Alcohol Policy UK

Call to end discrimination against older adults within alcohol treatment and policy

Calls to better respond to alcohol harms amongst older adults have been reiterated in two new reports highlighting age discrimination within treatment settings, policy and research practice.

A new study funded by Alcohol Research UK revealed that 75% of 118 residential rehabilitation centres surveyed had arbitrary upper age limits. Three quarters also said they had limited or no disabled access, with older rehab users experiencing a range of age related issues including discriminatory attitudes or bullying.

Government response to 2017 House of Lords licensing committee report

Earlier this month the Government published its response to the House of Lords Select Committee report on the Licensing Act 2003 released earlier this year.

Whilst the Government's response describes the Lords report as 'making an important contribution towards where and how the Act can be improved', it rejects many of the recommendations including a call for a fundamental overhaul of the Act.

Autumn budget 2017 freezes duty bar white cider plans; Scotland's MUP timetabled

The Chancellor has frozen alcohol duties in the autumn budget 2017, winning praise from various alcohol industry groups. However a new duty band for still cider within 6.9% to 7.5% ABV will be introduced to target white ciders, though not until 2019.

The freeze in duties is effectively a cut in prices for consumers when accounting for inflation, currently at 3%, reportedly equating to 12p off a pint of beer and £1.15 off a bottle of whisky. The 2017 spring budget had set duty to rise in line with inflation but also gave the majority of pubs a £1,000 discount on their business rates.

What's behind declining licensing reviews? Expert opinions

We recently reported on the 2017 statistics on alcohol licensing, speculating as to why the number of premises called to review has declined more than 50% since 2010 when recording began.

Whilst top level licensing figures may not be the most valuable source of information about changes taking place around alcohol retailing practices and the Night Time Economy (NTE), such a significant drop against a modest rise in total licensed premises is intriguing.

Below we highlight comments on the possible reasons from some selected experts involved in licensing or the trade.

Minimum unit pricing to go ahead in Scotland after 5 year legal battle

Today the UK Supreme Court delivered the final verdict on Scotland's long running legal challenge to introducing Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP). The Scottish Government first passed legislaton in 2012 but a number of industry bodies spearheaded by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) forced a series of challenges under EU which some public health figures have described as 'delaying tactics'.

The legal challenge rested on the argument that MUP contravened EU competition law, arguing instead that taxation would be a more appropriate means of achieving its aims. However the Supreme Court disagreed stating health objectives and the free market were "two incomparable values" and declaring MUP a "proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim". The court also rejected the appeal's claim that the Scottish Government should have committed to going further in assessing market impact as unreasonable, acknowledging its commitments to evaluating the impacts and the five year sunset clause. 

Alcohol Awareness Week 2017 kicks off in week of MUP decision

Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) 2017 has now kicked off, aiming to prompt conversations about the impact of alcohol and this year 'to help break the cycle of silence and stigma that is all too often experienced by families'.

The week coincides with notice from the Supreme Court that the final verdict on Scotland's long running Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) battle will be announced at 9.45 on Wednesday morning (watch it live here). [EDIT: see here for the outcome report]

Statistics for alcohol treatment in England: falling numbers

Public Health England (PHE) have released alcohol treatment figures in England for 2016-2017 within a combined report of drug and alcohol treatment data.

The reports states 80,454 alcohol only clients received treatment, a decline of 5% from last year (85,035) and a 12% fall from the 91,651 peak seen in 2013-14. A further 28,242 also accessed treatment for an alcohol problem alongside non-opiate drug use. Reporting no longer identifies primary drug where more than one substance is identified.

Public Health England (PHE) have released alcohol treatment figures in England for 2016-2017 within a combined report of drug and alcohol treatment data.

The reports states 80,454 alcohol only clients received treatment, a decline of 5% from last year (85,035) and a 12% fall from the 91,651 peak seen in 2013-14. A further 28,242 also accessed treatment for an alcohol problem alongside non-opiate drug use. Reporting no longer identifies primary drug where more than one substance is identified.

News & updates October 2017: soberocracy, hangover-free prosecco, gin pong, rise of the micropub

Selected news and media stories since the September roundup:

We are witnessing the rise of a 'soberocracy' suggested the Telegraph at the start of Macmillan Cancer Support's 'Go Sober for October' initiative, whose popularity, and that of Alcohol Concern's 'Dry January', make 'the seemingly ingrained British belief that nights out and nights in both require alcohol [look] increasingly anachronistic'.

Alcohol-related Liver Disease: Guidance for Good Practice

SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) recently launched new guidance on liver disease which aims to ensure consistency in approaches to prevention, treatment, care, support and recovery.

Download ‘Alcohol-related Liver Disease: Guidance for Good Practice’ [pdf]

SHAAP highlight liver disease is one of the few major causes of premature mortality that is increasing as deaths from liver disease reach record levels. Mortality rates from Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) in Scotland have tripled since 1981 and in 2016 ALD accounted for 58% of all alcohol-related deaths in Scotland. Hospital admissions for ALD have more than quadrupled since 1981/2 whilst treatment for alcohol-related conditions in Scotland costs over £1m a day.

Drinking amongst young people: NHS Digital 2016 school pupils survey

The latest figures on drinking amongst pupils aged up to 15 have been released in Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England - 2016.

The survey report presents information on the percentage of pupils who have ever smoked, tried alcohol or taken drugs and explores the attitudes of school children towards smoking and drinking, last released in 2015. The latest figures however include a revised question relating to alcohol use meaning the data is not directly comparable to previous years.