Alcohol misuse could be costing Scottish taxpayers as much as £4.64 billion per year, according to an independent study.
The research, which looked at the impact across the NHS, police, social services, the economy and on families, estimated the total annual cost at between £2.48 billion and £4.64 billion - with a mid-point estimate of £3.56 billion.
Even the lowest figure is substantially higher than the previous estimate of £2.25 billion per year.
Using the mid-point estimate of £3.56 billion, in 2007:
Healthcare related costs were put at £268.8 million or 7.5 per cent of the total
Social care costs were estimated to be £230.5 million or 6.5 per cent of the total
Crime costs were put at £727.1 million or 20.4 per cent of the total
The cost to the productivity of the Scottish economy was £865.7 million, or 24.3 per cent of the total
The human costs in terms of suffering caused by premature deaths was £1.46 billion or 41.2 per cent of the total.
Read the full report:The Societal Cost of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland for 2007
Read the summary:The Research Findings