Alcohol-related deaths in Ayrshire have gone down by 19.4 per cent across the region, new figures show.
According to figures from the National Records of Scotland, Ayrshire’s death toll for 2020 was a tragic 87.
But that figure is almost 20 per dent down on 2019 — when 108 people lost their lives due to drink-related illness.
In South Ayrshire, the 2020 death toll stood at 20, down from the 2019 figure of 27.
In East Ayrshire, 23 people died as a result of alcohol, down from 31 the previous year.
And in North Ayrshire, the 2020 fatality figure was 44, down on the 2019 figure of 50.
The region figures, released on Tuesday, buck the national trend which actually show a 17 per cent increase in deaths.
There were 1,190 alcohol-specific deaths in 2020 in Scotland, representing an increase of 17 per cent (170 deaths) on 2019 (1,020 deaths).
This is the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered since 2008 (1,316).
Some organisations point to the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent lockdowns and more time spent at home, giving rise to an increase in drinking.
Deaths in the most deprived areas were four times more than those in the least deprived areas.
Pete Whitehouse, director of statistical services said: “NRS figures show a marked increase in the number of deaths due to alcohol, reversing the fall seen in 2019.
“Monthly analysis shows that alcohol-specific deaths were higher than average in 10 months of 2020.
“From August to November deaths were similar to or substantially higher than the highest numbers seen during these months over the last five years.”
South Scotland Labour List MSP, Colin Smyth, said more must be done to tackle the causes of alcohol misuse.
He said: “We shouldn’t forget that every one of these numbers represents the loss of someone who was much loved and who leaves behind grieving family and friends. My thoughts are with them.
“It’s clear that the pandemic has caused the number of alcohol-related deaths to rise and everything possible must be done to get treatment and rehabilitation services back on track.
“With deaths four times higher in the most deprived areas it is obvious that action is needed, not only to reduce alcohol-related harm and deaths, but to tackle the underlying causes of alcohol misuse.
“These figures come on the back of the recent drug related death statistics and show just how badly we are tackling the health crisis caused by alcohol and drugs.”
Alison Douglas, the chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Scotland has made good progress in addressing the problems we have with alcohol by introducing policies like minimum unit-pricing which is showing promising results.
“Yet the impact of the pandemic threatens to undermine this progress.
“Many people, particularly heavier drinkers, have reported that they have increased their drinking during the last 18 months. The effects are felt most by those living in our poorest communities, who are eight times more likely to die due to alcohol.
“If we are to prevent more people losing their lives to alcohol and to reduce health inequalities we need to redouble our efforts by reducing the availability of alcohol, restricting its marketing and by uprating minimum unit price. Importantly, we also need to make sure that support is available to those who need it now.”
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said lockdown had led to people, who were drinking heavily, consuming even more.
She said: “Although alcohol consumption in Scotland dropped in 2020, evidence from various surveys has shown those who were drinking heavily before the pandemic were more likely to increase their drinking during lockdown, thereby increasing their risk of harm.”
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
