Comment: Research suggests most white cider is consumed by people with severe alcohol dependency

Alcohol dependency is a complex problem to which there are no simple solutions.  There are many routes into dependency, many ways in which it manifests itself and many approaches to treatment.  However, dependent drinkers also require access to large, affordable volumes of alcohol.  Recent research by Professor Jonathan Chick and colleagues shows that, in Scotland at least, one of the primary sources of cheap, high strength alcohol is white cider. In a letter published in Clinical Medicine, based on research funded by Alcohol Research UK and the Chief Scientist Office, Chick and colleagues estimate the proportion of all the white cider sold in Scotland consumed by dependent drinkers.  They conclude that, even taking a conservative estimation, the majority of all white cider sold is bought by people who are suffering from serious alcohol problems. The research involved interviews with over 600 severely dependent drinkers in Edinburgh and Glasgow.  The team asked what products participants bought, in what quantities and at what prices.  Overall, they found that white cider and cheap vodka were very widely consumed and that 85% of purchases were at less than 50 pence per unit. The findings provide critical insights into the purchasing and consuming patterns of some of the heaviest drinkers (the median weekly consumption was 185 units) – people often overlooked in general surveys and population studies.  It is not surprising to find that dependent drinkers look for cheap...
Source: Alcohol Research UK - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: News minimum unit pricing Scotland Source Type: news