Scotland Is Trying To Stop Its Alcoholics From Drinking So Much (HBO)

[@VICENews]

"They're suggesting that some of them will significantly cut down their rate of consumption and I think that's just a basic simplistic fallacy," Christopher Snowdon told VICE News. WATCH Next "This woman pays drug users not to have kids" bit.ly/2KMDMOs

[@TristanMorrow]

VICE News ... works for sure because high priced alcohol has stopped Inuit alcohol abuse (not). Seems like that was another VICE story-maybe the Scots should watch more VICE News?

[@Mr_B79]

PREVENTION IS KEY!!! I'm a SAPIS- (Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialist) In the Bronx New york. I have been a SAPIS/ Prevention counselor for over 11 years. We are doing such great things in NYC that are showing real results. I particularly work with high school students. We use evidence based curriculum and practices w/ our own experience to work w/ our students. The key again is prevention. Engaging our youth before they become of age to partake in any substance related activity. On Friday May 18th, 2018 in NYC we're having our annual conference ,where all the SPAIS across the 5 boroughs get together, we get updates, attend workshops, etc. I'd love to share more.

[@rorybanana2960]

i luv hoo thers subti'ls

[@taiterobinson793]

VICE News I want to make ayr a holiday resort

[@guyzomzgaming5515]

VICE News can you stop using dollars cause it’s confusing use the pound as your in a uk country please, I’m only in two minutes and I am annoyed

[@GM-tw4el]

The paramedics hit the nail on the head with the final comments of this video. An alcoholic will sacrifice something else like food or heat for a drink, potentially taking food out of addicts kids mouths. Scotland has a drink problem because of social issues, not because alcohol is cheap. They will just go back to spraying hairspray in water to get drunk, price isn’t going to stop them.

[@VivalaryMan]

Gary Murphy My brother is in this exact position, his choice of poison? Buckfast. low income, dependent on alcohol and trying to support a family, it fuckin breaks my heart and it is what it is, but i just wanted to say, i totally agree with you and the paramedic. This is a very tough time to exist in Scotland, imo.

[@GM-tw4el]

VivalaryMan I'm sorry to hear that mate and I hope he beats his demons. Addiction doesn't discriminate, but if you're from a working class background there's a much higher chance of it affecting you and you're shunned by the system as just another jakey. That's the problem in Scotland not the price of drink. I hope with the extra tax from this increase it's put into communities to help people and to discourage others from it, because that's what will make the real difference. Buckfast is the booze people assosciate with bad behaviour and binge drinking, yet it was already being sold at over 50p a unit so will stay the same price. Crazy.

[@VivalaryMan]

Gary Murphy Appreciate the concern, thank you, I wonder however, what we as a people will do to remedy this problem, ideally for good, as it is one among many and honestly, as a Scotsman myself I tire of this, I long to leave and it's because this country is no longer the place i grew up in, this is just me though, change happens, Scotland is truly a magnificent country both visually and culturally, not to mention our heritage. Inventions, sports etc. It goes on. Also I like to explore, but lately the list of problems have become overwhelming to me and they are simply masked by the other various happenings both in the world and here at home. In the end, they just kind of get put on the back burner. This was supposed to be a 5 word reply 😁

[@BigFrogg]

Hairspray in water? Man, I’m really glad I didn’t know about that when I was younger lmao RIP

[@Gsg-xh3th]

@@BigFrogg more common than you think. The local alkies near ma bit have resorted to hairspray, this tax is total bullshit. Most alkies take blues now anyway and now Scotland has the highest drug deaths

[@Standoffmuffin]

They never go for the root of the problem

[@fractal4284]

Jim Vasquez the root of the problem is he's probation style tactics pushing Markets Underground making it more expensive just makes it more dangerous will create more crimes of robbery drug war style tactics don't work

[@DreamClean]

This is the most effective method. It WILL affect ALL problem drinkers. it will also affect normal drinkers. But they're also adding money to the healthcare system to tackle the problem.

[@sjohnson4451]

The problem is not the alcohol it is a feel good measure the government puts out that only enriches the government. Increasing the price only profits the government.

[@auraglasswerks4900]

Smoke herb!!! You won't fall and hit your head😂

[@vmvlev]

you mean weed is bad and alcohol good for you ?? thats still how most of the world looks at this

[@allenkennedy99]

Hmm, poor people are drinking a lot. Hey I know, let’s make them even poorer!

[@allenkennedy99]

PwrXenon, yeah fair point.

