Alcohol is a fixture of Scottish society, but how much we drink, where we drink, and the knock-on effects of alcohol consumption for our health have transformed in recent decades.
As the Herald launches a week-long series exploring Scotland and alcohol, from its role in exports and the economy to the lives lost and the measures taken to reduce intake, it is clear that our drinking culture and its consequences have shifted dramatically over time.
Here at a glance are six graphs which track Scotland's changing relationship with alcohol.
Consumption
In 1950, alcohol was mostly consumed in pubs, as beer, by men. Wine was something for the upper classes, and compared to wages, spirits - such as whisky or gin - were prohibitively expensive for most people.
Between 1950 and 1975, average consumption per head more than doubled from 7.5 units per week to 18.3, as women drank more, social norms changed, disposable incomes grew, and wine became more widely available.
By the mid-2000s, alcohol consumption peaked in Scotland at 22.5 units following trends in binge drinking and substantial falls in the real-terms cost of alcohol.
For more than a decade, consumption has been falling - largely driven by younger generations tending to drink less.
Deaths
In 2022, a total of 1,276 people in Scotland died as a direct result of alcohol misuse. This was the highest number in 14 years, and compares to 389 in 1979.
Men still account for two thirds of alcohol deaths, but the number of deaths among females over the past decade has been rising at twice the rate of males.
People living in Scotland's poorest communities are four times more likely to die from alcohol, and mortality rates are now highest among the over-65s and at record levels for Scots in their 70s.
READ MORE:
- How did we get here? A short history of Scotland's changing drinking culture
- I'm a health correspondent - but, if I'm honest, I had a lot of fun binge drinking
- Think Scotland was always Europe's problem drinker? You're wrong
Pubs
While overall alcohol consumption is now at similar levels to the mid-1980s, a much lower share of drinking is taking place in pubs and bars.
This has contributed to a steady decline in the number of pubs operating in Scotland.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - which registers pubs and bars separately from other licensed premises, such as restaurants - the number has fallen from 3,315 in 2009 to 2,655 by 2022.
Affordability
One of the reasons why alcohol consumption at home has increased is because off-trade alcohol has become much more affordable compared to alcohol sold in pubs and bars.
While the price of a bottle of wine in the supermarket, or a pint of beer in the pub, have increased over time, in real terms alcohol is more affordable now than it was in 1987 once the cost is adjusted against increases in wages and disposable income.
However, beer sold off-trade is more than twice as affordable today as it was in 1987, while beer sold in pubs and bars is only 41% more affordable.
Where we drink
In 1994, alcohol sales in Scotland were split nearly 50-50 between the off-trade (shops, supermarkets and off-licences) and the on-trade (pubs, bars, and restaurants).
By 2010, just 30% of all the alcohol sold in Scotland was purchased in the on-trade sector, following rapid increases in home drinking.
As of 2021, when pubs continued to face pandemic-related restrictions, 84% of all the alcohol sold in Scotland had been purchased from shops, supermarkets and off-licences.
Scotland and Europe
Between 1950 and 2000, as Scotland's alcohol consumption soared, mortality rates from liver cirrhosis among men went up more than seven-fold and roughly six-fold for women.
The trajectory in Scotland - and in England and Wales - was in stark contrast to Europe, where cirrhosis rates peaked in the mid-1970s and have been falling ever since, in line with declining alcohol consumption.
The declines in consumption have been particularly steep among countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.
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