Alcohol Policy UK

Are universities failing to act on heavy drinking?

A recent Telegraph article reported universities are doing little to address drinking as thousands of Freshers' week events and parties kicked off the new academic year. The article was published following comments by a vice-Chancellor that "many universities turn a blind eye to excessive drinking, believing that what students choose to do with alcohol, and indeed drugs, is none of their business".

Sir Anthony Seldon, vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University, made the charge in a report on the concept of a ‘positive university’, in which he also stated that universities should “no longer be allowed to continue with this permissive approach” to excessive drinking. To help address heavy drinking norms the report proposes alternative activities for students including various relaxation and wellbeing focused activities such as mindfulness, which has been shown to reduce drinking.

Are UK universities turning a blind eye?

Liver disease & health inequalities: new data, old approach?

Public Health England (PHE) have announced updated figures on liver disease, with various media reporting on the wide regional variation seen. However those who have been calling for further action to address the burden of liver disease may feel significant changes are yet required to affect real change.

PHE highlight liver disease is almost entirely preventable with the major risk factors, alcohol, obesity and Hepatitis B and C accounting for up to 90% of cases. Liver disease is responsible for almost 12% of deaths in men aged 40 to 49 and is now the fourth most common cause of ‘years of life lost’ in people aged under 75, after heart disease and lung cancer. 

Alcohol Awareness Week 2017, 13-19 November: ‘Alcohol and Families’

Alcohol Concern have announced this year's Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) will take place from 13-19 of November on the theme of 'Alcohol and Families'. The charity, which has recently merged with Alcohol Research UK, has partnered with Adfam, a charity that supports families affected by drugs and alcohol.

As with previous years, Alcohol Concern hope AAW will prompt conversations about the impact of alcohol, this year 'to help break the cycle of silence and stigma that is all too often experienced by families'. This may also help people access services or support either directly or via signposting from professionals.

Drinkers' Voice Vs 'anti-alcohol'? Guidelines, pregnancy & cancer risk messages

A new group that aims to 'give the public a voice in the debate on moderate drinking' has launched as new research on the revised guidelines, drinking in pregnancy and cancer warnings hit the headlines.

Drinkers' Voice labels itself as a consumer organisation and says 'the anti-alcohol lobby has dominated the conversation on alcohol and your health, resulting in misleading statistics and scaremongering news headlines'. A poll commissioned by the organisation was reported as finding 70% of drinkers ignore the UK guidelines, though a new study out today suggests whilst 71% of drinkers were aware of them existing, just 8% knew what the actual recommended amounts were.

PHE 'All Our Health' alcohol resource

Public Health England (PHE) have released a new online resource 'Alcohol: applying All Our Health', detailing the range of strategic and intervention level approaches available to improve population health.

PHE's All Our Health strategy aims to 'maximise the impact healthcare professionals in England can have on improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities', with alcohol identified as one of the key indicators in health improvement owing to the 10.4 million adults drinking above the low risk guidelines. The alcohol resource includes:  

1. Introduction
2. Facts about alcohol
3. Core principles for healthcare professionals
4. Interventions
5. Measuring outcomes
6. Examples of good practice
7. Guidance

IAS report says pubs support minimum pricing

As the imminent verdict on Scotland's long running minimum unit pricing (MUP) battle edges closer, a new report on the pub trade suggests considerable support amongst the trade for policy approaches called for by public health groups.

The report, Pubs Quizzed: What Publicans Think About Policy, Public Health and the Changing Trade, released by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) is based on the results of a national survey of pub managers. It found 83% believe supermarket alcohol is too cheap, with almost half (48%) saying competition from shops and supermarkets among their top three biggest concerns. Almost three-quarters (72%) of publicans believe the government should raise taxes on alcohol in supermarkets to tackle the problem, whilst 41% are in favour of MUP versus 22% against.

BBC's 'The Fix' seeks innovative ideas to reduce alcohol harms

A BBC radio programme 'The Fix' aired this week in which teams of innovators were challenged to come up with new potential solutions to the issue of harmful drinking.

The programme raises the question of whether untapped solutions to alcohol problems might exist that fall beyond the scope of Government policy. As public health roles and expert adviser on the show Dr Sally Marlow highlighted, whilst evidence backed levers such as minimum pricing are not being used by Government, the rapid development of technological advances may offer new opportunities to address alcohol harms or some of its many underlying causes. 

News & updates August 2017: drink-related flight incidents rising, Carling ABV questions, pubs, mindfulness & more

Selected news and media stories since the July roundup: 

Arrests of passengers suspected of being drunk at UK airports and on flights have risen by 50% in a year, according to a BBC Panorama investigation. Stories from readers were covered in a BBC report: "One passenger was so drunk by the end of the flight, he was unable to leave the aircraft unaided by the time we arrived. The departure time was before 8am."

IAS Alert August 2017: airline alcohol calls, drink driving, baby boomers, mindfulness & more

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

• TOP STORY: Airlines call for alcohol restrictions
• Scotland: Alcohol-related deaths on the rise again
• Seriously injured drink drive casualties rise
• Ireland: “Staggering” rise in young admitting drink driving
• Russian survey shows sobering results
• Friday night (ambulance) on the town
• Concerns over rise of substance misuse in “baby boomers”
• Alcohol brands failing to communicate drinking guidelines
• Be mindful of your drinking
• Substance misuse treatment funding down 16% since 2013
• Irish Health Minister: Minimum alcohol pricing on its way
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT: Diageo’s Annual Report shows promise for the ‘Better, Not More’ strategy