[@fahminugraha6312]

I mean, if you are poor dont spend your money for an alcohol

[@bigflat1238]

It means they can’t drink as much ,if they made it cheaper they would drink more

[@callumw10000]

Big Flat theyl just steal it

[@davidlynch9049]

If you think only the poor people are over drinking, you have no clue about the subject.

[@MercyS26]

They need to fix the core of the issue. This won't make much of a difference, people will find other ways to get their fix, such as making your own booze or switching to a cheaper drink than the one you prefer. It's called addiction and increasing the price won't fix the issue. There's a reason why people drink/do drugs, if you want them to stop you have to get them to accept that there is a problem and be willing to confront their "why" and most addicts aren't there yet.

[@isaiahbruckhaus]

I think to some degree it's workable. Scandinavia for example is too much (creates a black market). Though I like the idea of separate shops (like in the US) I don't speak the language, but someone told me that that the liquors stores in Scandinavia actively discourage the customers from buying liquor (no idea how that works). But for example in Germany the cheapest drink on the menu is usually the local beer followed by the water. That sets some (wrong) incentive 😆

[@jamesmartin2006]

Mk S. Minimum pricing is so that you can't switch to a cheaper drink of choice. But I think a lot of people are missing the point here in that it's a policy that at the worst makes no difference and at best reduces the amount of alcohol related incidents and reduces the frequency of alcohol dependent people in the future. People shouldn't be so cynical so quickly. And that's not saying that there aren't other problems, it's just one method for one of many issues.

[@aduffield]

Whenever the free market won't provide a service that is desired, there is always a black market that will. People will find other cheaper alternatives that may have far worse side effects than alcohol consumption.

[@davidulanovsky8943]

fucking how

[@GoldieDawn]

www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Alcohol/minimum-pricing @ Mk S. x

[@EinkOLED]

The liquor stores near the English border will be popular.

[@ChartreuseDan]

It's going to be a golden age for Blackpool offies this season

[@GoldieDawn]

No they wont, the vast majority of us here in Scotland aren't going to drive 100 miles just to buy Frosty Jack. x :)

[@EinkOLED]

Goldie Dee Those near the border will. Say 1-50 miles and will bulk buy which will pay for the fuel and save them money.

[@GoldieDawn]

Doubt it, most of us don't drink cheap, lethal ciders, just our alkies & teenagers. x :)

[@devangsomani6651]

Right said that mate

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

All of those cheap drinks will be on sale in England, people that can will just go over the border to buy. People up north, will just have guys in vans going down south and bulk buying.

[@GoldieDawn]

The vast majority of us live 100 miles away from the border and it's not worth our while doing booze runs for Frosty Jack. x :)

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

Wrong, I live in London, we had van fulls of cheap cigarettes from people who went on van runs to France back in the day. They just went into pubs and made the announced to total strangers they were selling fags. If brain splatting cider is going up from £5 to £15 pm Scotland a litre van drivers will sell it for £7-8, all over Scotland on the sly.

[@GoldieDawn]

Only our hardcore alkies and teenagers drink cheap crap cider, which Minimum Pricing will effect the most, spirits won't see a huge increase in their prices. x www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Alcohol/minimum-pricing

[@BluTrollPro]

Yup, exact same thing happens with air rifles, and cigarettes. For the former a bloke in the van drives down to Newcastle, for the latter they go a bit further to Holland, Spain and Poland.

[@ladymaeve]

Aye, this is what we Swedes do. Booze is double the price here compared to UK to "counter alcoholism". What happens is every now and then when someone goes on vacation, they travel with a van to Germany and buy in bulk, then distribute to friends at home.

[@tonycarpaccio9550]

The core of the issue is a deep rooted depression related to the weather, surroundings, lack of social mobility, lack of emotional support/fulfillment, lack of engaging healthy and positive pastimes. As an America that’s lived in Scotland for twenty years, trying to reduce alcoholism is impossible here. In fact it may lead to increased use of other substances.

[@garrysmith5562]

They say we are friendly. Maybe so but i find us to be incapable of true emotional support of one another. Like a big dysfunctional family.

[@cathya7045]

I agree with you this mainly tomorrow issues if it hasn't already because it is 4 years old they did law passed or what did happen and do you know

[@dogzabob]

Everything is already extremely expensive in the UK, and wages haven't gone anywhere in ages. Poor tax

[@WeeManSham]

This is an attack on the poor & working class! People will drink alcohol no matter what the cost is to their pocket or their heath!

[@riissanen93]

Like that is going to solve anything. Raising prices on alcohol does not make people magically stop drinking. Regards, Finland.

