Crazyface
Tour Winner
THey bluddy will do at those prices! But they are not out on the town causing chaos. THAT'S the difference.
Minimum Alcohol Pricing.
- Thread starter Doon frae Troon
- Start date
THey bluddy will do at those prices! But they are not out on the town causing chaos. THAT'S the difference.
Grant85
Head Pro
lets not forget there could be a rise in home production, i know Cider production at Chez Ballifeary will recommence in autumn 2019
Joking aside there is a drink problem in Scotland, but i don't think just whacking the price up is the answer, more needs none on the causes and education.
Possibly, but I don't think anyone would seriously think this is the only thing the government are doing. It's one of a number of strategies.
With regard to education. I remember at school in the 90s - getting bombarded with smoking is bad sessions from teachers, posters, videos, 3rd party speakers, doctors etc. Ultimately there was still a fairly high number of people smoking to from and near school.
Smoking numbers are probably reduced substantially 20 years on and the biggest impact, in my view, has been the cost. Albeit smoking ban has probably had a decent impact. Vaping is now providing a clear alternative for addicts and we are probably too early to say if this will have a health impact, or if it is something that will still cause health issues long term use.
Now I don't think it's credible to treat alcohol in the same way as tobacco, but ultimately it is going to be very difficult to change drinking culture and is going to be something that takes decades, rather than a few years.
true, but a couple of glasses of wine a day are not harmful where as the same with fags is
I think this is a positive move in Scotland and I would have no issue with it coming in south of the border. It wont resolve the issue on its own but it is part of the process. Others are right, it needs a change in culture as much as anything but we have managed that with fags so no reason why we can not do the same with alcohol. Raising prices isn't the sole solution but it is certainly an important part of it.
Grant85
Head Pro
Yes - hence why it is a tougher thing to legislate on.
You can't really charge people £7 for their 1st bottle of wine or 6 pack each week, then put the price up to £12 for the second.
ColchesterFC
Journeyman Pro
Isn't this just a tax on poorer drinkers? Jock McRich drinking his £20 bottle of Merlot or a bottle of Malt Whisky isn't going to be affected at all. Whereas Angus McPoor drinking his cheap fortified wine now has to pay more.
I think the main problem in Scotland is this very category. It is not someone spending £40 on whisky or £15 on wine, it is people buying cheap loopy juice to get trollied quickly. I'm not saying people with more money don't have drink issues as that is clearly not the case but there is a core problem up there and this part of the solution.
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
Pricing of alcohol in Scandinavian countries is generally eye wateringly high...
Yet there are still big issues with high consumption...
Simply hiking the price is lazy/incompetent governance...
Which is why I won't be surprised if Westminster jumps onto the bandwagon of minimum pricing...
A bit like introducing a charge for plastic bags...
Whilst at the same time turning a total blind eye to all 'our' other plastic waste being shipped off to all corners of the globe...
Yet there are still big issues with high consumption...
Simply hiking the price is lazy/incompetent governance...
Which is why I won't be surprised if Westminster jumps onto the bandwagon of minimum pricing...
A bit like introducing a charge for plastic bags...
Whilst at the same time turning a total blind eye to all 'our' other plastic waste being shipped off to all corners of the globe...
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Bunkermagnet
Journeyman Pro
Until the culture of "a good night out means excess alcohol" changes nothing will change.
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ColchesterFC
Journeyman Pro
I'm working in Denmark and it only seems to be expensive if you are drinking out in pubs and restaurants. I looked at the bar closest to me to go and watch the Champions League final and it was over £10 a pint. A case of beer in the supermarket is around UK prices or even less depending on which brand you buy, and they still have cheap vodka for 57 Krone a bottle. At 9 Krone to the pound that's only just over 6 quid a bottle. Having also worked in Norway I know the prices there for a beer in a bar are around £10. Not sure how their supermarket prices compare though.
pendodave
Tour Rookie
Amongst the people I know, the Adrian Chile's documentary has had the biggest impact on people's drinking habits Vs anything else. Probably because most people I know are middle aged men who drink more than they thought...
That was a fascinating watch and brutally honest by Chiles. I suspect his life will be cut short by his drinking, it was the regularity and volume combined that was scary in his case. The issue I see in my town and amongst friends, is more middle aged women drinking regularly, the traditional roles have altered. The glass of wine that is poured into a huge globe so is actually 3-4 measures in one go. 2 or 3 of them every night, more again at a weekend. They don't see a problem as it is 'only a glass of wine', it's just to be sociable etc but it clearly is not.
I suspect there are an awful lot of functioning alcoholics out there in that middle aged bracket, I know 2 women definitely in that category who just brush off any suggestion that they drink too much.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Miles from the mark there.
It was about the health of young people drinking mainly chemical cider at what used to be £3 FOR 2 LTRS.
Minimum pricing now makes that over £11 and killed sales of the product.
A couple of years ago I visited a small corner shop near Darlington Hospital and I was amazed to see a 15 foot long three shelf level wall stocked entirely with various chemical ciders.
It looked like it was the owners main focus of profit.
I suggest the good folk of Yorkshire [or Durham ?] follow Scotland's example
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
My lad has visited the region several times, mostly Finland... Surprised him how diligently and readily the (mostly) young males indulged in alcohol considering the high price... Doubt they'll have been preloading on (if available) cheap supermarket stuff... As it would be direct to the bar from the workplace...
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I'm of the belief that telling us the 14 units a week is OK - as we all look at 14 units and think that that is just nonsense - and many then just exceed it - and regularly. Maybe government has to take an approach similar to that which has been used for smoking. I don't recall any anti-smoking campaign saying 14 fags a week is OK - acceptable. No. The campaigns and the message is that smoking kills. And so does alcohol. And that needs to be rammed home. For a start - getting drunk has to become unacceptable and not something funny that we laugh at when it is others.
Kellfire
Blackballed
Because they don’t drink alcohol that cheap because it’s nasty, chemical swill.
Kellfire
Blackballed
You drink terrifyingly bad wine then.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
Wine does not have to expensive to taste good.
Talking to a lot of people they do not realise how many units there are in a bottle of red wine. For reference usually more than 10.
So 10 units at the 50p per unit equals £5, then add VAT 20% of £5 = £1 (plus the vat on the price of just the wine) so even the cheapest wine has now doubled in price.
Kellfire
Blackballed
A bottle of wine is not “usually†more than ten units. It’s usually less, around nine perhaps unless you’ve got a very full bodied red.
If you’re paying less than that on wine already you really are drinking swill.
