Selected media stories since the July roundup:
The British Olympic team's Strongbow sponsorship deal came under fire from alcohol and health groups in a letter to the Guardian, warning over 'strong evidence that exposure to alcohol marketing leads young people to drink at an earlier age'. Strongbow featured official Team GB branding on its products and spent several million pounds on a “supporting the supporters” campaign in Britain. Heineken, who own the brand, defended the partnership stating it would be 'exclusively focussed on the adult fans' and 'Strongbow will not be sold or promoted at Games venues, feature in TV coverage, or be linked to any individual member of Team GB'.
The Olympics helped to boost drinks sales, with beers, wines and spirits up 3% in the retail trade during the Olympic Games, according to Nielsen data reported Off License News. However hot weather may also have been a significant factor with soft drinks up 9.3%. Beer and cider grew 6.9% whilst sparkling wine continued its growth trend, up 13.9% compared to the same period the previous year.
The issue of alcohol and flights has been back in the news after recent speculation over a review of airport licensing exemptions. Budget airline Jet2.com claimed to be the first European airline to ban alcohol sales before 8am in a bid to tackle what it calls “disruptive and abusive behaviour”, a 'bold' move according to The Independent. Ryanair previously attracted coverage for banning alcohol on some flights to and from Ibiza.
But 'does alcohol really cause air rage?', explored The Guardian. The issue is complex; widespread availability in terminals, the complex relationship between alcohol and violence, and the unknown effect of high altitude on intoxication all add to the difficulty of pinning down an answer.
Meanwhile two pilots were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly from Glasgow Airport to New York - BBC news. The Independent published an article exploring The truth about pilots and alcohol: the risks and the rules. Exact stipulations vary around the world, but airline rules typically stipulate a “bottle to throttle” gap of eight hours between the last alcoholic drink and reporting for duty.
Parents providing children with alcohol was back in the news - see our recent APUK analysis. The coverage was in response to a Churchill Insurance survey reporting half of parents with children under 14 allow them to drink at home - BBC and Guardian reports.
Health and Research in the news
Would you give up booze for love? Research reported in the Guardian found 45% of people said they would stop drinking for love, but less than the two-thirds who would stop smoking. Only 24% would become a vegetarian and only 14% of us would be willing to ditch a friend because a partner asked us to. 'This could be uncharitably translated to show that we would improve our health in ways we’d like to do anyway, if given a little loving prod', suggested the article.
One in five adults eat less to 'save' calories for alcohol, according to a survey reported in The Independent. The more extreme practice of skipping meals - often termed 'drunkorexia' - was reported by 43% of males aged between 18 and 24, compared to 35% of females, in a separate piece which stated 'more young people than ever in the UK are skipping meals in favour of binge drinking'.
Student debt worries are causing alcohol dependency and depression, according to new research reported in The Independent. The lead author said the findings suggest 'a vicious cycle' whereby anxiety and problem drinking 'exacerbate financial difficulties'.
Can You Reverse the Horrible Long-Term Effects of Drugs with Exercise, Food and Vitamins?, explored Vice news. The article asked a number of experts whether various healthy lifestyle choices could help mitigate heavy drug or alcohol use. However... "the idea that you're gonna protect yourself from drugs and alcohol through nutrition and exercise is like trying to fight a house fire with a wet sponge", said one of the experts when asked about off-setting the effects of a four pack of beers.
Also in Vice News, I Have a Drink Almost Every Day – Am I a Problem Drinker? in which the author contemplates his own regular alcohol use and attempts to identify whether its problematic by exploring alcohol addiction. "In short: there was no easy answer to the question", finally concluding that "it's also clear that casual drinking can easily mutate into problem drinking."
Pubs, trade and industry 
Currently twenty-one pubs are week closing according the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), as reported in The Guardian. Price is the driving factor with a pint in the pub becoming an “unaffordable luxury” compared to home drinking. Off-sales continue to be being driven by cheap supermarket prices and increasing availability of craft beer in shops, say concerned publicans. The average cost of a pint of draught bitter has risen from £1.78 in 2000 to £2.99 with nearly 78% of publicans placing some blame on the high rents and wholesale beer prices. The Guardian wants to hear any stories behind pub closures, inviting people to share pictures and reports.
The "endemic" of 'lock-ins' was featured in the Morning Advertiser, exploring a mix of publican's views on the practice. However some say there has become 'less need' for lock-ins since the in increased flexibility of the 2003 Licensing Act.
Police and crime
Alcohol-related abuse of emergency service workers was back in the news in response to a new police survey. Two-thirds of emergency service workers were punched, threatened or spat on while they dealt with incidents over a four-week period reported the BBC and Scottish Police. Roughly half of all incidents that 999 workers attended in the previous four weeks were alcohol related and almost two thirds of emergency personnel had faced difficulties in securing urgent information because of victims or callers being intoxicated.
Drink driving was also a regular feature - in Wales 306 motorists failed drink-drive breath tests and 131 others tested positive for drugs during a summer clampdown, reported the BBC. In the Manchester area of 800 vehicles stopped on roads and motorways 229 were held for driving under the influence of alcohol, while 29 were arrested for drug-driving, up on the previous year - Manchester Evening News. A senior police officer in North Yorkshire has called for a further review of the drink-drive limit across the country, reported ITV.
Street drinkers may need to watch out for police planning to use an electronic device which can detect alcohol, reports the Leicester Mercury. The police say street drinkers have responded to local enforcement by concealing alcohol in soft drinks containers, but can be hard to prove. "It's part of the ongoing work we are doing to tackle street-drinking and the associated antisocial behaviour" said the local Inspector.
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