By Graeme Strachan

FIGURES THAT show a rise in the number of people in Tayside and Fife drinking themselves to death each year are just the tip of the iceberg, a local alcohol abuse worker said yesterday.

Gillian Ferguson, adult services co-ordinator of Tayside Council on Alcohol, was speaking after figures released by the Scottish Executive stamped home the tragic consequences of abusing drink.

There have been 7787 alcohol-related deaths in Scotland since 1997.

In Tayside and Fife, 865 people died between 1997 and 2003 of alcohol-related causes including liver disease, mental and behavioural disorders due to alcoholism, and alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

“The figures are probably much higher if we consider the nature of alcohol use progressively reducing the health of many people in Scotland,” said Ms Ferguson.

In 1997 there were 851 alcohol-related deaths (600 male and 251 female) in Scotland. This compares to 1342 (947 male and 395 female) in 2003—a 37% rise.

The Executive figures show that in Tayside, there were 51 (34 male and 17 female) alcohol-related deaths in 1997, more than doubling to 111 (78 male and 33 female) in 2003. In Fife, 16 males and six females died of alcohol-related illness in 1997, rising to 31 males and 21 females in 2003.

Ms Ferguson said, “The focus is currently on women’s drinking in terms of media campaigns and it is important to think about the differences in men and women’s bodies and the effect of alcohol, in the short and long term, on health.”

It is very important to consider not only the direct health consequences of drinking but also associated risky behaviour, violence and aggression, she went on.

“There are inadequate monies to fund core services, particularly in relation to the vast monies released to fund drug services,” she said. “Services like our own offer support and counselling to people with many different kinds of alcohol problems. Sometimes this is just beginning to cause problems for them.

“Many people can take control of their lives again and nip the problem in the bud. This is why it is vital to have a range of services which are easy to access.”

She conceded that more attention was being paid to the problem at government level and in the media. However she continued, “It needs real focus and resources over a sustained period to really change things in Scotland and we are looking forward with that in mind. Positive change is possible.”

The figures were revealed to SNP MSP Kenny MacAskill in a parliamentary written answer.

A spokesman said the Executive’s Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems, published in 2002, set out a programme of preventative work, education, treatment, protection and controls designed to change Scotland’s drinking culture. This plan is being updated and will be submitted to the new ministerial working group on alcohol.

Key initiatives in the plan include:

Around £5 million a year extra for alcohol treatment services across Scotland.

Working with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to better implement guide- lines and the recommendations of the recent Health Technology Board for Scotland assessment to improve service quality.

Improved information systems and an alcohol research programme.

Enhanced communication and education programmes on health effects of alcohol.

This week it was revealed that hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease have more than doubled in some parts of Scotland. Tayside had one of the highest figures, with the number of admissions up by 135% to 519 a year.

Executive figures show that between 1997-98 and 2003-04 the number of people treated for excessive drinking rose 65% to 8261.