COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Councillor Paul Kelly, has today (27th October) responded to statistics on alcohol-specific deaths in 2025.
“Every death caused by alcohol is a tragedy. Behind each life lost is a person, a family and a community.
“Scotland has a deep-seated and troubling relationship with alcohol. Local Government is committed to doing all we can, working alongside partners, to provide essential wrap-around support to people affected by alcohol and in building healthy, resilient communities.
“COSLA is committed to taking forward action within the national Strategic Plan for Alcohol and Drugs, in partnership with the Scottish Government. This Plan recognises the harms caused by both alcohol and drugs and supports a more coordinated response.”
Further information:
- NRS published the annual statistics on alcohol-specific deaths on 27th October.
- The statistics only include deaths from causes which are a direct consequence of alcohol consumption (that is, wholly attributable to causes such as alcohol liver disease). It does not include all deaths that can be attributed to alcohol.
- On 22nd September, COSLA published a blog on tackling drug and alcohol harms.
