Progress on Alcohol Problems made possible through Partnerships

The Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SAIP) is an alliance of alcohol beverage producers and trade representatives working together to support initiatives that promote responsible consumption and tackle harmful drinking in Scotland.

From producers and suppliers to retail, hospitality and tourism, our industry is embedded in communities across Scotland. It provides quality jobs, including in rural and island communities, and supports thousands more across Scotland's world-leading tourism and hospitality sectors as well as being a leading exporter.

Our ambition is for a prosperous, vibrant alcohol industry while continuing to drive down harmful consumption. That requires practical action, and SAIP supports a range of initiatives across Scotland.

One example is the 'It'll Cost You' Proxy Purchase campaign, delivered annually with Police Scotland and Community Alcohol Partnerships to tackle underage drinking. It is a multimedia campaign that raises awareness of the harmful effects and criminal nature of buying alcohol for under-18s. For those who recalled the campaign 60% correctly identified the full legal consequences of doing so. We also support Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs), which bring together councils, police, retailers, schools, health providers and community groups to reduce alcohol harm among young people. CAP’s Annual Report 2026 shows a 63% reduction in weekly drinking among under-18s and a 44% reduction in anti-social behaviour in the areas where CAPs operate.

SAIP also supports Best Bar None Scotland, the accreditation and awards scheme promoting responsible management of licensed premises. We have also worked with Drinkaware to promote 'Drinking Check', a self-assessment test based on the World Health Organization AUDIT tool that helps people understand whether their drinking may be putting their health at risk.

Responsible marketing and consumer information are another important part of this work. The industry supports the Portman Group Codes of Practice for Responsible Marketing and Sponsorship and labelling best-practice principles. A recent UK market survey conducted by the Portman Group shows that a large majority of products (80%) already carry all four recommended elements  including the Chief Medical Officers' low-risk drinking guidelines (89%), unit information (96%), pregnancy warnings (99%) and signposting to Drinkaware (85%).

These efforts sit alongside encouraging long-term trends. Most Scots (79%) either do not drink or drink within the recommended weekly guidelines, while harmful alcohol consumption has fallen from 34% in 2003 to 20% in 2024. The June update to the Public Health Scotland Alcohol Consumption and Harms dashboard also reports that wholly alcohol-attributable hospital admissions have steadily declined since 2007/08. The picture for deaths is different: there has been an increasing trend since 2012, although the fall recorded in 2024 is one we hope will continue.

This is why the next phase of alcohol policy matters. Over the past 15 years, Scotland has focused largely on whole-population measures. To achieve a step change, particularly in reducing alcohol deaths, greater attention should also be given to targeted interventions. These include initiatives such as Community Alcohol Partnerships and greater use of assertive outreach and alcohol care teams to better reach people drinking at harmful levels.

Ultimately, we all want people who choose to drink to make informed choices, and the best results will come from working together. The Scottish Government's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan, published in March, includes an alcohol harm prevention action plan. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government as it develops that plan and to building on the progress already being made.

This article is sponsored by Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership

https://www.saip.org.uk/

X handle: @SAIP_Scotland