Alcohol Policy UK

Rise in illegal alcohol manufacturing hits news after fatal blast

Reports of a rise in counterfeit alcohol production have hit the news following a blast that killed 5 people in Boston, Lincolnshire.

In a BBC report on the Growing problem of illegally distilled alcohol, Trading Standards said that in some parts of the UK up to a quarter of licensed premises had been found to be selling counterfeit alcohol. It also reported that alcohol fraud costs the UK about £1bn a year in lost revenue, including £300m from illegal spirit sales, according to government estimates. Over £13 million of smuggled alcohol was seized last year.

An article in The Independent suggested producing counterfeit vodka was relatively simple, requiring only 'basic equipment'. It reported in certain areas the trade in counterfeit spirits was an 'open secret among the large community of migrant workers and the network of continental stores that has grown to serve them.' Trading-standards officers identified drinks that contained large quantities of methanol which can cause blindness.

A Channel 4 news feature includes a report on the drivers behind illegal alcohol production. Further reports in The Guardian and the Daily Mail.

Forthcoming events : NDSAG, Pharmacy IBA, Tobacco and DV conferences and dates

New Directions in the Study of Alcohol Group’s (NDSAG) Annual International Conference

The 2011 annual conference addresses 'Big Drinking and the Big Society: Inequality and alcohol problems – are we really all in this together? It takes place from Thursday 14th nd – Sunday 17thth April in Lancaster.

Click here for the programme and 2011 flyer + booking form.

Alcohol Screening and brief intervention in pharmacies: new public health role for pharmacists?

Taking place on Thursday 7th April 2011 Time: 10.00am – 3.30pm at King’s College London, this free event will discuss findings of the NHS Lambeth Pharmacy Alcohol Project and explore how community pharmacists may best deliver alcohol screening and brief intervention in their pharmacies.

See here for Pharmacy alcohol conference invitation flyer and conference programme. To confirm your attendance please email your name, job title and contact details by 14th March 2011 to ranjita.dhital@kcl.ac.uk

Tobacco and alcohol conference: Learning from each other

Alcohol Concern is hosting a joint conference with ASH Wales in Cardiff on 12 and 13 October 2011, looking at the related issues of alcohol and tobacco use, and how practitioners and policy makers in the two fields can learn from each other.

The conference organisers are particularly interested in receiving abstracts from the people and organisations who are prepared to share lessons learnt with colleagues at the conference. See here for full conference information.

AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) training courses

3 forthcoming courses from AVA (all at £90 vol / £130 stat, including a copy of the Stella Project toolkit):

• The Links between Domestic Violence and Problematic Substance Use, 24th March, London. For info and booking click here.
• Working with Domestic Violence Perpetrators within a Substance Misuse Agency, 4 April, London. For info and booking click here.
• Safeguarding Children - Living with Parental Substance Misuse and Domestic Violence, 15 April, London. For info and booking click here.

Consumption controversies: alcohol policies in the UK

The Royal Geographic Society (RGS) has published its latest policy briefing:

Consumption controversies: alcohol policies in the UK [pdf]

The briefing presents an overview of research against a series of controversial questions and debates:

• Controversy 1: The UK has a drink problem
• Controversy 2: The biggest bingers are in Scotland and the NE
• Controversy 3: Problem drinking is a new phenomenon
• Controversy 4: Has our night-time economy been revitalised by drinking (or are our towns and cities becoming no-go zones)
• Controversy 5: A continental drinking culture is better
• Controversy 6: It is 'safer' to drink at home
• Controversy 7: Children should not drink alcohol
• Controversy 8: Units are not useful as a tool to measure levels of drinking
• Controversy 9: Too much focus is given to treating the effects of alcohol rather than reducing consumption
• Controversy 10: Saving the local British pub is more important than reducing drinking

See here for the research references or the RGS policy briefings page.

Consultation deadlines approach - NICE treatment guidance closes 19th August

The NICE consultation draft of its clinical practice guidelines on 'Alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use' close for comments this week on Thursday 19th August 2010.

Ethnicity and alcohol: a review of the UK literature and BME workshop presentations

JRF ethnicity and alcohol review

A literature review of evidence on drinking patterns among minority ethnic groups in the UK over the last 15 years and on service provision for this group has been produced by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. See the the report and summary page here.

Alcohol news and updates: July 2010

The 10% rise in cider duty has been reversed following the Coalition's emergency 2010 budget [pdf] last month. However the Government will continue to increase the rates by 2 per cent above inflation each year to 2014-15 and will still 'review alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure it tackles binge drinking' under its alcohol plans. Details of the new measures are due to be announced in the autumn.

Alcohol news and updates: May 2010

Licensing to return to the Home Office

Responsibility for the Licensing agenda may be transferred back to Home Office under reforms by the new Government, the Morning Advertiser reports. Licensing is currently owned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who oversaw the controversial 2003 Licensing Act. The Conservative party had pledged to 'overhaul' the current licensing regime.

