New research from alcohol charity Drinkaware has found that 41% of adults in Scotland have been negatively affected by someone else’s drinking in the last year.
The research highlighted that younger people are particularly impacted, with this figure rising to 57% of 18-34 year olds in Scotland, whilst 24% of adults in Scotland between the ages of 18-34 felt emotionally hurt or neglected by others drinking, compared to the Scotland-wide average of adults of 14%.
The Drinkaware Monitor 2022 is the annual ‘state of the nation’ survey conducted for Drinkaware by YouGov, providing an insight into the drinking habits of 6,318 UK adults.
The focus of this year’s Monitor was the harm alcohol can do to others. Those surveyed highlighted the impact other people’s drinking has on them, from feeling physically threatened, being involved in an argument, feeling uncomfortable at social occasions, or being let down by someone.
A quarter (25%) of adults in Scotland also experienced multiple negative effects due to someone else’s drinking in the last 12 months.
Drinkaware CEO Karen Tyrell said: “We all know alcohol can be harmful to individuals, but our research shines a light on the impact it has on wider society. Alcohol can cause serious upset to others around us, damaging relationships and careers, and it’s especially worrying that other people’s drinking is hitting younger people the hardest.”
