Alcohol Policy UK

Scepticism over alcohol awareness messages as national campaign launches

A number of reports and medical professionals have recently raised further questions over the effectiveness of campaigns warning against the risks of excessive drinking. A recent BBC story announced that campaigns have 'the wrong focus' as they do not recognise the harm being caused from older drinkers at home as they highlight only the risks of young binge drinkers.

A Guardian article also warned that binge drink scare tactics 'do not work', citing research from the University of Bath. Dr Andrew Bengry-Howell  has called for the government to take a more realistic approach to communicating messages around alcohol:

'A more sensible approach would be to say to people, "We know you are going to drink to get drunk, so make sure you do not do it very often",' said Bengry-Howell. 'Or helping them to plan a night out so that it is safer, or suggesting they drink soft drinks in between alcoholic ones. Not just lecturing them about the number of units, because the guidelines are so low.'

Today the launch of the government's national alcohol harm reduction campaign which continues the previous Know Your Limits campaigns, with a shift in focus to people drinking at home.  TV ads will start tonight; see one of them at the Guardian, here.

BBC Radio 4's alcohol series 2008

BBC Radio 4's PM programme has released Alcohol series 2008 with a number of short broadcasts examining stories investigating the impact of alcohol misuse. The series so far contains 4 reports including:

• Monday's report - speaking to three people who have been affected by the misuse of alcohol
• Tuesday's report - speaking to a former high flying city executive rebuilding her life after alcohol dependency
• Wednesday's report - examines whether more can be done to detect and treat alcohol misuse
• Thursday's report - looks at alcohol misuse in France compared to the UK

Radio 4 have also supported the series with an action line for anyone who would like help or information on alcoholism.

Drinkaware Trust: more changes at the top

The trade press reports that Jean Collingwood, chief executive of the Drinkaware Trust has quit after less than a year.  See off licence news and Morning Advertiser.

Meanwhile, Srabani Sen, ex Alcohol Concern chief executive keeps her place on the board of trustees, as an alcohol harm reduction field representive, despite no longer working in the field.

Jobs: Director of Policy and Communication, Alcohol Concern

Following the appointment of Don Shenker as Chief Executive, Alcohol Concern is looking for a Director of Policy and Communication.

• Salary: £50, 223
• Closing date: May 28th
• Details here

Jobs: Delivery Manager for Alcohol Harm Reduction National Support Team

The Department for Health is seeking a second Delivery Manager to work within the newly established National Support Team (NST) for Alcohol Harm Reduction.

The National Support Team for Alcohol Harm Reduction will work with selected local organisations to develop their capacity to meet the PSA target: to achieve a minimum of 1% reduction in the rate of hospital admissions per 100,000 population for alcohol related harm.

This NST is one of a number of teams working to support local areas and partnerships that are struggling to achieve their targets in relation to Choosing Health priorities such as Sexual Health, Tobacco Control and Teenage Pregnancy. This is done through regular structured team visits to local areas to identify barriers to delivery and propose solutions.

Further details:

• Invitation to apply
• Job description and person spec
• NST background

 

Alcohol number 1 threat to employee wellbeing?

A study by Norwich Union Healthcare has found that 77% of employers consider alcohol to be the number one threat to employee wellbeing and that it plays a large role in sickness absence. However only 9% of employees agreed that alcohol was the main threat, although 32% said they had been at work with a hangover and 15% said they had been drunk at work.

This may prompt more organisations including councils to introduce alcohol workplace policies that aim to ensure support and information is available to staff.  The Local Alcohol Strategy Implementation Toolkit encourages local partnerships to increase access to alcohol information at local levels.

Dr Douglas Wright of Norwich Union Healthcare, said

It seems that alcohol and the workplace often do go hand in hand. Sadly, alcohol use is associated with a number of medical conditions which can cause significant morbidity and therefore affect performance and attendance at work, costing UK plc. It's essential that companies have a robust Drug and Alcohol Policy and Procedure to tackle and, where possible, prevent any problems developing. This should include provision for support and, potentially, referral to appropriate facilities.

For an overview see the Institute of Alcohol Studies' factsheet Alcohol in the Workplace

New London Mayor bans alcohol on public transport

Boris Johnson, the new mayor for London has banned alcohol on public transport as his first policy announcement since coming into power. The 'ban' will take effect from June the 1st 2008.  The move has caused a number of concerns about how it will be enforced, particularly as the only punishment will be ejection from the transport. 

The new rules on drinking on London's transport will be made by changing London Transport's conditions of carriage, since bringing in the byelaw necessary for legal action such as on the spot fines is expected to take a year. In an article in the Guardian, the British Transport Police are reported to have backed the move although organisations such as transport unions have opposed the move.

