Here is a list of things I associate with Scotland: Irn Bru, swearing, rain, Mel Gibson, darkness, and Rockstar Games.
According to the NHS (via Konbini) though, I should add vodka to that list, as they get through that at a frankly seismic rate.
Apparently the recent study shows that Scottish people take away about 41 bottles of vodka per-person year, or 477 pints. This works out at over a pint of vodka a night on average which is frankly not possible for most people. This presents two immediate questions:
1. Why isn't everyone in Scotland dead? Or at the very least...
2. How are people in Scotland getting up to go to work the next day after necking back over 500 ml of vodka?
Speaking from experience, the last time I drank vodka was because I had no beer and the only alcohol I had to hand was a 750CL bottle of vodka that I mixed with apple juice and drank in its entirety within 30 minutes, taking me up to about 11 PM. My night ended prematurely there. I locked myself in my housemate's bathroom (because I was in no way making the mess that was about to come in my own) and vomited until I fell asleep in a smelly puddle of it.
After I was empty of all liquids I returned to the living room ready for my night out. It was 4 AM, everyone had gone to sleep and I'd passed out for over three hours.
Kudos to Scotland for not being me.
The Telegraph also added that the Scottish sales were 20 per cent higher than in England and Wales. More than twice as much vodka was bought through off-sales per adult north of the Border.
The increase in consumption came despite the Scottish Government banning discounts on bulk purchases of alcohol in 2010, such as buy-one-get-one-free deals.
Damn Scotland, calm down.
Words by Matthew Cooper
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