Alcohol consumption in the UK has more than doubled since 1950. Many Scots enjoy alcohol sensibly, but many others do not.
The social, health and economic impacts of alcohol misuse are significant. The misuse of alcohol costs the Scottish economy around £2.25 billion each year; many communities are affected by alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and more than 40,000 hospital discharges each year are due to alcohol-related illnesses.
The Scottish Government has published a framework for action to address Scotland's alcohol problem. This sets out the Government's strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse in Scotland.