“Previous research shows us that people with common mental health disorders (such as depression and anxiety) are twice as likely to report an alcohol use disorder as those without. While many people may have used alcohol during the pandemic to cope with poor mental health, this short-term relief could lead to longer-term risks to both mental and physical health.”
alcohol
T2 Trainspotting: back to what future?
“Except for a brief cameo of the Parliament building, you would be forgiven for not realising how much political upheaval there has been in Scotland alone since the first film was released—in 1996, before devolution—for there is a feeling of stasis throughout.”
Hogmanay hype on drunk women
“Articles and images of drunk young women may reinforce gender stereotypes which should be challenged – the double standards that allow women to be more harshly judged for drunken behaviour than men, for example; and sexual assault victims being seen as “asking for it” if they were drunk at the time.”
Disused churches: the decline of public spaces
More and more churches in Scotland are being turned into casinos and boozers. It’s not just the effect of the decline in religious affiliation in our secular society. It reflects too the primacy of the private over the public and of commodity over value.
Sober thoughts on sectarianism
The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 is under the microscope; the anti-sectarian charity nilbymouth.org has launched a new #KissBigotryGoodbye campaign aimed at soccer clubs and fans. Here Loki takes a self-eviscerating look at a perennial Scottish issue – and not just on the terraces of Ibrox.
I could murder a bit of good news
The Violence Reduction Unit’s Rapper in Residence celebrates recent headlines claiming Glasgow is no longer Britain’s most violent city. He urges communities to reject the myth that violence is something to be proud of and embrace the city’s new image.
No need for new alcohol search powers
Police Scotland is seeking to reinstate non-statutory stop and search of children for alcohol despite new laws abolishing it. But new SG evidence, published here for the first time, suggests that under-age drinking offences have fallen dramatically: any new powers would be wholly unwarranted.