consider how to create social environments which discourage the attitudes and behaviours which lead to harm and support long-term sustainable behaviour.
3.12 This plan sets out action to:
- promote healthy lifestyle choices and the role of moderate and appropriate alcohol consumption within such choices;
- work with partners to support such lifestyles by restricting the availability of alcohol to under age groups, adopting responsible marketing and sales strategies and ensuring an appropriate balance between supply and demand;
- challenge some of the social norms that surround the excessive use of alcohol and work with the media against the overt glamorisation of alcohol, particularly links to sexual, social and sporting success;
- help individuals to recognise the physical and mental heath consequences of their drinking by supplying an appropriate range of information and to encourage and support individuals to seek appropriate treatment, care and support;
- positively reinforce the social norms which support responsible drinking and make it clear that drinking behaviour that goes beyond such choices is not normal behaviour and that it carries enormous risks for the health, reputation and enjoyment of the individual concerned; and
- ensure that families, friends and communities are protected from the unacceptable consequences of the irresponsible promotion, sale and consumption of alcohol.
Partnership working
3.13 Culture change requires a sustained and long-term effort. It requires action from a range of partners and it cannot depend on a single solution, however attractive that might sound. Partnership working has already proved its worth in the development of the Licensing Bill and the way in which ADATs have been successful in integrating the actions of local agencies in the delivery of local alcohol plans. Our ambition now is to go further and:
- engage and persuade individuals with an interest in, or experience with alcohol problems to become actively involved in community action, local licensing forums and programmes of prevention, treatment and care, and to support local authorities in using byelaws to clamp down on the nuisance that can be caused by drinking in public places;
- encourage the alcohol industry and licensed trade to build on previous work to promote responsible drinking and improve service standards and become more involved in national and local initiatives to restrict inappropriate supply and protect individuals, families and communities from alcohol-related harm;
- reflect the sharp rise in off-sales by developing partnerships to encourage responsible retailing and home consumption with supermarkets, other retail chains and small, independent outlets;
- work with Scottish employers in the private, public and voluntary sectors to develop responsible alcohol policies, ensure workplace health and safety and promote the health of their employees;
- work with the UK Government to take action on critical issues legislated for at a UK level; and
- listen to, and learn from, the views and experiences of service users; and - encourage all of us, as responsible citizens, to consider our own attitudes and behaviours, both in the ways in which we use alcohol and the ways in which we act towards those who have or are suffering from alcohol problems.
Improving Health in Scotland - The Challenge
3.14 This updated plan places action on alcohol problems firmly within the mainstream of the Executive's programme to reduce health inequalities and deliver a more rapid improvement in Scotland's health. The Executive's Improving Health in Scotland - The Challenge, published in March 2003, provides the framework for this action and identifies tackling alcohol problems as one of its key activity programmes. In doing so, it provides a framework in which this plan can be delivered in conjunction with activity to promote other healthy lifestyle choices on issues such as diet, smoking, physical activity and mental health and well-being.
3.15 The Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act (2005) introduced smoke free public places across Scotland. This offers us an opportunity to further improve the environments in which alcohol is consumed and in turn instil a more responsible approach to the drinking culture in Scotland.
« Previous | Contents | Next »