By Rachelle Money and Tom Gordon

THE appalling scale of Scotland's teenage drink epidemic is today revealed by the Sunday Herald. Information obtained from the country's councils and health boards shows almost 1600 young people, some as young as 11, are currently being treated for alcohol addiction.

The number of those aged 18 or under in counselling has doubled since November 2006, when 689 had help for a drink problem.

Glasgow City Council, which had 55 young people in counselling in 2006, now has 115.

NHS Highland has seen a rise from two to 22.

While four 11-year-olds are among 153 children being treated for a drink problem in Fife.

Paul Hunter, team leader at Midlothian Young People's Advice Service, said some youngsters drank ten times the recommended limit for adult males, equal to a bottle of vodka each day.

"It's a coping mechanism to deal with something that's happening at school or home. We are coming across quite a lot of young people who feel unloved and neglected."

He said most alcohol was obtained by randomly asking strangers to buy from an off sales.

Chief Inspector Alan Glendinning, of Dumfries and Galloway police, said the force recently found a 15-year-old girl lying unconscious because of alcohol at 2.30pm.

"Parents need to ask themselves, where is my child tonight? If they say they are staying at a friend's house, phone that person's house and get it verified."

Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said regulating the price and availability of alcohol was the most effective way to cut consumption and related harm.

"The more alcoholic - and therefore more potentially harmful - a drink is, the more expensive it should be. One of the reasons some teenagers drink so much is because cheap alcohol is so readily available."

Since 1980, the price of alcohol has fallen nearly 70% relative to disposable incomes, while alcohol consumption has risen 21%. The Scottish Government is currently planning to set a minimum price for alcohol in shops.

Early research obtained by the Sunday Herald shows cheap cider and vodka would disappear under the plans, which are being resisted by the drinks industry and by retailers.

A comparison of hundreds of varieties of wine, beer and spirits sold by supermarkets found own-brand vodka would jump 50%, from around £7 for a 700ml bottle, to at least £10.50. Strong supermarket cider would double in price, from under £3 for three litres to £6.60.

Scottish ministers have now commissioned the University of Sheffield, which recently studied the impact minimum pricing south of the border, to carry out further research on the Scot's market.

The research for ministers assumed a minimum price of 40p per 10ml unit of alcohol, the figure suggested for a new licensing bill.

It found that 90% of red and white wines sold by Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's would not become more expensive under changes, while more than 75% of lager multipacks would be unaffected. However, 40% of cheap vodkas would go up in price, and 85% of cheap ciders in bottles of one litre or more would also rise.

The Scottish Whisky Association has lead attacks on the proposals, calling them illegal under international trade law and a risk to the whisky industry. However, less than 30% of bottles of blended scotch would rise, and only 1% of malts. The minimum price of a bottle of whisky would be £11.20 on current assumptions.

The Federation of Small Businesses has also warned retailers may have "to pull down the shutters and leave the communities they have served" if the higher prices become law.

But ministers insist a step-change is needed to tackle the widespread health and social problems caused by alcohol abuse. Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Its effect would be to raise the price of the cheap, high-strength products that are harming people's health and damaging our communities.

"Moderate drinkers have nothing to fear from minimum pricing.

"In fact, they stand to benefit if we can cut the £2.25 billion cost of alcohol misuse to Scotland which they are already paying for.

"The opponents of minimum pricing are fighting against a growing tide of expert opinion in favour - including the Chief Medical Officers of Scotland and