Data on the prevalence of harmful alcohol use within BAME communities is scarce and woefully inaccurate when found. Cultural taboos, barriers to engagement with treatment providers and cultural/religious stigma continue to keep harms hidden and communities suffering with untreated alcohol [and drug] addiction.
So below are the very worrying facts about Alcohol and Scotland as a whole.
Alcohol and inequalities:
- Alcohol-specific death rates in the most deprived areas were 5.6 times more than those in the least deprived areas. (from National Records of Scotland).
- Alcohol-related hospital stays are 6 times higher in Scotland’s poorest communities than the most affluent (from Alcohol-related Hospital Statistics Scotland 2021/22).
- In 2019, the highest proportion of adult non-drinkers was in the most deprived areas and the lowest was in the least deprived areas (From The Scottish Health Survey 2019).
- 17% of people living in our most deprived areas drink above the weekly low-risk guidelines of 14 units (compared to 30% in the most affluent areas) (From The Scottish Health Survey 2019).
- Of those drinking above the weekly low-risk guidelines, people in the most deprived areas drink more units per week (From The Scottish Health Survey 2018).
Cost of alcohol harm – from The Societal Cost of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland for 2007:
- Alcohol harm costs Scotland £3.6 billion a year in health, social care, crime, productive capacity and wider costs.
- Alcohol costs the health service in Scotland £267 million a year.
- The cost of alcohol-related crime is £727 million a year.
- Alcohol costs every local authority area in Scotland millions of pounds every year. And it is increasing every year.
Everyone is aware that excessive consumption of alcohol can be seen as a coping mechanism. Drinking to forget or lessen the stress of homelessness, marital problems, lack of employment, criminal charges etc, the list goes on.
Thing is getting drunk NEVER solved any difficulty.
And Alcohol addiction NEVER just affects the Alcoholic, it affects Friends, Family-_ including Spouse and children.
So Talk to someone in confidentiality. It could be your GP or one of the alcohol charities like AA or Al-Anon