To worry about the poor alcoholics in Scotland

[jnfrrss]

the cheap ciders in 3l bottles have gone up three fold in price overnight with nothing done to actually help people that are dependent.

Surely this is going to cause a lot of pain in the immediate future? Seems very irresponsible to just do this in isolation without having some way to help people

I've never heard of dragon soop. Just looked it up there, looks dangerous tbh. Havent doctors been warning about the dangers of combining alcohol with energy drinks and here's a ready made concoction

Won’t people just travel south and stock up like the old-fashioned booze cruises?
The coach companies could cash in with a ‘special trip to a southern supermarket’ tour!

Might be a bit difficult to make a profit from that activity. The Anglo-Scottish border is thinly populated, people going from Glasgow to Carlisle or Edinburgh to Berwick would need 3 hour or so round trip, spend a lot on petrol (even more from Aberdeen or Inverness or Stornoway). Who's going to spend 50 pounds on petrol, take 3 hours out of their life, to save a fiver on a bottle of cider? I suppose if you live in Gretna it's even more reason to do shopping in Carlisle rather than at the overpriced local store.

I was in two minds whether to post this..

I'm an alcoholic (sober )

In my worst times, I would've still found the money for it. Would it have meant my dd would've gone without (or to bulk buy cheap meals with little to no nutritional value?) Thankfully I can't answer that question because I work hard to maintain my sobriety.

But for those that aren't sober or actively looking to get sober?

Is mum or dad going to spend that extra X amount of £ on the strongbow or some food?

Won’t people just travel south and stock up like the old-fashioned booze cruises?

Agree with Rona - can't see it. My parents live 30 minutes from the border and if they're passing through England for any reason they'll stop in Sainsbury's for their 25% off when you buy 6 bottles of wine deal. But it wouldn't be worth making a special trip for.

Plus for the VAST majority of drinkers prices today are just the same as they were yesterday. Asda will still have bottles of Prosecco for £6, you'll still be able to get your Smirnoff or gin at the same price.

Minimum pricing only affects the cheap booze - the own brand vodkas, strong cheap beer and those cider drinks.

I do realise something needs to be done though.

And I am incredibly glad this started closer to summer than winter. How many kids wouldve been told to put on an extra layer rather than money going on the meter?

Families where alcohol is known to be an issue, an increase in the healthy start vouchers (age and monetary wise) could at least see kids still getting some decent good in them.

I realise I sound a bit OTT but I live in an area where it is frequent to see parents buying cheap cider with children in tow.

I have never heard of that Dragon soop , it looks absolutely lethal

I was astounded that buckfast was not included in the price hike it is bloody loony juice !

Its not a price hike though. Its minimum pricing. And the minimum price for a unit of alcohol has been set at 50p. If Buckfast is not going to be more expensive that would indicate that it is already being sold at more than 50p a unit!

Dragon soup is lethal because it is a combo of spirits and energy drink the shop my mum worked in stopped selling it the younger drinkers were wandering about with it Tbh I thought it was like redbull untill Dd said it was alcohol.

Fleur Re people travelling for their alcohol.....well, if they're ordinary people with jobs and a car or disposable income they will.

Semi homeless people or those on benefits won't! They can't.

All good though. Alcohol is a terrible thing.

Agree Ajas - but are ordinary people with jobs and cars the ones buying the three litre bottles of Diamond White or the litres of unbranded vodka?

If previously you could have bought a bottle of vodka for £9 and it's now costing £13, you'd to be buying a lot, in bulk, at the same time to make a three hour round trip to Carlisle from central Scotland worth your while and petrol costs.

I think it's more likely that we see an increase in counterfeit booze sold under the counter and dodgy retailers who just disregard the minimum price and sell it cheap.

If you put time into the title question, it no longer makes sense. Why only care about the poor alcoholics AFTER the ban, when they can no longer get cheap alcohol? What about before the ban? Was it OK yesterday that someone was drinking themselves to death?

I had a very quick Google and found a 2008 summary of the evidence for price increases here: www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.95617%21/file/PartA.pdf

Take a look at figures 5 and 6. Tldr version: 'The impact of price changes on alcohol consumption has been more extensively investigated than any other potential alcohol policy measure...The price-elasticities for alcoholic beverages estimated in different studies have shown that when other factors remain unchanged, an increase in price has generally led to a decrease in alcohol consumption, and that a decrease in price has usually led to an increase in alcohol consumption, with the size of the elasticities sometimes dependent on the relative presence or absence of other alcohol policy measures (Farrell et al. 2003; Trolldal and Ponicki 2005).'

Oil rich country... Scotland doesn't, and never has directly received the proceeds of the oil, which has someone has already said , allegedly was running out, and then found again after the Indy ref.

Re minimum pricing, no it won't help current alcoholics, but it will go some way in stopping under age teenagers clubbing together to buy a 3l of cider to get pissed in the park.
There are calls for it to be introduced in England, and am sure it will be.
Re our stricter drink driving laws, exactly the same as rest of Europe, and maybe I would have had a glass of wine with dinner before. I just don't do it now if I have to drive next day.