Health chiefs have claimed that drinkers could help save £19million over the next decade if they cut their alcohol consumption by just 10%.
About 2,300 drinkers from the north-east were admitted to hospital last year – prompting one consultant to admit that alcoholism was “definitely” an issue in Grampian.
The admission came as it emerged that there are about 120,000 hazardous drinkers living across the region.
And last night Chris Littlejohn, a consultant in public health for NHS Grampian, warned that those drinking even slightly above the recommended level could pose serious long-term health problems.
He said: “You do not need to be alcohol dependent to be at risk.
“People can quite easily be drinking enough to be drinking hazardously, where they can potentially be storing up health problems for the future.
“They don’t have withdrawals and they won’t have the shakes, but nevertheless their drinking is impacting on their health.”
Hazardous or harmful drinking is counted as going over the recommended daily amount once a week or more.
Mr Littlejohn added: “That means six units for a woman, and it is hard for some people to hear.
“There are so many people drinking at this level when they are in their 20s and 30s and they won’t think it is a problem as they don’t feel unwell.”
But the consultant warned that more than 50 diseases have now been identified as having links to alcohol – and that alcoholic liver disease has become more prevalent among affluent women in their 40s. Almost 60% of people admitted to hospital due to alcohol are aged between 30 and 59, whereas in the past, admissions were more confined to the 60-plus age group.
Of the 2,300 drinkers who ended up in hospital last year, more than half were from the city (56%), a third from the shire and 13% from Moray.
Mr Littlejohn added: “We have to ask if alcohol is a big thing for Grampian, is alcohol something we should be concerned about. The answer to that is definitely.”
Luan Grugeon, chief executive officer of Drugs Action, said the figures came as no surprise, adding: “I know from the experience of being a service provider that these figures would stand up.
“As a culture, there is an acceptance that hazardous drinking is seen as something that is quite normal.”