Alcohol Policy UK

Events and dates: Alcohol Research UK conference, New Directions, SHAAP, INEBRIA

Critical measures: next steps in alcohol research and policy

Alcohol Research UK's 2016 Annual Conference takes place on Wednesday, 16 March 2016 in Birmingham, exploring new evidence on patterns of alcohol use across the UK, alcohol risks and harm, developing interventions, and reflections on the relationship between alcohol research and evidence-informed policy.

The new alcohol guidelines: reflections on reaction and policy implications

As the dust begins to settle after the revised alcohol guidelines were announced last month, we invited a few selected experts for their reflections on the reaction and policy implications. Indeed a subsequent BMJ comment by Professor Theresa Marteau stating the guidelines 'may not reduce consumption directly' sparked further coverage and debate over the role of guidelines beyond informing individual decision making. 

James Nicholls, Director of Research and Policy Development, Alcohol Research UK, said:

Findings bulletins: UK alcohol policies reviewed, hospital and sexual health intervention challenges

Recent bulletins from the drug and alcohol bank:

Which UK nation wins on evidence-based alcohol policy?

Devolution has seen alcohol policy diverging widely between UK nations. According to this independent assessment, Scotland leads the way with policies most closely aligned to evidence-based recommendations. Find out why the UK government as a whole and its direct responsibility England end up bottom of the league.

Problem drinking hospital patients reject treatment

LGA say council chiefs want public health licensing objective

A new survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) says nearly 90% of council health chiefs want a public health objective included in a revamped Licensing Act, according to an LGA release.

Additionally the survey found that nine out of ten Directors of Public Health said adding a public health objective to the Licensing Act would help them do their jobs more effectively. Councils also wanted greater access to NHS data, including hospital admissions and ambulance call-out details to assist decision making.

SHAAP release 'top 20 alcohol policy actions' manifesto

SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) has released a 'top 20 manifesto' for action on alcohol ahead of the upcoming Holyrood Scottish Parliament election in May.

'SHAAP's Top Twenty: A Manifesto for Action on Alcohol' [pdf] outlines 20 policy recommendations to reduce and prevent alcohol-related harms, with a particular emphasis on price, availability and marketing action. SHAAP say alcohol death rates in Scotland are almost twice the level they were in the early 1980s and that hospital admissions for alcoholic liver disease have more than quadrupled in the past 30 years. Twenty Scots are reported to die every week because of alcohol.

Dry January 2016: campaign now a 'household name' but still facing questions

2016 appears to have been another strong year for Dry January with figures released by Alcohol Concern claiming nearly 1 in 6 Brits (16%) attempted the month off. However the campaign has continued to have a number of questions raised over the impact, who signs up, and the effect on the pub sector.

Alcohol Concern say this year the campaign has been 'even bigger' and has generated 1,549 UK media mentions alongside a significant social media activity. The Dry January Facebook page now has over 43,000 likes, whilst its Just Giving page says nearly £30,000 has been raised for the Charity which no longer receives core Government funding. 

Alcohol-related deaths (2014): changing trends over two decades

The ONS have released the latest Statistical bulletin for alcohol-related deaths in the UK (2014). In 2014 there were 8,697 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, up from 8,416 in 2013. The small rise in recent years follows a period of stabilising then falling rates, which ended a period of steeply rising deaths after 1994.

The role of pubs in alcohol policy? Report highlights benefits of community pubs

A new CAMRA report champions the benefits of community pubs and calls for Government to recognise the positive impacts they have on health and wellbeing. It follows research last year linking the existence of pubs in rural areas with increased community cohesion and social engagement.

'Friends on tap: the role of pubs at the heart of the local community' [pdf] was commissioned by  the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and conducted by Oxford University Professor Robin Dunbar who says 'friendship and community are probably the two most important factors influencing our health and wellbeing'.

News & updates January 2016: NHS strains, drink driving, kudzu, industry and problem drinkers & more

Selected media stories since the December roundup, not including the widely reported change in drinking guidelines:

Alcohol, health and the NHS

The NHS faces a ticking timebomb of dementia, brain damage and liver disease due to the heavy drinking of the baby boomer generation, reported the Daily Mail

A study reported in the Daily Mail found that alcohol consumption can increase consumption of unhealthy food via its effects on inhibitory control, although not in highly restrained eaters.

IBA commissioning toolkit released

An alcohol Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) toolkit to promote the commissioning of alcohol brief interventions has been released by the South London Health Innovation Network (HIN).

The free toolkit [pdf] aims to support commissioners and provides:

• Information on a number of different settings in which IBA can be commissioned, including a whole system approach which maximises funding to reach as many people as possible within local populations
• Suggestions for indicators that commissioners can use to monitor the quality of their current local services and identify improvements that can be made