SCOTS paint themselves as some of the most hardened drinkers in the world, saying they need more booze to be really drunk.

In a unique survey, women from Scotland reported they need 15.2 units before they are uncomfortably drunk - the fourth highest quantity in the survey of 22 different nationalities.

Scottish men were little better, saying they needed 20.9 units to reach that tipping point where they stopped enjoying themselves, more than their counterparts in the other countries apart from New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands and Brazil.

However, one-third (34 per cent) of those who took part in the poll - which questioned 686 people living north of the Border, said they would like to drink less this year.

Dr Adam Winstock, the consultant psychiatrist and addictions specialist who oversees the research known as the Global Drugs Survey, said Scottish women were saying they needed more than their entire weekly alcohol limit (14 units) before they were intoxicated - a situation he described as "a serious problem".

He advised people to slow down their drinking, noting respondents actually said they felt happiest when they had consumed 11 units of alcohol.

Dr Winstock said: "We want people to be more conscious of where their tipping point is when they go beyond enjoying themselves and become more drunk than they want to be.

"I thought that might be a fine line, but it takes about another glass or two of wine or a pint or two. That's the tipping point."

Barbara O'Donnell, acting chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "This is another survey where Scotland ranks highly in comparison to other countries in terms of alcohol consumption.

"What is interesting is that a third of people who responded said that they would like to reduce their drinking.

"There is strong evidence that delivering alcohol brief interventions - structured conversations about someone's drinking - in places like A&E and doctors' appointments, is effective in helping people cut down.

"The Scottish Government announced last week it would be doubling the capacity for delivering alcohol brief interventions across Scotland over the next year."

However, Ms O'Donnell added that there are very few places for people to socialise which were alcohol free and that drinking is still regarded as "the norm".

She added: "We need to rebalance this relationship with alcohol if we are serious about tackling alcohol harm - both to the drinker and to those around them."

The Global Drugs Survey 2015, the largest survey of drug use in the world, also asked participants about their habits with other drugs including illegal substances and legal highs.

It found in the previous 12 months 11.1 per cent of Scots had taken a drug in the form of white powder without knowing what it was.

Dr Winstock said the reason people would take this risk was because at the time, around 80 per cent were already drunk.

Katy MacLeod, national training and development officer, for the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: "It is concerning that a large percentage of people use alcohol or other drugs when using new drugs but this is an all too familiar picture in Scotland with all substance use.

"Poly drug use is one of the key factors in drug related overdose in Scotland. The survey highlights changing patterns of poly drug use such as it becoming more common to see ecstasy users using ecstasy with alcohol, with half of ecstasy users reporting this in this survey.

"It is crucial that harm reduction messages are continued to be targeted at these populations as any risk of side effects is greatly increased by using multiple substances together."

A Scottish Government spokesman said it acknowledged that Scotland has a "difficult relationship with alcohol".

"That is why we are pursuing a wide range of measures, including minimum unit pricing, that seek to change the culture of excessive drinking that causes such harm to our society. Alcohol-related harm is reducing, but levels are still too high," he said.

"Care should be taken when using the information presented in this survey to compare drug use in different countries. There are considerable differences in the amount and quality of data available in different countries.

"Fewer Scots are taking drugs - numbers are continuing to fall amongst the general adult population, and drug taking among young people is the lowest in a decade."

The Global Drugs Survey researchers encourage people to consider their own levels of drinking and drug use using www.drugsmeter.com and www.drinksmeter.com.