Alcohol Policy UK

IAS Alert February 2019: alcohol harm divide, Welsh MUP, London Late Night Levies & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: February 2019 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – New alcohol stats expose growing divides in age and location
• Grades and occupation linked to drinking habits
• NICE updates guideline on alcohol education in schools
• CMO Dame Sally Davies to stand down in September
• Cost of alcohol's impact on wellbeing sparks debate
• Donors step in to back family drug and alcohol courts
• Jonathan Ashworth: We can’t allow innocent children to suffer in silence
• Changing channels?
• Welsh Government to press ahead with 50p minimum price
• More late night levies for Londoners
• Glasgow’s alcohol court to deal with domestic abuse
• Risk of alcohol harms rising among elderly
• Is Heineken helping?
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – Mapping the geography of alcohol harm

NICE consultation on school based alcohol interventions

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has launched a consultation on alcohol interventions in secondary and further education.

The consultation seeks to update NICE guideline PH7 Alcohol: school based interventions published in 2007 which aimed to prevent and reduce alcohol use among children and young people by preventing alcohol use, delaying drinking onset and reducing the harm to those who do drink.

Street drinking in Barking & Dagenham: a research report

A new research report detailing the experiences of street drinkers in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham highlights the lack of published research on the subject, as well as the complexity of the issue and possible responses.

Download Street Drinking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham: 2018 Research Report [pdf].

The report was commissioned by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and conducted by researchers at London South Bank University in partnership with local service provider WDP. The project used in-depth interviews and field observations alongside local outreach workers from April to October 2018 involving people in recovery, key workers, and local residents.

Mindful drinking: the role of low and no alcohol drinks?

A new report from Drinks Retailer News, the 'Buyer's guide to mindful drinking', says the mindful drinking movement is gathering pace which could be seen as an 'impending disaster' for the drinks industry who 'cannot ignore the growing trend for moderation'.

Indeed the continued popularity of Dry January and falls in consumption driven by increasingly abstemious younger generations has attracted ongoing attention. Implications for the various stakeholders in alcohol policy spheres may still be largely the subject of speculation, though it appears the rise in growth in low and no alcohol products is responding to demand, rather than likely driving it. Low and no alcohol drinks sales have been on a sharp upward trend, with sales totalling £83 million in 2018 and 24% on year growth in the category.

Events & dates 2019: Alcohol Change UK national conference, BSA careers, SHAAP 'Occasionals', MCA, SUAB & more

Alcohol Change UK has announced a 2019 national conference to take place on 19th June in London, exploring 'New insights into alcohol research, policy and practice'.

The event will be the organisation's first following the merger of the former charities Alcohol Concern and Alcohol Research UK and will look at the evidence on alcohol use and harms across the UK and the policies that have the potential to drive change. It will discuss the latest innovations in the treatment sector, Scotland's minimum unit pricing (MUP) and consider how cultural norms can be shifted. See here for more information, here for the draft programme and here for registration including early bird rates.

Alcohol-related violent crime 2018: still a national priority?

The latest figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) 2019 indicate victims of crime believed the perpetrator(s) to be under the influence of alcohol in 39% of 561,000 violent incidents (218,790) for the year 2017/18. See here for an IAS thread summarising the key figures.

The proportion is similar to the previous year when 40% of victims believed the perpetrator(s) to be under the influence, but lower than the 53% in 2013/14. Last year we speculated as to whether such falls could be linked to the decline in consumption since 2004, but the complex picture behind the overall trend includes extensive changes in definitions and recording of crime.

Statistics on Alcohol England 2019

The annual Statistics on Alcohol for England 2019 has been released, detailing national data for key alcohol-related indicators and health harms including the latest Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE) data update and reported by The Independent and The Guardian.

The 2019 national statistics are no longer available to download as a report, but mostly compiles data from previously released data summarised in web page sections on:

• Part 1: Alcohol-related hospital admissions
• Part 2: Alcohol-specific deaths
• Part 3: Alcohol-related prescriptions
• Part 4: Drinking behaviours among adults
• Part 5: Drinking behaviours among children
• Part 6: Road casualties involving illegal alcohol levels
• Part 7: Expenditure and affordability

News & updates January 2019: airline 'double standards', pubs, Dry January, gin & more

Selected media stories since the December 2018 round up:

Airlines are not serious about tackling alcohol-related problems on flights, according to research by Which?Travel, which puts Ryanair top for disruptive behaviour. Which? say one in ten passengers experienced bad behaviour on flights in the past year, yet many flight companies still seek to maximise onboard alcohol sales.

An easyJet flight attendant spoke to Which? anonymously, saying airlines only pay ‘lip service’ as airlines encourage staff to push alcohol sales, whilst reporting drunk or disorderly behaviour can mean unpaid hours of sitting around waiting to fill in additional paperwork. Closely behind Ryanair in the bad behaviour table was Thomas Cook, followed by Tui then Easyjet. The government is currently consulting on whether airports should remain exempt from the Licensing Act.

IAS Alert January 2019: Alcohol Care Teams, dementia, parental drinking & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: January 2019 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – Alcohol Care Teams part of NHS long-term plan
• Heavy drinking linked with dementia
• Even ‘non-problem’ drinking by parents tied to mental health problems in kids
• France's anti-addiction plan 'low on ambition'
• Westminster mixing messages on alcohol
• Northern Ireland: annual alcohol-related deaths at all-time high
• Alcohol labelling guidelines to return in September 2019?
• Alcohol treatment common in secure settings
• Calorie labelling? Let’s bottle it, say German brewers
• New research centre to tackle alcohol misuse in Liverpool
• Scotland: Doctors to ask pregnant women about drink habits
• Alcohol makes up a fifth of catering services spending
• Quarter of Brits fib about how much they drink
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – As youth drinking falls, older people are drinking more