SHAAP

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SHAAP was set up in 2006 by the Medical Royal Colleges in Scotland and is based within the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE). Clinicians had become increasingly concerned at the escalation in alcohol-related health damage in Scotland - both in its acute effects seen in admissions to accident and emergency departments and in chronic conditions such as liver disease and brain damage. Following a scoping exercise, which included interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, the need was identified to establish a group which would represent health professionals in Scotland, providing consistent, expert advice and advocating for effective solutions to reduce alcohol-related harms. . Source

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SHAAP raises concerns that alcohol has been downgraded as a political priority as the ministerial portfolio expands to include Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs - Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems

| SHAAP
Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, Chair of SHAAP, said: "At a time when Scotland is facing an alcohol public health emergency, with 1,179 people dying from alcohol-specific causes in 2024, it is deeply concerning that the Scottish Government has diluted ministerial focus on this critical issue. "Under the previous government, Maree Todd demonstrated real commitment to tackling alcohol harm through her dedicated Alcohol & Drugs portfolio.
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SHAAP comment on ONS alcohol-specific deaths figures for Scotland, 2024

| SHAAP
Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, Chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), a partnership of the Medical Royal Colleges, commented: “Any reduction in the number of people dying from alcohol in Scotland is to be welcomed, but a rate of 20.9 per 100,000 is a stark reminder that Scotland remains in the grip of a public health emergency. Deaths remain far too high and significantly above pre-pandemic levels. “Every one of these deaths was avoidable.
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SHAAP writes to First Minister following comments about alcohol taxation

| SHAAP
SHAAP Chair, Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, wrote to John Swinney regarding comments made in the Scottish Parliament on 12 February 2025 which described decisions on alcohol taxation by successive UK Governments as “stupid decisions on alcohol taxation” which have made it “more and more difficult for the spirits and beer industry in this country to survive. You can read the letter in full below.
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Doubling Down on Recovery: How Scotland Transformed Access to Residential Rehab

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By Jodie McGarry
| SHAAP
Introduction When I wrote my first SHAAP blog on residential rehabilitation (RR) in Scotland – five years ago – we were just starting a long‑overdue journey. At that time the data painted a grim picture: postcode lotteries, missing pathways, and stark access inequalities. Back then, to be sure of getting to RR, you had to be rich, insured or just plain lucky. Fast‑forward to today: we’ve made real progress, but there’s still work to do.
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Criminal Justice Committee Inquiry into Substance Misuse in Prisons

| SHAAP
SHAAP Briefing Key messages ● Alcohol is the forgotten crisis for those in the justice system – 63% of people in prison have alcohol use disorder and 40% of prisoners were drunk at the time of their offence with 41% who would accept help if offered. Yet the treatment gap is massive: only 167 individuals (roughly 1.1% of the prison population) were referred to specialist alcohol services in 2024-25.
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SHAAP calls for alcohol marketing restrictions in online safety plans

| SHAAP
16/02/2026 Commenting on the UK government’s plans to protect children online, SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) are calling on the government to seize this opportunity to address the harmful exposure to alcohol marketing experienced every day by young people. The government recently announced a consultation on children’s online safety, including proposals for social media age verification, AI regulations and VPN restrictions.
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What a journey: Cultivating Cultural Recovery Pathways for Black and Asian Communities in Scotland

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By Jodie McGarry
| SHAAP
What a journey. Was it simple? No. Was it powerful? Absolutely. Cultivating Cultural Recovery Pathways for Black and Asian Communities in Scotland culminated in a session at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, on 12 November 2025—but its roots stretch back almost a year earlier. It began with an email from Chloé at Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and Debra from Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD).
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SHAAP Chair comments on UK Budget

| SHAAP
Following the announcement of the UK Government’s Budget on Wednesday 26th November, Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, Chair of SHAAP said: “While it is welcome that the Chancellor did not cave to industry demands to freeze or cut alcohol duty and seems to have returned to the conventional approach to alcohol duty which is to increase it in line with inflation each year, it is a shame that the opportunity to introduce a duty escalator was not taken.
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Call for Abstracts: 2026 Alcohol Occasionals

| SHAAP
Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN) invite researchers to submit their research proposals for the 2026 SHAAP/SARN Alcohol Occasionals webinar series. We are interested to hear from researchers from any discipline who wish to share their research relating to alcohol. We welcome presentations from new and early career researchers and/or international researchers.
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Fall in referrals to alcohol treatment show need for greater investment in alcohol services

| SHAAP
Today, Public Health Scotland has published a review into the fall in referrals to specialist alcohol and drug treatment, entitled “Understanding the reasons behind an apparent reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol and drugs treatment in Scotland”.
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