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Drink deaths in the Highlands rise to highest since 2016


By Alan Shields

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Glass of beer on wooden board and blurred bar background.
Glass of beer on wooden board and blurred bar background.

A TOTAL of 61 people in the NHS Highland board area died in 2021 as a direct result of alcohol misuse.

The figure marks the highest number of alcohol specific deaths in the region since 2016 when the total was 64.

The Highlands is on par with the Scottish national average, according to the figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

Across Scotland 1245 people died last year from conditions caused by alcohol.

The total figure is five per cent higher than 2020 and is the highest number of deaths nationally since 2008.

Of those who died from alcohol-specific causes, two-thirds were male.

The average age of those who died from these causes was 58.7 years for females and 59.7 years for males.

Deaths attributed to alcohol were 5.6 times higher in deprived areas.


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