Selected media reports since the November roundup:
Policy in the news
A report from 'free-market think-tank' the Institute of Economic Affairs blamed pub closures since the recession on the smoking ban, increases in alcohol duty and declining real wages. It says these directly contributed to more than half of the total 6,000 pub closures since 2006, but plays down the role of cheap off-trade sales. See the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph reports.
Tory peer Lord Hodgson preferred to blame the closure of pubs on an increase in the size of the country's Muslim community, along with the 'inexorable rise of regulation' and the availability of low price alcohol in supermarkets, reported the Daily Mail.
Calls to arrest and fine drunks to reduce pressure on A&Es has been made by the president of the College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Cliff Mann. He claimed it would act as a deterrent and change the idea it was 'normal' to get too drunk - the Guardian (or see a previous RCN debate on the subject).
The Guardian reported new research findings that industry lobbyists are hijacking government alcohol policy reform discussions and hampering efforts in Australia and the UK to curb drinking rates.
Doctors demanded a ban on alcohol firms sponsoring sports clubs and events because they claim that the “outrageous” practice is fuelling underage drinking by children, reported the Guardian. as Wales Online. reported Alcohol Concern Cymru's calls for statutory regulation of the drinks industry.
A National Audit Office (NAO) report has said a £2.7bn fund to improve public health in England has warned over the need to better target health money, and often spend on alcohol is not reflecting local need. BBC News.
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a child born with foetal alcohol syndrome is not legally entitled to compensation after her mother drank excessively while pregnant, reported BBC News.
Drinking and drinkers 
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat ran a feature on how the body metabolises alcohol, which also explained how different factors such as age and gender impact on level of intoxication.
'Most people who die from liver disease AREN'T alcoholics - they just drink nearly every day': Experts warn we need a 3-day break each week so the body can recover, proclaimed the Daily Mail.
New figures have indicated the extent of the danger posed by pedestrians under the influence of alcohol, with the Glasgow area third for pedestrian drunkenness, just behind Greater London and Kent, reported BBC News.
New research reported in the Daily Mail shows tee-totallers have come up with various ways of getting out of drinking at work social events without arousing suspicion from their colleagues.
Scientists claim to have discovered a drug that reduces the harmful effects of binge drinking, reported the Daily Mail of 'wonder drug' ethane-β-sultam, which reduces the loss of brain cells and the inflammation that results from bouts of heavy drinking. However, NHS Choices said the Mail had exaggerated the research findings.
A decline in drinking among middle-aged people over the past decade could be caused by isolation as well as a growing awareness of the dangers of alcohol, research suggested. Yahoo News.
About a third of 15-year-olds in the UK have blacked out due to alcohol, a new survey indicates - and the rate rises to nearly three-quarters by the time they reach 19, reported Reuters.
Researchers believe early man developed a gene mutation that meant they could metabolise fermenting fruit lying on the ground, prompting the Daily Mail to suggest we have been drinking alcohol for 10 million years.
Trade news 
Just 10 people were prosecuted in England and Wales in 2013 for selling alcohol to a drunk person, reported the Morning Advertiser, a fall from 18 the previous year. See our recent post on this issue.
UK beer sales have bounced back after five consecutive years of decline, according to the latest research from Mintel. Big Hospitality
A powers of entry code, stipulating that licensing authorities will be expected to give at least 48 hours’ notice before visiting a pub, will come into force in April, reported the Morning Advertiser.
Tameside council has rejected a proposed late-night levy due to the current economic climate, whilst Liverpool council is about to launch a consultation on the levy for the city.
The Gambling Commission is looking to appeal the First-Tier Tribunal’s decision to allow Greene King a bingo licence, in order to stop commercial gambling “spreading to pubs”, said the Morning Advertiser.
See the Morning Advertiser's ten most popular stories of 2014.
Other news
Alcohol consumption in Scotland has fallen by the equivalent of 38 million pints of beer a year since 2009, according to an NHS Health Scotland report, which said much of this could be attributed to the economy crashing and the scrapping of multi-buy deals. BBC News.
The number of towns and cities which are officially “saturated” with alcohol has grown by a third in just two years reported the Telegraph.
One in five drivers admits to getting behind the wheel the morning after a heavy night’s drinking despite the risk of still being over the drink-drive limit, according to AA research reported by Yahoo.
The Mirror reviewed 5 smartphone apps that can 'keep you on a relatively straight and narrow path and help you avoid becoming the ultimate Yule fool'.
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