Scottish doctors call for alcohol education in primary schools

More should be done to teach primary school children about the dangers of alcohol, doctors’ leaders have said.

The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland is calling for a special focus on young people in an attempt to tackle Scotland’s high alcoholism rates, as part of a five-point plan.

“The BMA would like to see more done in primary schools to educate children about the dangers of drink before they are drawn in by industry advertising,” said Dr Peter Terry, chairman of BMA Scotland.

Family doctors are reporting children as young as 11 being brought into A&E as a result of alcohol misuse and increasing numbers of young people have been seeking NHS help for the problem.

Dr Dean Marshall, chairman of BMA Scotland’s GP committee said: “We want to get to them as early as possible to try to stop this kind of thing developing into a problem into adulthood.”

Six alcohol related deaths take place every day in Scotland, the highest figure in the UK, and alcoholism is estimated to cost the economy £1.1bn annually.