Alcohol Policy UK

Street drinking initiative, Lambeth

Scott Buchanan, Lambeth's Alcohol Strategy Coordinator, reports that the Brockwell Park Alternative Drinkers' Space project appears to be a successful approach in tackling problems arising from street drinking in park.  See his report here.

Residents had complained about the behaviour of a group of street drinkers using the park, and as a result a partnership was established between the residents, the drinkers, Lambeth's Community Safety Team and the Parks department, the police and others.  Another part of the park was prepared for the drinkers with benches, and rubbish and toilet facilities.  Outreach workers, park wardens and neighbourhood police made regular contact with the group. 

Between July and October last year, three of the group started detox, two started rehab and one is maintaining sobriety in hostel accomodation.  Complaints to the police and park wardens have fallen.

A new development is a gardening project called Putting Down Roots, run by St Mungo's, whereby the drinkers help to maintain the park.  Details here.

Young Person's Alcohol Project, Lancashire

Catherine Westwell, Project Officer for Lancashire's Young Person's Alcohol Project, sends news of some interesting initiatives, including:

• Age Check resource for retailers selling age-restricted goods.  This is being promoted by the Trading Standards Institute as an example of good practice
• teaching package Carrying the Can to help address problems associated with binge drinking, for use within Key Stage 4
• a 'lifestyle' website aimed at children under the age of 10

The project is funded by Lancs Children's Fund and Lancs Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, and aims to:

• raise young people's awareness of alcohol issues through countywide consultation and marketing campaigns
• facilitate a countywide co-ordinated appraoch, developing best practice protocols to tackle local community alcohol-related issues
• improve the co-ordination and promote the development of service provision in realtion to both young people and communities

More details of the Young Person's project here.

The project has also carried out some research.  The first study looked into the role of parenting in young people's drinking, by considering the role of parents in relation to preventing and addressing the misuse of alcohol by young people, and raising awareness amongst parents and to consider their own roles and influences .  Download it here.

Another study surveyed the attitudes and expriences of young people to alcohol.  Both studies were used to inform education and awareness campaigns.  Download the survey report here.

A third study analysed gaps in substance misuse services for young people in the county and made recomendations for their development.  Download it here.   See also earlier post on Home Office research on service provision for young people.

Stress in the workplace, and alcohol

From the Evening Standard: A survey by health charity Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP) found that 34% of men and 26% of women would consider an alcoholic drink as a way of helping them feel less stressed.  The poll of more than 1,000 adults in the UK found that 27% of men and 23% of women would have a cigarette to reduce stress levels.

The report - Stress and Wellbeing 2006 -  launched a new DPP/MIND campaign Dealing with Stress  to show how people can manage their stress and avoid the knock-on effects of depression and anxiety. 

• Regional statistics from the survey here.
• Information on drugs and alcohol in the workplace from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) here.
• HSE info on work-related stress here.
• The alcohol strategy for England talks about the workplace as one of five key settings where we get messages about alcohol (p25).  There appears to have been no progress on promised activity by the government to take advantage of workplace alcohol education, and to tackle alcohol-related lost productivity (see p31).

Soft drink prices and drink-driving

Could the industry do more to support anti-drink driving campaigns by selling soft drinks at lower prices?  In Teesdale, Pubwatch members agreed that designated drivers would qualify for a free or discounted soft drink throughout December and into the New Year.  Story from the Teesdale Mercury here.   Contact details for the Pubwatch vice-chair, manager of the Raby Arms in Barnard Castle, via this site.

Meanwhile, a Lancashire  survey has revealed that soft drinks are no cheaper, and often far more expensive, than beer in many pubs and clubs, reports Morecombe Today.  Only four pubs declared they were running a 'designated driver' scheme where the driver of a party receives free or discounted drinks for the night over Christmas.

Lancashire's chief Trading Standards officer is critical of the industry in the report, saying: "We're disappointed that so few pubs have signed up to the designated driver campaign and are doing nothing to encourage drivers to take the 'soft option' on drinking. It is surprising because the campaign is actually run by the drinks industry and is a recognition of the fact that the trade has a part to play in encouraging responsible use of alcohol."

Details of the Portman Group's scheme 'I'll be Des' here.

The Department of Trade and Industry did a national survey in 1999 of soft drinks pricing and whether information about drinks was displayed correctly, here.  Might be useful as a benchmark.

Mapping of substance misuse services for young people published

Research mapping substance misuse services for young people has been published by Addaction and Turning Point, who carried out the study on behalf of the Home Office.

The report makes two very welcome recommendations directly concerning alcohol:

The DfES and Home Office should revise its drug strategy to focus more strategically on the wider issues faced by young people including alcohol and cannabis as opposed to class A drug use.

Commissioners and service providers should work together to identify the needs of young people regarding alcohol and develop appropriate provision.

It's not clear to me how or where these recommendations are substantiated in the report, but hopefully nobody will want to argue against them.

Download Developing the evidence base: young people with substance misuse problems (2005) by Nicola Didlock, Turning Point & Rebecca Cheshire, Addaction here.

Alcohol Field Station, Leeds

West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service ran a one-off Satellite Medical Unit on New Year's Eve in Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel, City Square, reports Leeds Today. Between 8pm and 5am, 16 patients were seen at the centre and all except one had problems linked to alcohol. Patients were taken to the unit by ambulance crews who were called to them through 999 calls – it was not open to the public as a walk-in centre.

Leeds 'alcohol tsar' Tony Goodall hopes to use the success of the Unit to support plans for a longer pilot scheme.  Tony has been amassing information on successful schemes that he's happy to share; contact us if you'd like his details.

See also previous posts on alcohol field stations in Cambridge, Cardiff, Norwich, Newcastle.

