Alcohol Policy UK

Commons alcohol policy briefings: MUP, taxation, licensing, pubs & street drinking

A spate of alcohol research briefings produced by the House of Commons Library have recently been released, suggesting continuing Government interest in alcohol's impact on society. Whilst alcohol policy is unlikely to form a significant feature of any campaigning in the forthcoming general election, an expectation of the need to tackle alcohol harms now seems further embedded amongst the general population.

The recent House of Commons Library briefings include:

Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: Recommendations for further action

A new report has been released by Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) calling for bold action by the Scottish Government as it prepares to refresh its national alcohol strategy.

Download Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: Recommendations for further action (PDF)

The report is intended to inform the next phase of the Scottish Government’s alcohol strategy and was developed with the BMA Scotland, SHAAP and Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs. It outlines a comprehensive range of actions that it wishes to see the Government prioritise, including a target to reduce national consumption in Scotland by 10%. It argues the fall in consumption could potentially deliver a 20% reduction in deaths and hospital admissions after 20 years, based on University of Sheffield modelling.

Alcohol Research UK & Alcohol Concern merge

This month a merger between Alcohol Research UK and Alcohol Concern was confirmed after the possibility of the move was mooted earlier in the year.

The news has most likely prompted many discussions, particularly with regard to how the two organisations and their functions will operate in the future, though the press release states a long term strategy is to be developed over the summer.

Lords Licensing Committee review calls for major overhaul

The Lords Licensing Act 2003 committee has published its findings on the controversial legislation calling for a fundamental overhaul of the Act.

The report makes a long list of recommendations, notably that planning committees - seen as more coherent and efficient - should assume responsibility for licensing administration.

The Chairman of the Committee, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, said setting up new licensing committees had been "a mistake and a missed opportunity" given the existing planning system. She also explained how the Committee was "shocked by some of the evidence it received", and descriptions of the use of the Act included being akin to 'something of a lottery', 'lacking formality', and 'indifferent', with some 'scandalous misuses of the powers of elected local councillors'.

Findings bulletins: controlling crime & disorder, social norm credibility questions, treatment & therapy lessons

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank:  

Controlling alcohol-related crime and disorder

How can governments curb excessive drinking and related disorder in the night time economy without becoming vulnerable to the accusation of ‘nanny-state killjoy’? Two approaches are on the table in this hot topic: minimum unit pricing and licensing.

Responsible drinking ‘social norms’ messages not credible, say students

A study set in a UK university found telling students that their peers drink less than they might think did not increase their intentions to drink responsibly. Though the message that most students have ‘six drinks or less’ on each occasion was clear, students did not believe, trust or relate to it.

Family therapies best for substance using teenagers

Alcohol dependence: insights into prevalence, children & intention to change

New research has been released assessing the prevalence of alcohol dependence in England, including the first estimates of dependence by local area. The analysis also explores the number of children likely to be living with dependent adults and the proportion of dependent drinkers wishing to reduce their alcohol use.

The key findings indicate:

• There are 595,131 adults with alcohol dependence in England, which represents 1.393% of the 18+ population
• The majority of these (313,753) are displaying mild dependence, followed by those with moderate severity (173,399) and severe dependence (107,979)
• 120,419 alcohol dependent adults are estimated to have children living with them in the household, with a total of 207,617 children thought to live with an adult with dependence
• 57% of alcohol dependent adults are estimated to have a desire to cut down their drinking, including 41% who intend to do so in the near future

News & updates March 2017: moderate drinking benefits?, marketing to children; labelling; fraud; & the Brexit booze cruise

Selected media stories since the February roundup:

The question of 'Is moderate drinking good for the heart?' returned to the headlines following new research finding non-drinkers were more likely to need treatment for certain cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, heart failure and angina, compared to people who drank alcohol within the previous weekly guidelines of 21 and 14 units per week for men and women. An NHS 'behind the headlines' analysis though emphasised such studies cannot prove alcohol consumption or lack of it is a direct cause of cardiovascular disease as non-drinkers were more likely to be from deprived areas, to have diabetes or be obese.

IAS Alert March 2017: white cider duty, drink drive limit, EU labelling call, moderate drinking benefits?

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: March 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• TOP STORY: Treasury opens consultation on new tax band for white cider
• Drink-drive limit should be lowered, LGA says
• 1 in 4 adults in England drink at harmful levels
• Women & Alcohol seminar held in London
• European Commission calls for alcohol labelling
• Alcohol IBA e-learning scheme updated
• Moderate drinking linked to lower risk of some – but not all – heart conditions
• Bereaved through Alcohol and Drugs website launched
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT: Modest progress on alcohol-related health inequalities in Scotland