Cheap booze as world cup approaches

Supermarkets have been accused of 'kamikaze' style alcohol price wars in the build up to the world cup, starting on the 11th June 2010. No specific alcohol campaigns are expected from central Government departments, though www.drinkaware.co.uk will begin some activity from the 2nd of June, including roadshows and competitions. The Department of Health has general Alcohol Effects materials available to order or download.

To reduce the risk of cancer, drink less alcohol

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has highlighted that reducing alcohol consumption is a key way to reduce cancer risk in the UK, as shown by the World Cancer Research Fund. It found that the UK and US have similar rates of lifestyle-related cancers, but the UK's leading lifestyle cancer cause is alcohol rather than obesity in the states.

Troops have 22% higher alcohol misuse levels

UK military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan have a 22 per cent higher risk of alcohol misuse than their fellow troops who have not been deployed, a study by Kings College London has found.

AERC online survey on future work

The Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC) is currently undertaking a survey to help inform their future work. To complete the survey please click here and you can choose to be entered into a draw to win a £100 book token.

Other news

The Portman Group have ruled that 'test-tube' style shooters do not encourage binge drinking, according to a Guardian report. The Royal College of Nursing is considering whether to push for a total ban on alcohol consumption before driving. Text messages advising safer drinking are being studied to see if they have a comparable effect to brief interventions, in a Scottish research project.

Dr Joe Gerstein, founding president of www.smartrecovery.org.uk, was misquoted in the Guardian on 10 March as attacking Alcoholics Anonymous, according to this Addiction Today article. See stories on the UK Vodka epidemic, Binge Drinking UK town centres, and UK stores shamed for underage sales, as blogged by Fight Hangovers.

Cocaethylene: responding to combined alcohol and cocaine use

A briefing paper 'Cocaethylene: responding to combined alcohol and cocaine use' has been produced by the AERC Alcohol Academy. The paper assesses the current understanding, data, trends and implications for public health and alcohol policy.

The briefing identifies that combined alcohol and cocaine use appears to be increasingly popular despite indications of significantly increased health and social risks. Combining alcohol and powder cocaine can form cocaethylene in the liver, a unique metabolite that can enhance the user's experience but significantly increase the risk of heart attack or sudden death. Its use has also been linked to other conditions and an increased risk of violence.

However awareness about cocaethylene and associated risks appears low; the paper recommends that both further research and policy recognition are needed. It identifies a role for alcohol and drugs policy to better respond to poly-use, both within the health & treatment and community safety fields. Although there is little evidence of specific treatment or intervention approaches for combined use, it appears there is scope within existing approaches to better respond to combined use. There may be opportunities particularly within the alcohol field and through the delivery of brief interventions (or 'IBA'), whilst primary powder cocaine treatment indicates positive outcomes for combined users.

The Academy has been developing a cocaethylene training course to develop knowledge and explore treatment responses for combined users, and is working with experts to explore and develop further research on the subject. If you are interested in training or have further information on combined alcohol and cocaine use, please get in touch.

Board members sought for AERC Alcohol Academy

The AERC Alcohol Academy is looking for non-executive directors to sit on its board of governors. Directors will be expected to bring specific skills and experience to contribute to the strategic direction and management of the organisation.

The Academy's aim is to promote excellence in local alcohol harm reduction through working with and supporting local alcohol coordinators and strategic leads. The Academy is committed to evidence-based practice and is keen to develop work on key issues and challenges facing local alcohol strategy. Alongside its work with local alcohol coordinators (including seminars, networking and briefings), the Academy also provides a range of specialised alcohol training.

The Academy was set up with a 15 month grant from the Alcohol Education Research Council (AERC) and is now generating revenue through its training and development work. The Academy aims to be sustainable through this income and as a social enterprise profits are re-invested into achieving its aims.

See here for the person specification for the position of Academy non-executive director.

Prospective directors are asked to register their interest by the end of April 2010. For an informal discussion please get in touch.

See here for more information on the role of non-exec directors.

2009 round up: national policy, local progress and some of the year's milestones

The national

Well, there were plenty of interesting movements in 2009 for the alcohol policy field, setting up an interesting but certainly challenging year ahead. The pricing debate seemed to dominate the political policy landscape, with various health and market interests still fighting their corners. However public scepticism appears to remain the decisive factor, though the government claim not to have ruled it out, pending further research. In the meantime the Home Office have vowed to stick with the mandatory code despite recurrent rumours of it being scrapped.

Meanwhile Scotland have been demonstrating the difficulty in attempting to bring in minimum pricing measures facing political opposition and the threat of a possible breach of EU competition law. So for now, minimum pricing seems to remain a somewhat theoretical discussion as a national policy, but local areas such as Oldham have been attempting targeted local approaches through licensing review powers.

However the imminent general election will be of key significance to the future of the pricing debate. The Tories are proposing further 'targeted taxes' instead, but also promising to axe the current licensing regime, itself a hot topic. At the 2009 Labour conference the Prime Minster conceded the 2003 Licensing Act had not reduced alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder in many areas, but argued for further use of powers to address drunken troublemakers and problematic premises. This chimed with 2009 Home Office guidance for preventing alcohol-related disorder that stated "All the research indicates that crime and disorder remains stable since the introduction of the [2003 Licensing] Act but that the powers are being underused."

