MSP backs campaign to end stigma around drug and alcohol deaths

Claire Baker urges public to show more compassion.

woman holding photo
See Beyond Scotland campaign participant Irene McCusker with a photo of her son Graeme, who died due to the effects of alcohol.

A campaign to end the stigma surrounding deaths due to drugs and alcohol has received support from Member of the Scottish Parliament Claire Baker.

Ms Baker, Scottish Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, will attend a See Beyond – See the Lives – Scotland roadshow event for the campaign on 17 February, 14:00-17:00, at Central Library Stirling. She is urging people to sign a campaign pledge committing to show compassion towards those affected by substance use.

See Beyond features videos of family members and friends who have lost loved ones to alcohol and/or drug use. On a dedicated website, they read out personal letters written to their loved one and share the emotional toll their death has taken on those left behind.

The highly successful campaign, led by the University of Stirling and launched in 2023, received Scottish Government funding for its second phase. It is hoped that the Scottish roadshows, beginning in Forth Valley, will further raise awareness among the public of stigma attached to substance use. A second will take place at St Ninians Library in Stirling on 21 February, 14:00-17:00.

This is not the first time MSPs have backed See Beyond, which is run in collaboration with Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD), Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and The Salvation Army. Miles Briggs, Conservative and Unionist MSP, and Monica Lennon, Labour MSP, each shared their own letters to their fathers, who both died due to alcohol use. Miles tabled a motion on the subject in the Scottish Parliament.

Dr Hannah Carver, Senior Lecturer in Substance Use and Co-Director of the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research at the University of Stirling, said: “Having Claire Baker’s support at our roadshow is a strong sign to the public, and to our supporters, that the See Beyond campaign is something to get behind. We know how positive the reaction was to the first phase of our campaign, and we hope this roadshow will help build momentum as we challenge the stereotypes people bring to substance use.”

Claire Baker MSP said: “Every life lost to alcohol and drug use has devastating consequences for those individual’s family and friends, and we all know someone whose life has been affected by alcohol or drugs. See Beyond Scotland is helping people to talk about those they have lost, to share the impact on those left behind, and to reduce the stigma around those conversations. 

“I hope that these roadshow events will further increase awareness of the campaign and I am urging people to sign up to the pledge to show respect and compassion towards everyone affected by substance use. Addressing the stigma around drug and alcohol deaths is a vital aspect of the response needed to ensure that people can reach out for help and be supported in society, without fear.”

Experts at the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research at the University of Stirling launched the original campaign after being inspired by a similar project in Canada.

The second phase of See Beyond comes against a backdrop of increasing deaths due to alcohol and drug use in Scotland. According to National Records of Scotland figures, in 2023 there were 1,277 alcohol-specific deaths - the highest since 2008 - and 1,172 drug-related deaths, an increase of 12% on 2022.

Since the campaign’s launch, more than 7000 people from 114 countries have visited the website, where they are asked to sign a pledge committing to be respectful and compassionate towards those affected by substance use.