Alcohol Policy UK

Drink drive figures for 2018: will a new national alcohol strategy respond?

[EDIT: Latest figures September 2018 here]

The latest figures for alcohol-related road accidents and causalities were released earlier this month, indicating a 7% rise on the previous year and the highest level since 2012. Whilst long term trends show drink driving has declined significantly, more recent rises have led to calls from some groups to revise the drink driving limit.

The statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that in 2016 an estimated 9,040 people were killed or injured in drink-drive accidents, a rise of 7% from 8,470 in 2015. The total number of accidents where at least one driver or rider was over the legal alcohol limit rose by 6% to 6,070 in 2016. The final estimate of drink-drive fatalities of 230 for 2016 is higher than in 2015, but the rise was reported as not statistically significant and fatalities appear stable since 2012.

Major study re-ignites 'no safe level' drinking debate

The question of moderate drinking and health returned to the headlines with a vengeance following the publications of a major study in the Lancet using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016.

The review, which used 592 studies including 28 million people worldwide to study the health risks associated with alcohol, concludes that any possible protective effects of moderate drinking are outweighed by its adverse effects on other aspects of health, particularly cancers.  

Fit to fly? IAS report calls for review of alcohol and flights

A new report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) and the European Alcohol Policy Alliance says three out of five British adults who travel by air (60%) have encountered drunk passengers whilst on a flight, with broad public support for further controls on alcohol sales at UK airports and flights.

The report says although there are existing legal and voluntary measures in place to address the problem of drunk and disruptive passengers, these are not sufficiently curbing alcohol-related incidents which are reportedly on the rise.

Alcohol Awareness Week 2018, 19-25 November: ‘Change’

Alcohol Concern have announced this year's Alcohol Awareness Week (AAW) will take place from 19-25 of November on the theme of 'change'. The charity, which has merged with Alcohol Research UK, is promoting the Twitter hashtag #AAW18 and says this year's AAW is a chance to:

• Drive a conversation about alcohol 
• Signpost those who need help to the support they need
• Call for change at every level - individuals, communities and policy-makers

Alcohol Concern also state:

Change is necessary.

Lessons from a Dry Month: Insights into Diabetes and Cancer Risk

In this guest post Dr Gautam Mehta, a Honorary Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Hepatology at UCL, writes about a recent study exploring the effect of an abstinence period on certain risk factors. He has research interests in alcohol-related liver disease, digital health and liver cirrhosis.

Dry January is an increasingly popular public health campaign, with over 3.1 million individuals participating in the UK in 2018 according to Alcohol Concern. For most, it is seen as an opportunity for a ‘detox’ at the start of the New Year. However, for us it was also a perfect opportunity to study the biological effects of short-term abstinence from alcohol in a group of healthy individuals, with a control group of individuals continuing regular alcohol consumption.

News & updates July 2018: flying and boating; University AA, alcoholocks, marketing & more

Selected media stories since the June update:

A government-backed campaign to prevent inebriated passengers from boarding airplanes is being rolled out at ten airports – Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton, Bristol and Newcastle. The One Too Many initiative, where passengers will see warnings about alcohol consumption posted on digital display screens, will be shown in duty-free shops and leaflets handed out by the police. Telegraph

NUS Wales president Gwyneth Sweatman said Cardiff University's successful Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings means they should be rolled out across all universities, reports the BBC. An AA trustee said the number of younger attendees at meetings was rising each year. However Professor Tony Moss Tweeted the article missed two important points; firstly that not all alcohol problems are dependence, and secondly that AA is just one form of support drinkers might seek.

Moderate drinking 'j-curve' headlines return with new dementia study

The latest set of headlines pronouncing the health benefits of moderate drinking have followed the publication of a new BMJ study examining the association of alcohol consumption and dementia risk.

The latest study found as expected, dementia risk was increased amongst those regularly drinking above the recommended guidelines of 14 units per week, but also amongst abstainers. Notably, the increased risk was only shown for those who abstained from wine, though as some noted, wine may act a proxy for uncontrolled socio-economic status.

IAS Alert July 2018: call to protect families, duty, advertising, underage drinking & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: July 2018 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – Caroline Flint: Let’s put Families First
• Alcohol duty – from freeze to thaw?
• Heineken promo girls harassed
• Is the Portman Group Fit for purpose?
• Irish drink-drivers face automatic ban
• EHSN respond to UEFA alcohol relaxation
• Leading French wine producers protest health logos
• Cirrhosis deaths crisis among US millennials
• Responsible drinking messages absent from social media
• Study reveals gender differences in drinker harms
• Alcohol interlocks piloted in Durham
• Wales consults on low alcohol labelling
• Alcohol treatment in the prison system: fit for purpose?
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – Underage drinkers are more likely to be sexually active