Respect: Alcohol Concern call for arrest referral schemes

The government published its Respect Action Plan yesterday, which the Home Office press release says will "deepen the government’s current drive to clamp-down on anti-social behaviour. It also addresses a wider culture of public disrespect. "

From politics.co.uk : Geethika Jayatilaka, Alcohol Concern's Director of Policy and Public Affairs, said:

"We at Alcohol Concern are pleased to see the launch of tough new measures to tackle the anti-social behaviour that blights many communities. It is particularly encouraging that the government are looking more at tackling the root causes of anti-social behaviour and we welcome the new investment in providing support for parents. We know the negative impact that alcohol can have on parents and families and we hope that the government will address the issue of alcohol misuse within their parenting support plan.

The link between alcohol and crime and disorder is clear, with a massive 23,000 incidents of alcohol-related violence taking place every single week. We support measures that make the link between alcohol and crime, and also make it clear that some types of behaviour are simply unacceptable.

But tough measures on their own will not be enough to put an end to alcohol-related crime. If the government is serious about restoring respect to our streets, then punishing those who offend under the influence of alcohol needs to go hand in hand with a proactive effort to help those people change the way that they drink, and in doing so reduce the likelihood of their reoffending. Alcohol Concern is calling on the government to roll out a national programme of arrest-referral schemes, to ensure that anyone who passes through the criminal justice system for an alcohol-related offence is given access to the help they need to drink in a way that is less damaging to them, their families and their communities."

The alcohol strategy for England included a commitment to "consider establishing" pilot alcohol arrest referral schemes (Chapter 6).  Public Health minister Caroline Flint said at Alcohol Concern's conference last November that the Home Office are piloting 8 schemes. However, details are hard to come by if the schemes exist.

A number of non-Home Office schemes have been running for some time (for example Dudley), and some have been formally evaluated already (for example Hereford & Worcester), demonstrating excellent outcomes.

General Home Office research on treatment for alcohol-related offenders here.

British Liver Trust responds to research on rising cirrhosis mortality rates

Reports of rising mortality rates from liver cirrhosis were overshadowed last week by the Lib Dems' alcohol-related problems, but the story is still rumbling around.  See Monday's Daily Telegraph for example.  Original post with all the details here.

The British Liver Trust has now weighed in with a press release highlighting the importance of taking action now to prevent future deaths.  Chief Executive Alison Rogers is critical of the government's approach to alcohol strategy when it comes to health harms, and says:

"....there appear to be no plans by Government to monitor the impact on health of the licensing laws and no facility to do so. Indeed, the implementation of the licensing laws has had no input from the Department of Health; the emphasis has been purely on crime and disorder and has remained the responsibility of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport."

The British Liver Trust has already called for a major Government health campaign related to the risks of excessive alcohol and emphasized the importance of better data collection in the UK. There is still no public funding for either project, says the press release.

Impact of alcohol advertising on young people's drinking

Lots of papers picked up on new research from US journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolscent Medicine that found a positive relationship between the amount of alcohol advertising young people see, and the amount they drink.  The findings counter the alcohol industry's traditional argument that advertising results in brand-switching rather than affecting overall consumption. 

Alcohol Concern used the opportunity to urge the Government to take tougher action on irresponsible adverts and promotions.   Director of Policy Don Shenker was widely quoted as saying: "We urge the drinks industry not to advertise its products or sponsor programmes before the TV watershed, as the evidence shows that young people who drink are particularly susceptible to alcohol marketing."

See for example this Yorkshire Post report that includes some alarming local stories about young people's drinking. 

For more information about alcohol advertsing and young people, see:

• Centre on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (US) for research here
• the industry's view from the Amsterdam Group here
• Eurocare's illustrated guide to what's going on (a bit old now but still powerful) here
• Institute of Social Marketing alcohol research here
• Overview of European alcohol policy and young people from an Irish perspective by Dr Ann Hope, Ireland's National Alcohol Policy Advisor here

 

Cirrhosis mortality rates rising steeply

Research by Professor David Leon, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Dr Jim McCambridge of King's College London, to be published in the Lancet has found that UK death rates from liver cirrhosis have risen dramatically since the 1950's.  These increases have occured against a trend of falling rates in other European countries.

Figures from the research quoted by the BBC:

Deaths per 100,000 population in the 1950s

• England and Wales: Men 3.4; Women 2.2
• Scotland: Men 8.2; Women 6.1

and in 2001

• England and Wales: Men 14.1; Women 7.7
• Scotland: Men 34.4; Women 16.1

The Scottish figures are particularly alarming, but won't be a surprise to Prof Leon who has been concerned about Scots' health for some time, see for example his Understanding the Health of Scotland’s Population in an International Context report available from the Public Health Institute of Scotland here.

The BBC report also quotes some harsh words for the government by Professor Robin Room, whilst Professor Ian Gilmour calls for alcohol price increases. The report also says this: "A Department of Health spokesperson said action was being taken to cut deaths from liver disease as set out in the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. This included a campaign to promote responsible drinking among young people, a clampdown on irresponsible promotion, and extra funding for services for people with alchohol problems. "   

Here are three claims that need some clarification given that:

1. we haven't seen any progess on a responsible drinking campaign
2. we've still got voluntary codes of conduct for the alcohol industry
3. the extra funding for services appears to be some money for developing alcohol commissioning rather than extra treatment (and anyway isn't due until 2007/08).  We might see some new screening and brief interventions appearing in mainstream health settings through Choosing Health money.  However the 'trailblazer' pilots commissioned by the Department of Health to show everyone the way, haven't started yet (AHRSE said they'd commence April 2005). 

These quibbles aside, it does seem strange for the Department of Health to be standing behind behind these particular policies as 'action to cut deaths from liver disease'.