[@jameshobbs]

Riisseli it works here in Sweden. I mean, oh yeah, I forgot, it doesn't.

[@snarf9455]

I feel like the scots wil also have a booze-rally on their southern border.

[@dsrnotverycashmoney1796]

torille

[@davidlynch9049]

It doesn't, but quantity is cut. Finland included.

[@neilstrang5148]

Mmm

[@JonDoe-jh5pp]

I live and work in Canada as a drug and alcohol counsellor & our liquors are taxed HEAVY. What Ive seen in my field is that whenever taxes raise the cost of cheap liquors, alcoholics rarely stop drinking. Instead, they begin drinking mouthwash, hair spray, cologne, hand sanitizers etc. HARM REDUCTION IS THE ANSWER

[@dewilew2137]

This will only turn a group of sick, poor people into criminals because if they can’t afford what they need to be well, they are going to try to steal it. These are people who likely would have never stolen anything otherwise. High prices won’t cure alcoholism. This made me so sad.

[@PantsB4Squares]

Krystle Lewis the stores where i live all have security devices on the cap.

[@guthy1675]

Joy Division shirt

[@tonymalony4382]

PantsB4Squares Take the cap off.

[@PantsB4Squares]

Tony Traill it requires a special tool. Also some of them i know have ink that will explode if tampered. Maybe all of them

[@matrixfull]

Something is wrong with society if you need alcohol to be well. Alcohol is not solution; it's temporary fix that comes with price. It's not just alcoholism ; it's also shorter life and bad impact to the body. That being said ; I don't think preventing people from drinking is solution. I don't know what solution is but force was never solution; it only brought anger and rebellion. Someone should explore why people aren't happy without alcohol and how to make them happy; what society should do to welcome people ; how to cheer them up ; make their lives happy without alcohol. Why can kids be perfectly happy without alcohol but most of adults cant? Why adults need something that lowers their inteligence temporary in order to have fun ? Why is taboo to be childish unless you're drunk? If you're drunk you're accepted for your silly funny childish actions. I don't mean childish in bad way; because kids have power of happines that many adults lack. Something is seriously wrong with society; but that's not fault of those whose only ticket to happiness is alcohol. They just use only tool that society has given them.

[@andrewnolastname2337]

What an unbelievably idiotic way to go about "solving" the problem. All the government is doing is lining their pockets instead of actually doing anything productive for society.

[@vmvlev]

the ambulance got it 100 % right .high alcohol prices only leeds to people eating less and less

[@sagarp6836]

SKATAN *paramedics

[@joeldecoster8816]

Or their children.

[@FrenchTheLlamas]

I grew up drinking in Scotland as a fairly young teenager, getting drunk quickly on strong cider such as Frosty Jacks is pretty easy. If it had been £15 then I wouldn't have bought it and instead went for something weaker. If this could help an entire younger generation stay a bit safer I'd say it's a worthy experiment.

[@tippexdrinker]

as a young person in scotland, it doesnt work, loads of young people still drink in excess. raising prices doesn’t work, just makes addicts more likely to steal if they cant afford their daily bevvy

[@MichiganOutdoor]

Isn’t that the same thing we are doing with cigarettes in the USA?

[@swardinc]

yes

[@MercyS26]

coolstylez yup and guess what... People keep on buying and smoking. I know some people who just make their own to combat the higher prices. This won't fix much, they need to get to the core of the issue behind why people are drinking at this rate

[@julians7785]

Depends. I'm in virginia. Cig are dirt cheap here

[@MercyS26]

Julian S yeah I'm in Chicago and in the city they go for about $13 a pack and that's before state and city taxes hit

[@CarrizalesVO]

Not really true honestly. Yes there are people who still smoke but the amount of smokers has declined rapidly since the increase in prices and the anti smoking ads.

[@kubaniski]

I love how they felt the need for subtitles whenever the Scots speak

[@Brokout]

This is putting a band-aid over a broken leg and doing nothing to address WHY people drink. It has nothing to do with the price of alcohol, it has everything to do with this government's brutal austerity and distain for the working class, people feel helpless.

[@GoldieDawn]

www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Alcohol/minimum-pricing And what government are you on about Tom, mind it's the UK government who's imposed austerity. x

[@Brokout]

What are you talking about? What government do you think?

[@GoldieDawn]

Well it's the Scottish government who's introduced Minimum Pricing in Scotland & the UK government who's imposed austerity in the UK, the Scottish government has no powers over alcohol duties, taxes, vat ect. x

[@Brokout]

So what government did you think I was talking about?