Off license pilot banning sales to under 21's reportedly a success

A scheme in West Lothain, Scotland has reduced violence and vandalism calls by 50%, a BBC article reports. The findings are based on a 6 week period in which alcohol sales to under 21's were banned and anyone under 25 would be asked for identification. However the chief inspector for the area reported that whilst the findings were very positive, they needed further consideration in the context of other changes since the previous year such as the development of neighbourhood policing.

Concerns raised over Alcohol Disorder Zones

The Telegraph reports a parliamentary committee has said Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZs) 'will fail' in their aim to curb alcohol related crime and disorder. ADZs were introduced as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006  to help local authorities to combat alcohol related disorder following changes brought about by the Licensing Act 2003.

ADZs are due to be launched this year, but the House of Lords report has accused the scheme of being 'unduly bureacratic' and unclear. No ADZ schemes appear to be have been launched yet although other powers, such as police directions to leave powers, are being used.

National Alcohol Harm Reduction Campaign to be launched on May 19th

The Department of Health will be launching a national campaign to "raise awareness of units and the health risks of regularly exceeding Government 'lower risk' drinking levels". The launch on the 19th May will continue the Know Your Limits campaign and will be offering a range of further resources including websites and materials for practitioners. The Department of Health will also be launching an e-learning training module for practitioners on the use of alcohol screening and brief advice.

For further details see the practitioners' briefing on the forthcoming campaign, and resources here.

Female drink offences 'soar' shows channel 4 news

A report by channel 4 news has shown that drink offences by women have increased by as much as 1000%, according to figures obtained from police forces across the country. The Guardian reports this equates to an overall 50% rise over the last five years. The findings  follow the recent announcment that alcohol fuelled violence by women has risen 60% in Scotland. In response to channel 4's findings, Mike Craik, chief constable of Northumbria police expressed the need to look further towards reviewing the pricing of alcohol, discounting promotions and advertising as well as further action on underage drinking. Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern highlighted that promoters are still targeting young women with drinks promotion and cheap alcohol, as the industry has not passed on increases in alcohol duty to the consumer.

In response the Home Office said it would be launching a further multi-million pound alcohol campaign in the summer.

Drinks producer will include sensible drinking messsage

Drinks manufacturer Coors has confirmed it will be including sensible drinking message on all cans of Carling, a popular beer brand in the UK, the Off License News reports. The message will include the recommended unit consumption for men and women, and include the website of the Drinkaware Trust, the industry funded campaigning body.

This follows moves by Diageo, the international drinks retailing giant to encourage the promotion of advice for pregnant women on drinks labels. Diageo have been involved in  international discussions over information to be included on alcohol labels.

Partnership approach is working in underage drinking scheme

A Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) scheme in St Neotts, Cambridgeshire, has reported positive results since it began last year, details an article in the The Hunts Post. The scheme has brought together police, trading standards, schools and charities in response to concerns from the community and local residents about high levels of underage drinking.

It has resulted in a local Tesco providing a security guard in its car park on Friday afternoons  specifically to prevent adults purchasing alcohol for those under the legal purchasing age of 18. It has also resulted in a significant reduction in the number of confiscations of alcohol from young people and there are plans to expand the partnership approach across the region. The success of the scheme has reportedly caught the interest of the Home Office who are considering promoting it as best practise in addressing underage drinking.

Women and Alcohol: Scotland sees 60% rise in alcohol-fuelled violence by women

A 60% rise in violence by women in Scotland over the last the last 5 years is fuelled by the growing 'ladette' culture, an article in the Sunday Times claims. Senior police officers are reported to have confirmed alcohol's role in the increases, particularly as murder rates have remained constant but figures for assaults have risen sharply. The rise has also caused concern about the implications for the criminal justice system, with the number of women in prison rising by 90% in the last decade.

Earlier this month an article by Ian Gilmore, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, considered the cultural shift of drinking amongst women, its consequences and the policy context for addressing it.

World Health Assembly to discuss alcohol

Ministers from all over the world will discuss the health burden of alcohol at the World Health Assembly on 14-23 May. This follows EU targeted alcohol work after two European Commission reports on alcohol in Europe, highlighting:

• Alcohol is public health enemy #3, behind only tobacco and high blood pressure, and ahead of obesity, lack of exercise or illicit drugs
• Many people suffer due to someone else’s’ drinking – including 5-9 million children living in families damaged by alcohol and the 10,000 ‘innocent’ deaths that occur to bystanders or passengers from drink-drivers
• Alcohol is also estimated to cost Europe €125 billion – equivalent to over €650 for every household each year

This also follows the recently released report Binge Drinking in Europe produced by the Institute of Alcohol Studies