Health experts claim Dumfries town centre has too many outlets selling booze.
And they are urging the licensing authority to declare that the area has an overprovision of pubs and off-sales.
The aim is to make it harder for new outlets to get a licence to sell alcohol.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway estimates the annual cost of dealing with booze-related problems in the region is more than £14 million.
A spokesman said: “Increasing numbers of patients are requiring hospital admission due to alcohol use which puts pressure on services.
“Evidence indicates that availability of alcohol is strongly linked to the level of alcohol-related harm.”
A study has identified Dumfries and Stranraer town centres as potential sites of overprovision.
They have the highest percentages of their population living within 300 metres of licensed premises.
The regional average is 39 per cent, in central Dumfries the figure is 58 per cent and in Stranraer it rockets to 83 per cent.
The NHS board wants both towns classed as “overprovided” with pubs and off-licences in a policy document.
The four licensing boards in the region – Annandale and Eskdale, Nithsdale, the Stewartry and Wigtown – meet tomorrow to renew their Statement of Licensing Policy which runs for three years.
The Wigtown board has accepted that Stranraer may be overprovided for and is looking into the matter.
But the Nithsdale board does not accept that there is a problem in central Dumfries.
In a consultation document, it takes the view that each application for a new premises is “considered on its merits on the basis of circumstance prevailing at the time”.
The NHS expressed concern at that stance and described it as “illogical”.
The region’s Alcohol and Drug Partnership has also criticised the Nithsdale Licensing Board’s view of the matter.
ADP co-ordinator Jim Parker, who helped compile the NHS report, said: “We believe our findings show Dumfries has too many pubs.
“It’s not an exact science but by measuring what percentage of the population are next to a licenced premise we worked out an overprovision. Stranraer has too many off-licences and Dumfries has too many licences in general.”
He added: “It’s disappointing the Nithsdale divisional board has decided to continue to base their decisions for new licences on individual applications rather than by our figures.
“There are two ways to reduce the amount of harm caused by drink – pricing and availability.
“Minimum pricing could tackle the cost of alcohol and the licensing board could look at over provision to reduce availability.”
Jacqueline Dickson, president of the Southwest Licensing Association, said: “There’s maybe a lot of licensed premises but there’s only one or two people in them. The town is relying on one night a week and that’s a Saturday. People are just staying at home. It’s unfair to say the town centre is overprovided for.”
