The Icelandic scheme persuading young people to stop getting drunk that Scotland should adopt

The latest data, published by Public Health Scotland found we are still drinking more than 50 per cent above the safe drinking guidelines, and that those living in the most deprived parts of the country are six times more likely to be hospitalised or die from alcohol-related causes. A poll by the World Cancer Research Fund found that only one in six Scots feels comfortable talking about their relationship with alcohol.

These are not new warnings. We’ve heard them before. And yet, much of our focus remains on managing harm. So, what can we do?

The Scottish Government and others are rightly talking about prevention – but when it comes to alcohol, much of it is focused on the wrong place. Think of it like pulling a drowning person out of a river. You rescue them downstream, when they are already experiencing problems and when the risk is already high. That’s vital, but we also need to look upstream at what can be done to stop them falling in the river in the first place.

Scotland’s alcohol problem getting worse

Minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol was an important step. It reduced alcohol consumption, particularly in our most deprived communities. But its impact has been eroded by inflation and a shifting alcohol market. Without regular adjustments and a broader approach, MUP alone won’t turn the tide. Meanwhile, alcohol-related deaths have reached their highest levels since 2008.

Let’s be clear: supporting people who are experiencing problems with alcohol will always be vital. We must be able to help those who need support in the here and now while building conditions to reduce harm in the future.

However, if we keep walking this path, the outlook is bleak. Alcohol harm in Scotland is projected to increase by 21 per cent over the next two decades. If we limit our focus to crisis management, we will simply keep firefighting.

Scotland could choose a different future. We could start building communities where young people are less likely to start harmful drinking in the first place. The earlier young people start drinking, the greater their lifetime risk of harm.

Those who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence later in life compared to those who start in their 20s. Early alcohol use is also linked to higher risks of tobacco, drug use, and school disengagement. Delaying that first drink matters. That’s why I’m worried when I see that complacency is creeping in.

Gen Z drink ‘very enthusiastically’

There’s a growing perception that Gen Z are somehow ‘sorted’ – that they’re gym bunnies, wellness-obsessed, and simply not drinking the way older generations did. But the evidence is mixed at best. The reality is that teenagers are still drinking, just not in the same way previous generations did.

As reported in the Guardian, alcohol companies are actively reshaping products and marketing to appeal to younger consumers. As one Diageo executive bluntly put it recently, “a lot of people talk about Gen Z being a cohort that is moving away from alcohol. Our data tells us otherwise. While they drink socially a little less frequently than other cohorts, they do so very enthusiastically.”

If we buy into the idea that this generation doesn’t need us to act, we’re going to miss the chance to prevent the next wave of harm. If we really want to change Scotland’s relationship with alcohol, we need to go upstream.

One of the most promising models is Planet Youth, developed in Iceland in the 1990s. It isn’t a one-off programme or a public awareness campaign. It’s a long-term, whole-community approach that changes the environment young people grow up in.

Planet Youth strengthens protective factors: quality family time, access to structured activities, supportive school environments, and local policies that make healthy choices easier. Crucially, it’s driven by rich, localised data that helps each community focus on what really makes a difference for their young people.

Iceland’s dramatic success

And it works. In Iceland, the percentage of 15 and 16-year-olds who had been drunk in the previous month plummeted from 42 per cent in 1998 to five per cent in 2016. Rates of smoking and drug consumption also plummeted.

Scotland has already started small-scale Planet Youth pilots in areas including the Highlands and Dundee. That’s a positive step, but prevention doesn’t work on the margins or on short-term funding cycles. It requires patience. It needs consistent investment over five to 10 years. It needs to be backed nationally, not just locally.

The Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework is a good statement of intent. It sets out a bold vision for reducing health inequalities and improving long-term outcomes. But to deliver on that promise, prevention must become everyone’s business and proven models like Planet Youth need to be backed for the longer term. Health, education, local authorities, communities – we all have a role to play.

One of the most powerful things I’ve heard – I wish I could remember where – is that senior decision-makers need to stop thinking in terms of “but that’s my budget” and start thinking, “these are our children”, and do whatever it takes.

Crisis services will always be necessary. But they won’t break the cycle on their own. Scotland deserves better. Our young people deserve better. Let’s give prevention the time, investment, and national priority it needs to truly change the future.

Zahra Hedges is chief executive of Winning Scotland, which works to create systemic change for young people’s wellbeing and confidence