When you hear news reports about physical violence, it is not unusual to learn that alcohol sometimes plays a part. In Scotland, however, alcohol-induced violence has taken center stage.

Just yesterday, the head of Scotland’s biggest police force has said that alcohol has played a major role in 14 murders in his area in the past 10 weeks. Stephen House, the chief constable of Strathclyde Police, is grappling with a disastrous trend spreading through his jurisdiction.

“We know that the violence is driven by drink. We see the death and the misery and the lives ruined. Something has to be done about it.”

Searching for options, House called for supermarkets and other alcohol distributors to look at raising their prices to hopefully quell the mass buying and consuming of alcohol in certain areas of Scotland.

But it’s not just Scotland that struggles with the numerous risks associated with drinking. As I covered in a blog post back in October, the United Nations issued a report stating that Russia’s population has fallen by 6.6 million since 1993, and by 2025 the country could lose a another 11 million people.

The reason? According to experts and the AP, it’s vodka, which has contributed to the country’s drastically high mortality rate.

So now we have Scotland and Russia dealing with problems associated with alcohol. Let’s add to that South Africa, which, in just two days, will see hundreds of thousands of fans cheer on their teams — and some (or most) will do so while intoxicated. Facebook has even created a “2010 FIFA World Cup Drinking Game” on their site for those watching from the couch. In preparation for the ensuing bacchanalia, the CDC has gone so far as creating a page entitled “Stay Healthy During the World Cup in South Africa,” which touches on alcohol use.

Alcohol, a risky libation for many countries.