[@KingKing_777]

this will create bootlegging and moonshine

[@TheCheat_1337]

No it won't. Australia has some of the highest liquor taxes in the world but people still go to liquor stores/bottle shops. Bootlegged alcohol is not an issue at all in Australia, because the product is legal, and it's just simpler to go to a legitimate store. I don't necessarily agree with increasing the taxes on alcohol but if it costs too much, drink less.

[@ravenclaw.glader9954]

It won’t, its not a drastic increase in price

[@milogumball5755]

The Cheat No way, alcohol is still WAY too cheap in Australia. Sure not as cheap as Scotland. But you can get a bottle of high % wine for like $3, ciders for less than $2. It encourages people into drinking more with those prices... especially when fly buys and stuff like that send you alcohol advertising all the time when you say "I don't want any alcohol advertising". Then you have the DSP pension which is mainly for alcoholics, so they get an extra $300-$400 a fortnight of tax payer money to keep up their habit while they don't ever have to get a job or do work for the dole. That's 50+ bottles extra of wine every week courtesy of the Australian taxpayers (over what a job seeker would get). Personally i'd love to see cigarettes halved in price (you don't have people starting fights because they had a cigarette or high speed crashes because they had a cigarette), and alcohol raised up to a point that only the super rich can afford it. Alcohol is no good for the poor or working classes. It just keeps everyone down.

[@FelledOff]

The Cheat if they get to strict they will bootleg it

[@bcubed72]

_" Bootlegged alcohol is not an issue at all in Australia,"_ Uh, why the hell not? You've got ALL that land to hide a still on, and an outlaw history. Are y'all "going soft" on us Down Under?

[@RealAnthonyJones]

Remember prohibition days? Someone is about to get rich smuggling in alcohol and any guy that knows how to make the sauce will bank too.

[@UltraBeats1]

Masses would riot if this happened in Ireland (yes, even the children).

[@theb.o.a.t9717]

boominginthegallo true even if it's buckfast

[@isaiahbruckhaus]

Gotta laugh

[@fatsoblitz]

Its already coming in

[@IBgaming1]

im in ireland mate and varadkar and the boys have this in the pipeline. Its a fkn joke if you ask me though. already its ridiculously expensive to go to the pub. 5er a pint is a joke. so many people would rather go the offie and pick up a few cans or bottles. All this will do is bring in more taxes for the government. Thats the only reason and its going to fck over working class people who already couldnt afford to drink in the pubs. Varadkar and his shower of prawn sandwich eaters will be ok they, they have money coming out their ears.

[@PurePessimism]

Scotland has a worse drink problem than Ireland

[@kandystorressantiago8865]

In New York, they raised their prices on tobacco and cigarettes, but it didn't deter people from it, it just made people broker and have less money to spend. But it did encourage people to want to quit because they did have less money than before. I don't think I've seen people quit yet. I've heard people talk about quitting for years now... They still do it, soooo, idk.

[@ChartreuseDan]

Wow Alison Douglas is completely full of shed. "Those in the poorest communities save money" if they stop buying booze. Any non-means-tested tax (or price fixing in thes case) is a tax on the poor. The rich would save money too if they stopped drinking, but they don't have to make that choice. I'm not even definitely against this, it may very well help a lot of people but its proponents definitely need to come clean about both the pros and cons because deception helps noone.

[@Munden]

If you're not going to tackle the reasons behind excessive drinking, why not offer alternative substances like marijuana that kill exactly 0 people per year?

[@jaer678]

7.5% "high alcohol content" Rookie numbers

[@alisa2702]

talk to my everclear

[@charleskuhn382]

This is just a tax on the poor

[@SuperLusername]

I would drink too if English were my neighbour

[@TheSateef]

LOL, i'm English and i liked this comment

[@SuperLusername]

Solutionist ' Im not even Scottish you muppet. Im not even close to being Scottish. I am almost furthest away from being Scottish as possible while remaining European. Learn to take a joke. I always hear about the famous British self deprecating humour but rarely see it in practice.

[@ploppysquirts-a-lot8049]

Evilsamar Do you even English?

[@hotsauceislethal9430]

LMAO hilarious! The gloomy weather would be enough to make me want to booze it up.

[@SuperLusername]

buttworms the movie No I dont.

[@beavis4763]

A Scot without alcohol is like a fish without water.

[@billyb6001]

Home brewing and moonshine will be back in style.