The Professor Nutt affair was also high profile and demonstrated the difficult distinction between advisory and campaigning roles. Nutt, who is currently developing a synthetic alcohol substitute, was sacked by the Home Secretary whilst calling for a drugs classification system that further reflected the harm of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco.

On the eve of 2010, centre-right think tank Policy Exchange released a press release claiming excessive drinking on New Year's Eve alone would cost the NHS up to £23 million. Highlighting the rising trend of acute alcohol-related hospital admissions, they have proposed that 'those admitted to hospital for less than 24 hours with acute alcohol intoxication should be charged the NHS tariff cost for their admission of £532. This amount would be reduced for those paying the costs of their own alcohol education and awareness course.'

However alcohol wasn't just in the national framework through politics - alcohol messages highlighting unit awareness, health and binge drinking risks adorned us from all angles. Cynics (particularly of industry funded campaigns) were outspoken, but at least the discussion was happening, even if alcohol awareness week only succeeded locally. Social marketing however was possibly the 2009 buzz-word, championing a better understanding our target audience to achieve behaviour change - expect more in 2010.

The local

Of key importance in 2009, the attention, skills and in some cases resources for alcohol at a local and regional level continued to develop rapidly. For health, the development of the the Department of Health's Alcohol Improvement Programme (AIP) and regional action kicked in, with the Alcohol Learning Centre an ever-expanding resource of guidance, tools and learning. Key 2009 alcohol documents such as 'Signs for improvement' and the most recent pathways guidance were also released to support commissioners, whilst HubCAPP has continued to showcase innovative and better evaluated local practice examples from across the country.

On the crime and disorder agenda, the Home office has continued to roll out guidance and legislation to tackle the impact of alcohol-related disorder. Of key significance: the practical guide for dealing with alcohol-related problems, the somewhat cautionary alcohol arrest referral guidance and the launch of Drinking Banning Orders (DBOs). Older measures such as Controlled Drinking Zones continued to be adopted despite protestations of excessive use, but Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZs) remained unused as a measure to make premises pay extra when impacting on the local area.

Our new social enterprise the AERC Alcohol Academy also launched in 2009, set up to promote and support skills and learning for strategic alcohol leads. The Academy plans to focus on supporting the development of High Impact Changes and key issues for local alcohol approaches such as commissioning skills, alcohol use amongst the elderly and the largely unknown impact of cocaethylene. Equity of access to alcohol treatment & interventions, and new opportunities such as exploring new settings for brief interventions (IBA) are also key areas we will be seeking to develop.

However, with the forthcoming public sector squeeze there will be significant challenges to maintain the alcohol agenda's 2009 momentum. Those tasked with delivering alcohol policy will need to focus on demonstrating cost-savings and seize opportunities for integration into wider health and community safety agendas. But with the continuing dialogue on the impact of alcohol-related harm and an improving understanding of effective responses, the opportunities to reign in the burden of alcohol-related harm will still be there.

And a selection of some key Alcohol Policy UK reports from 2009

January - March

• Chief Medical Officer proposes alcohol-free childhood for under-15s
• Whose cider you on? - concerns over impact of white cider
  
• Chief Medical Officer calls for minimum pricing
• British teenagers amongst worst for binge drinking

April - June

• NHS healthchecks - a missed opportunity?
• Welfare reform eyes up alcoholics claiming benefits
• Welsh alcohol health profile published
• JRF report examines transferable lessons for alcohol policy
• 2009 Alcohol Statistics for England released

June - July

• Alcohol commissioning and data tools released
• Parliamentary review highlights gaps in alcohol treatment
• Alcohol Disorder Zones not being used
• AERC Alcohol Academy launch event
• 'Signs for improvement' commissioning guidance released
• BMA calls for alcohol advertising ban

August

• Areas supported to act on Alcohol Awareness week
• Home Office release 'practical guide' for addressing alcohol problems
• Group campaigns against 'controlled drinking zones'
• Panorama covers Oldham's local 'minimum pricing' approach
• 'Pubs aren't dying - they are evolving'

September

• WHO gives guidance to EU states on alcohol strategy
• Cocaethylene use rising but awareness still low
• Alcohol Concern: Supermarkets keeping shoppers in the dark
• 'Stealth' drinking risk as home consumption rises

October

• Falls in alcohol consumption but long term trend not clear
• NW Public Health Directors call together on minimum pricing
• Documentaries on alcohol including Horizon's 'Do I drink too much?'
• Tories stick to targeted taxes on high strength alcohol
• Industry to promote low-alcohol drinks

November

• Alcohol Arrest Referral Guide identifies challenges
• Scotland's minimum pricing move still battling opposition
• Oldham progresses action on irresponsible drinks promotions at supermarkets
• Internet-based interventions could be effective
• How alcohol policy works in England: a research and study analysis

December

• What awaits the white cider market as White Lightning de-listed and tax rises loom?
• Guidance on the consumption of alcohol by children and young people: A report by the Chief Medical Officer
• WHO release draft global alcohol strategy
• First Drinking banning Order issued