HALF of the people in Scotland have been harmed because of someone else's drinking.

An Alcohol Focus Scotland study also found that one in three people report having heavy drinkers in their lives.

Dr Evelyn Gillan, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "Our research shows just how far-reaching alcohol harm is.

"Many of these problems are not being reported, either because they are simply tolerated or because they are going on behind closed doors.

"It's time we started to think beyond the individual drinker to consider how we can protect people from the second-hand effects of drinking."