[@kyledapom]

It's a big mistake if they increase the cost of cheap liquor in Scotland, I have allot of Scottish family BUT I live in New Zealand in a tiny town called taumarunui, New Zealand increased the cost of tobacco incredibly for the hope it would make people quit , but all it's done has made poor people poorer because they have to pay more to have a fag , but not also that , it's caused a extreme amount of reported armed crime or unarmed , for example where I'm living in New Zealand right now in taumarunui it's an extremely quiet rural town , but because there's no work or employment opportunities it's turning upside down , I use to work at a small pizza joint , the only one in town , and 2 weeks ago roughly it got held by gunpoint for roughly 2-4 hundred dollars, its fucked up .

[@2000guineas]

Subtitles LOl

[@Killdozer667]

I'm non native speaker and found these very useful

[@MPI1000]

Killdozer667 Well, as a non-native speaker myself (Swedish), I've never had the problem with Scottish, even Glaswegian as I have noticed even native English speakers having problems with. Then again Swedish is about 50-50 German and English, not unlike Scots, lol.

[@richardgebbieguitar]

On a recent trip to Edinburgh with my Spanish girlfriend (who had lived in London for 14 years), I spoke to a local at a bar for a few minutes. Afterwards she asked me, "What language was he speaking?" Subtitles made me lol but I have to say they're pretty useful!

[@magicdaisies5242]

The worst part is it was the paramedics that needed them! 😂

[@BlueMonk25]

haha..I had a good chuckle too

[@aawishkhan]

Increasing the prices of Alcohol or other similar drugs would not curb this endemic. The Government should focus on the mental well being of the Scots as the people who drink more are usually mentally disturbed and use alcohol as a tool to numb their emotions for a while.

[@dylangallagher143]

didnt work in ireland.

[@muttontherun3737]

i am scottish, and right now, minimum pricing will not fix anything. scotland has been crippled by alcohol for years, and all this is going to do is make poor, disadvantaged, addicted people poorer. there needs to be more work put into stopping people in the first place. making a wee bottle of cider more expensive, or a can of tenants twice the price will not stop anyone who’s drinking to get away from something

[@epicscreenname989]

*THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS*

[@bwebb90]

TBH i dont even think there's any good intentions here either, the paramedics know, they see the life on the streets on the daily, not these statistic people.

[@epicscreenname989]

John Walker yeah I agree entirely

[@bwebb90]

Epic Screen name Too many experts behind the keyboards as well, I'll trust the ones who have to live it.

[@epicscreenname989]

John Walker that’s definitely a sign a wisdom

[@lukewood3231]

They'll just do home brew. You can't stop Scottish people drinking. Not a chance.

[@YogsenForfoth]

Exactly. They’ll just brew up a batch of rot-gut in their bathtub and drink that until they go blind.

[@cnay2983]

Legalize weed doods

[@garrett21]

Imagine paying $15 for what amounts to a 4loko

[@Feast_965]

You're better convincing cats that Tuna is not tasty than stopping those guys lol Btw I'm Arabian and i don't need the subtitles

[@willyyyfull2264]

I’m currently on a 7 day bender with only a few hours sleep very “sleep deprived” Stupid amounts of cocaine and tried to commit suicide over this, it’s a disease and it’s sad I go for a while without and once I start I don’t stop, it’s terrible I don’t like the taste of any bevy. It’s just a fucking horrible way to be be and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. 🙏

[@kaptain1477]

Rising price won't do anything. What's stopping a group of guys buying a large portion size each putting some money in. Feels like they need to educate people more about the dangers of drinking but they are lazy and don't want to do that.

[@MegaRadomstuff]

It just bankrupts the poor

[@barbara1904]

Addiction in Scotland is a problem because of poverty. Thanks Westminster!

[@ShinyRacer22]

I can't see this making much of a difference the cheap ciders like frosty jack will go up and price but there's little to no change to 6 packs of lager bottles of wine etc an addict is just gaunny get their fix from the cheapest alternative

[@thomasfrater855]

This action will have sure consequences. People will turn from Alcohol to Spice, Spice to hard drugs.

[@Mikeylove93]

They subtitled every Scottish person 😂

[@iAmTheSquidThing]

Rather than just setting a minimum price. Wouldn't it make sense to also collect that added cost as tax? Then spend it on addressing the problem.

[@NiklasAdv]

watching this while drinking a cold beer.

