Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon  joins hospital doctors on the front line of the country's battle with alcohol.

It's a problem which kills 22 people here every single week.

From today Scotland becomes the first country in the world to introduce minimum pricing for booze in the hope it'll cut down on deaths  - and cut the three billion pounds it spends on trying to tackle the issue every year.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says: "Over the first five years of this policy, the estimate is that several hundred fewer deaths from alcohol will be recorded and we will reduce admissions to hospital. And yet again these are statistics every single one of these statistics is a human being with a family, with friends, with a life. And if we can save those lives then this is a policy that is definitely worth pursuing."

Scotland has the highest rate of alcohol specific deaths in the UK.

In 2016 the number of male deaths per 100,000 stood at thirty point nine. In Northern Ireland it was twenty two point two. While in England and Wales combined it was fourteen point six deaths -  less than half the rate in Scotland.

So from today every unit of alcohol sold in Scotland will have a minimum price of 50 pence.

In real terms, from today a standard bottle of wine can't be sold for less than £4.88 GBP. Spirits such as vodka and gin will set drinkers back £13.13 GBP for a seventy litre bottle.

The main targets are cheaper drinks such as cider and beer. The cost of a two litre bottle of cider has more than doubled from just over £2 to to £5.00 GBP - a sharp increase.

Those who've suffered alcohol related illnesses think this scheme will work.

Former patient Audrey Duncan says: "People haven't got the money to be able to buy that amount of drink every week. I think that it'll cut people down definitely. I mean my experience is the only time I would stop is through consequences of not having any money left."

The Home Office is keeping a keen eye on what impact Scotland's minimum pricing has. But campaigners say England needs to follow suit sooner.

Alcohol Research UK's CEO Richard Piper says: "We think there's enough evidence actually, right now for the government to bring it in (minimum pricing) in England. It's been brought in in Wales we know that there are plans afoot in Northern Ireland, and it is already happening as we know in Scotland. So England looks like an outlier."

Wales hopes to follow suit later this year, but legislation is still going through the Welsh Assembly.

A UK wide survey by the Office for National Statistics of people's drinking habits throughout 2017 shows more than half the country, 57 per cent  - drink alcohol, but the number of teetotal people has increased to 20.4 percent last year from 18.8 percent in 2016.