By Rachelle Money and Edd McCracken
Beer and wine bottles should carry graphic images of diseased livers similar to campaigns featured on cigarette boxes in an effort to curb the country's alcohol abuse, the British Medical Association (BMA) will propose this week.
As part of the BMA's campaign against "the growing problems of excessive alcohol consumption and of binge drinking in society", other motions to be tabled at its annual representatives' meeting in Edinburgh include calls for the government to make units per drink a mandatory requirement on alcohol labels and on bar taps, and encouraging legislation to prevent supermarkets discounting alcohol.
Dr Sally Winning, a member of the Scottish council of the BMA, said they will consider using graphic images of cirrhotic livers and jaundiced people with liver damage to encourage people to take notice of the dangers of drinking excessively.
She said: "In some countries they have an image of a pregnant woman with a red line through it to show that drinking while pregnant isn't recommended. If you look at some of the graphic images used on cigarette packets such as damaged lungs and tumours that has quite a different impact, and if we are going to consider the serious end of the graphic image spectrum, then we'd be looking at cirrhotic livers and jaundiced people with liver failure.
"What we'll debate is whether we can replicate the success there has been with cigarettes or whether people might find it unacceptable."
The meeting will see hundreds of representatives from across the UK gather to discuss and vote on motions which will form the BMA's policy in the coming year.
The Scottish government recently set out bold new proposals to tackle alcohol misuse in society.
A spokeswoman said: "The consultation on our proposals, which include a minimum price for a unit of alcohol, raising the minimum off-sales purchase age to 21 and a social responsibility fee for some retailers, runs until September 9 and we would encourage everyone to engage with this important debate."