[@andrewryanwasright]

There was a old Soviet joke from when Gorbachev raised prices to fight alcoholism “father the State has raised the prices on alcohol so that means you will be drinking less” “No son, you will just be eating less”

[@liquidminds]

I thought the scottish word for drinking-problem was "the price" xD

[@lorenkargard8303]

What is the basic underlining of the problem? People giving up on a broken system .

[@stephenmcewanFREEDOM]

What for the crime and starving kids to kick in and we will see if this can work ?

[@milogumball5755]

If kids are starving their parents should be jailed.

[@ben4032]

problem drinkers save money with these laws. wow that level of delusion takes effort. is scotland still trying to fix the problem by making them financially worse off or did they get the idea to try and work on the reasons they do it in the first place!

[@swardinc]

LOL, as some people said like Jim they never go for the root issue how about tackling the job market

[@Mike-mx1cz]

Seems like the liquor companies are tired of the cider and high gravity companies taking too much market share to me.

[@7evive]

High alcool content: 7.5%. Bruhh😂😂😂

[@philly8891]

yeah it's 3 litres of 7.5%. that means one bottle for $5 gets you 22 and a half shots of whiskey in equivalent alcohol per bottle.

[@LMvdB02]

For cider yeah, stupid wankstain.

[@scottwhitley3392]

in america the social norm is a few cans, in scotland people literally buy 3 crates to themselves

[@marlowemuffingrab]

I'm a police officer in the US. We have the exact same problem - this exact same call, multiple times a night, every single night. No exaggeration. AND opiate ODs, people driving on xanax (or fake xanax pressed with fentanyl, had that too), etc. When they can't get rotgut vodka they drink mouth wash.

[@jackmorris8898]

Could end up making some people turn to spirit's now and a lot more thefts from shops

[@Photon_Collector]

As usual, the SNP thinks it's job is to control every single aspect of your life.

[@chrismac5961]

Where do all the extra profits go?

[@1987jock]

Spirited away.

[@XYZ-km9kg]

Chris Mac they are giving it to Muslims.

[@hudsonjaxson8877]

It worked with cigarette pricing changes in Australia. I for one stopped because of the $21 pack going to $41 it does make ya think.

[@mrcody1924]

That is a terrifying price for a pack :c that's like a whole carton in America

[@taiterobinson793]

I LIVE IN SCOTLAND AND U CANT DO THIS

[@liquidminds]

Don't you just love it when other people tell you how to live your life? Freedom to live as ordered.. beautiful.

[@benedictcase4290]

It'sTaite you guys will just go to England for your alcohol

[@ailiea8351]

The reason they brought in the minimum pricing was to target house drinkers, people that buy a lot of cheap alcohol and get wasted in their house and predrinkers, there isn’t minimum pricing in pubs/ nightclub, just in shops. I’m not too fussed by it, at the start I though it would make all alcohol really expensive but I’ve seen little increase on the alcohol I buy 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@S.Georgia]

Canada did this with smoking. And honestly I think it worked. Don't see that many smokers compared to other countries.

[@deathbycriter]

As a heavy smoker and alcoholic in canada. My life would be a lot easier with more lenient taxes. Like the paramedics said, They'll just find other ways to get their fix. And probably start bogging up health services with not eating or losing their house. Like I have.

[@ChartreuseDan]

Minimum unit pricing isn't the same as tobacco product levies. The prices of tobacco are affected by a high sales tax added on the sale price, minimum unit pricing on alcohol states that anything that contains one standard unit of alcohol must cost at least 50p. In Canada a shop could, in theory, legally sell their cigarettes for one cent plus tax (if they were content to lose shedloads of money) but in Scotland under minimum unit pricing a can of beer with two units in it legally cannot cost the purchaser less than £1

[@sandycoueffin401]

It's a choice between food or ciggs. Canada average price for ciggs about $12. for cheap ones.

[@hpensive]

Sandy Coueffin Issue of pharmaceutical companies losing money. They produce the opiods then sit in bed with the alcohol industry to cure illnesses.

[@sandycoueffin401]

So many dying from addictive prescrips. See my Dr once a year. He knows there are no meds I will take. I may need him for something one year?

[@allisondoak9425]

The gradually increasing tax on cigarettes in New Zealand is an interesting case study for addiction and taxation. There was a point where smokers who could stop were because of the inconvenient price but there wasn’t a notable surge in crime relating to cigarettes and people could still feed their kids and support their addiction but then they put it up more and more and crime and poverty did begin to rise. I’ve actually observed smokers I know smoking more since the last price hike, due to the additional stress but you know that’s neither here nor there with the poverty issue because if you want to look for a source of health issues then that’s the worst thing right there. We have a huge history of governments trying to force the working class to conform to a morality (including around alcohol) and you just see this long list of failures and people harmed by the state. It’s pretty obvious that the solution to creating a happy healthy population is to create a happy healthy environment (like they teach this shit in parenting classes) and that’s something the interventionist state can’t seem to come to terms with. We need to empower and resource the interventionist community if we want to help people.

