Alcohol-related mortality rate now two and a half times higher than early 1980s SCOTLAND'S alcohol-related mortality rate is two and a half times higher than it was in the early 1980s, new figures show. Death rates from drink remains nearly twice as high as in England and Wales People in deprived areas over five times more likely to die from alcohol-related cause The study also revealed a decline in the volume of alcohol sold per adult The NHS Scotland report reveals death rates from drink remains nearly twice as high as in England and Wales and is one of the highest in Western and Central Europe. People living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are over five times more likely to die from an alcohol-related cause than people in the least deprived areas - butut this is 24 per cent fewer than five years ago. The study also revealed a decline in the volume of alcohol sold per adult, which fell by 5% between 2009 and 2011. But despite the drop, alcohol sales in Scotland remain 10 per cent higher than they were in 1994. Last year 11.2 litres of pure alcohol were sold per adult in Scotland, an average of 21.6 units per adult per week - 20 per cent more than in England and Wales. Experts found higher off-trade sales of lower priced spirits in Scotland, particularly vodka, were the reason for this. Clare Beeston, Principal Public Health Adviser at NHS Health Scotland, said: "The supports the well-established relationship between alcohol affordability and consumption. Some of these improvements are likely to be the result of the recession rather than permanent changes in consumption patterns, which history shows tend to reverse when the economy improves. It is important to ensure that Scotland continues to implement the comprehensive alcohol strategy to ensure that these improvements are sustained. The report also revealed that six in ten 13- and 15-year-old Scottish schoolchildre admitted to having drunk alcohol. Earlier this year the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 was passed by Holyrood which, when introduced, will see booze priced at a minimum 50 pence a unit.