27 deaths linked to alcohol

The 2016 figures for alcohol related deaths were published this week by the National Records of Scotland.
And it showed an increase of one fatality locally compared to 2015.
Across Scotland as a whole last year, the number of alcohol related deaths rose by ten per cent from the previous year to 1265 – the highest annual total since 2010.
It has sparked calls from BMA Scotland to redouble national efforts to tackle the harms of alcohol misuse.
Chair Dr Peter Bennie said: “These latest figures showing a worrying increase in alcohol-related deaths last year make clear the scale of the damage caused by Scotland’s relationship with alcohol.
“It underlines why as a country we need to redouble our efforts to tackle the harms caused by alcohol misuse.”
Meanwhile, historic figures for this region show a low of just six deaths in 1981 linked to drinking, with the peak in 2009 when 36 people died