[@convex7456]

"Freedom"

[@Rygoat]

Honestly it wont change much, like I'm sitting here thinking that all they're doing is raising prices closer to what we pay in Australia and trust me over drinking is still a big problem, just people moved on to things like cheap box wine which has the added advantage of becoming a pillow once you're a little bit sleepy (you rip the internal bladder out of the box and it becomes what we call a goon-bag) The core of the problem needs to be worked on, which is often past trauma that people are trying to drown out, history of alcohol abuse in families and that quite simply there's nothing to do so people get bored and drink. I live in a place commonly referred to as the most isolated capital city in the world and believe me it feels like it. Even for holidays the cheapest option is for us to fly to Bali and just get drunk there for cheaper then we can here.

[@ezio_auditore5425]

If ya cannae do the bouncy yer a tim

[@SpookyBoys]

Would have had no idea what you said prior to watching "Still Game" on netflix.

[@arictheodorson6962]

As an alcoholic I know what it is like to physically NEED to self medicate from a life of using because of panic attacks. I originally called ambulances because of hyperventilating and feeling like I was having a heart attack. Alcohol was just an over the counter version of benzos. You will only see alcoholics start committing crimes to get money for alcohol. The root of the problem is mental health and addiction. You can not tax people into "morality" when it is not a morality issue at all. Inflict a per unit on heroin to get people to stop. Wait that won't work, because of ADDICTION. There was prohibition in the US and all it did was make people drink "bathtub gin" and in todays world you can get your hands on hand sanitizer that is almost all ethanol. You will just increase the number of gutter drunks. people will not buy food to be able to afford alcohol. people will get evicted to have money for alcohol. IMHO you will just see an increase in homelessness.

[@80thiconoclast]

I would never imagine an American paramedic being so friendly with someone that drunk. Some culture they've got there.

[@mjstecyk]

Pretty sure Scotland isn't the first country to have artificially high prices for booze. Ontario Canada does this by means of a monopoly on booze sales, liquor sales are through the government stores, beer sales are through a government sanctioned monopoly. Same effect, different method of doing it. This setup dates back to the prohibition days basically, very little has changed since then.

[@taiterobinson793]

HOW DARE U

[@ahtim1900]

He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink He sings the songs that remind him of the good times He sings the songs that remind him of the better times

[@MyrkVargkjetter]

Getting the absolute cheapest high alcohol swill off of the shelves by forcing its price up is probably a good idea, but excessively pushing up prices won't stop problem drinkers - it just makes them slightly poorer. And, from experience, if the prices become truly exorbitant you will probably see an increase in drug use, smuggled booze and blatant store theft.. Whether alcohol is better or worse than X drug can always be debated, but I think most agree that pushing people over to the black market is a bad thing...

[@kedrshr1mp6]

It's not going to work, they did it here in Australia and rates of alcoholism have only gone down about 0.1% They did the same thing with smoking tobacco here as well. Really it is a tax of the poor and instead of raising prices they should be opening more rehab centers and offering help to alcoholics. This system simply doesn't work.

[@TheJoke97]

I personally believe it'll be a good thing, but not for the reasons the Scottish government thinks. I don't think it'll have too much of an effect on our country's Drink problem. But at the very least, it'll stop people from drinking at home. As the law doesn't effect pubs and clubs. It'll get people out and doing it in controlled environments, and socialising - keeping our struggling pub industry afloat. I'm not sure what it's like in other areas, but in Aberdeenshire - pubs aren't doing too well. And, for us in the industry - it's a really positive thing. Though, from a health perspective - I don't believe it'll do anything. People who are alcoholics, will find a way to get cheap alcohol. Just like drug-addicts find ways. And people who enjoy drinking - will still find opportunities to go grab a drink.

[@Maltcider]

Arguing that increasing taxes on drinks that the poor drink the most isn't a tax on the poor because they won't be able to afford as much is such a horrible fallacy. That's like saying a massive increase in taxes on food isn't a tax on people who eat because they will start eating less food. This will do massive harm to those who need help the most, the long-term dependent alcoholics who will likely be forced into crime to afford the alcohol they need to prevent going into shock. Proper social services need to be addressed which go after the main causes of alcohol abuse - poverty and child abuse.

