The Daily Record – NEWS – BOOZE ‘IS CHEAPER THAN WATER’
SCOTLAND’S drugs and alcohol tsar has attacked supermarket booze promotions which price lager cheaper than water.
Tom Wood was stunned to learn that bulk buyers could buy cans and bottles of popular brands for as little as 40p.
Wood, chairman of the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams, said: “I believe alcohol more than drugs represents the greatest threat to young people in Scotland.
“We’re drinking too much as a nation and it leads to violence, family break-up, obesity, heart conditions and other chronic health problems.
“Compared to what we are earning, alcohol has never been cheaper than it is now and a superb illustration of this is that lager is cheaper than bottled water in some supermarkets.”
ASDA sell two 20-pack crates of brand name beers for £18 – working out at 45p a cans or bottles.
The same store charges 54p for litre bottles of leading brand still bottled water.
Wood, the former deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders, added: “I would like to see us follow some of the Scandinavian countries in controlling alcohol advertising.”
Jack Law, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Alcohol promotions will contribute to excessive and dangerous drinking at home.
“For too long the major retailers have been putting profits before social responsibilities by selling alcohol at ridiculously low prices.”
A spokesperson for ASDA said: “If we get a good deal when buying in beer we want to pass it on to our customers.
“The vast majority are responsible drinkers and we were among the first to join the Portman Group’s Drinkaware campaign.”
Personally I’m not surprised… the price of bottled water is outragious. I mean all they do is hook a tap to a bottle… pretty much. But enough about that… It’s true you should stop and think when the price of beer is cheaper then water… but blaime the beer companies? Mind… I’d never get that lucky with my beer tastes.
Also who can we blaime when the gas is more expensive then milk? It’s getting pretty close to that now. I went and filled up at $3.15 a gallon today… and I can buy milk at $3.35 a gallon.
Tags: Finance, Interesting, OpEd
Can some people deal with alcohol and other drugs better than others? WBR LeoP