[@sajjanvirdee3122]

R.I.P Frostys

[@mirrorflame1988]

This is a good idea. Too many young people drink too much and it's dangerous for any nation. Alcoholism along with narcotics and tobacco addiction has to be ended soon.

[@GM-tw4el]

DIY shops now keeping methelated spirits in the fridge. Semi-chem aftershave is now cheaper than a bottle of spirits too. Old spice and coke will be new tipple of choice.

[@TheShadowofDormin]

I think Canada fallows the same type of rules with booze and smokes, they cost allot in health care so they tax the products. Vice should know this since its a Canadian company

[@VoidHalo]

What are they talking about? We've had a law here in Canada that beer can't be less than $1 (now $1.15) for decades. Scotland is certainly not the first country to do this.

[@Brendissimo1]

I have a problem with the whole "next wave" thinking. It's similar to the "gateway drug" theory of marijuana use. Kids don't start binge drinking because alcohol is cheap. They start doing it because they think it's fun, because their friends are doing it, and in some cases because they've been told they shouldn't. From personal experience, I think the best way to deal with this is to demystify alcohol in the home at a young age. Parents should teach their kids how to drink in moderation, and show them that it's no big deal. But I think that solution is more tailored to the US, where we have a higher drinking age and where teenage alcohol consumption of any kind is much more strictly policed. I imagine that in Scotland, the solution would nonetheless be rooted in shared cultural norms more than in economic pressure. If there were more to do at night in a given town, for example, besides drinking, or if people grew up without alcoholics as role models... I dunno.

[@pauldelaunay6075]

It won't solve anything.

[@youtubarrrn]

Well this been around a long time in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The tax on liquor is based on the amount of alcohol in the drink and it's expensive .

[@Melissa0774]

So they're basically trying to do with alcohol, what was done with cigarettes in the U.S.

[@nickzakovich4339]

I am all for a "sin" tax. Alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy processed food and beverages can be cheap to buy but carry significant societal cost. Companies are turning huge profits while tax payers are paying for the long term consequences. Go to a hospital and garunteed 90% of people are there for one of three reasons: 1 they drink too much 2 they smoke too much 3 they eat too much unhealthy food (or some combination of the three). Guess who is paying for most of their bill, you are. We need more forward thinking public policy to save not only money but peoples lives.

[@Smoke1]

This is stupid. I drink just once a week, and if I'm not going out to a pub or bar I can get good and drunk off a tenner's worth of beer from my local off license. This stupid law will double... maybe even triple that. Why should I get punished for other people's inability to drink responsibly?

[@ScunneredScotsmen]

Couldn't agree more mate! We are not big drinkers either so it sucks that folk like us get punished!

[@psisky]

This wont stop people from drinking. Like charging for bags doesn't stop plastic pollution.

[@mks8172]

They just need a decent reason to tax the lower class more after they hit the middle and upper class with their tax regime.

[@willneverforgets3341]

It's also cultural. Britain has quite an alcohol use problem. Everything revolves around alcohol.

[@naif8493]

Implementing Sharia Law will stop the drinking problem.

[@MrJigssaw1989]

Wait .... what ? Most of those people going out to have a drink on a friday night are going into clubs and pubs where they pay considerably higher prices than in a supermarket and it those prices aren't stopping them getting drunk so what gives ?

[@zachelmquist4932]

Let people live their lives.

[@heremate7921]

Rip frosty jacks

[@iloveyouamberappel]

I don't see how it is much different than the sin tax on booze in Canada. For this method is the government keeping the difference or are the manufactors just allowed/forced to charge more?

[@jaredhamon3411]

this also shows a problem with government funded healthcare. They eventually try and control the actions of citizens to keep costs down. The same logic could be applied to anything: a tax on TV, phone usage etc.

[@marksab]

the assertion that Scotland was first to establish minimum price per alcohol unit seems false. quebec in canada (where vice began) has done the same with beer since I started drinking- a minimum retail price per case, seeing that the province also monoplizes wine/spirits the low end of the market has been close to mid range prices for vodka etc.

[@meg2231]

Because raising the prices of cigarettes in New York State in the US made such a difference. No. When you're dealing with addiction you can change the price all you want. People will get it. All this does is introduce incentive to get the product illegally. By this logic it's ok for upper class folks to indulge in their addiction but not people who are oppressed by their economic position. It doesn't work like that. You need to build facilities where people can go for free to get help with their substance abuse problems.