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A new report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) says the cost of hangovers is up to £1.4 billion a year, with as many as 89,000 people may be turning up to work hungover or under the influence of alcohol every day.
Download 'The cost of workplace hangovers and intoxication to the UK economy' [pdf]
Key findings from a survey of 3,400 British workers that found:
Continue reading "Hangovers cost society £1.4 billion says IAS" »
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The first official data on alcohol sales has been released since the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland on 1st May 2018, indicating a fall in consumption to 'the lowest level seen' in Scotland since 1994 when data collection began.
The news was welcomed by supporters of the policy as an early indication that MUP may be starting to have the desired effect of reducing consumption by removing the cheapest alcoholic drinks from the off-trade market.
Continue reading "'Encouraging signs' as consumption falls one year after Scotland's MUP" »
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The magazine The Psychologist, the official monthly publication of The British Psychological Society, has released a special alcohol edition.
The feature includes a series of articles written by a range of alcohol specialists, researchers and clinicians and an introduction in which authors explore why 'everyone has something to add to this conversation'.
Feature articles include:
Continue reading "The Psychologist: alcohol special edition" »
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A capability framework to better equip services to meet the needs of people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol/drug use conditions has been released by Clinks, in partnership with Revolving Doors. A supporting e-learning resource is also available.
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Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank:
Low-barrier intervention for homeless people with (mostly severe) drinking problems
Heavy drinking is clearly problematic for homeless populations, but is the best way to tackle it to aim for abstinence, or to accept the reality of life on the streets and aim to reduce harm and improve lives in ways which make sense to the patient? This US study provides part of the answer.
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Public Health England (PHE) have released an evidence review of the harm caused by alcohol to the people around those who are drinking in the UK.
The review examines alcohol’s harm to others (AHTO) based on six surveys across the UK and Republic of Ireland, including a recent study published in the BMJ which attracted widespread media coverage. The findings indicate one in five people have been harmed by others drinking over the past year, though did not cover all AHTO, for example Foetal Alcohol Syndrome was not included.
Continue reading "Alcohol's harm to others: PHE evidence review" »
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Calls for further action to address alcohol harms amongst older adults have been made with the release of a new charter from Drink Wise Age Well.
The report, 'Calling time for change: A charter to support all older adults in Scotland to live free from the harm caused by alcohol' [pdf here], follows charters for England, Ireland and Wales and a series of reports including a call for end to age discrimination in alcohol policy and treatment.
Over recent years, groups have continued to highlight the issue of alcohol harm amongst older adults, often identifying a persistent focus of media and policy attention towards younger drinkers. As has been consistently noted, significant falls in younger people's drinking have not been seen in older age groups, where consumption and harms have continued to increase on a number of measures - see a Drink Wise age well blog here by Colin Angus.
Continue reading "Alcohol and older adults: time for change?" »
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a series of alcohol country factsheets for Europe, including for the UK [pdf].
The resource provides a range of available data and policy rankings for each country compared with the EU average. The UK factsheet draws on a range of data sources, highlighting trends and figures shown in other reports such as the annual Statistics on Alcohol for England.
Whilst identifying the overall decline in UK consumption, the factsheet does not explicitly highlight the role of young people's drinking as driving force behind the change; adult's consumption has been stable or risen in older aged drinkers.
Continue reading "WHO alcohol country factsheets: UK policy falling short?" »
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Selected media stories since the April roundup:
A range of media reports covered Scotland's minimum unit pricing (MUP) one year after it came into force. The BBC asked if the new alcohol laws had changed drinking habits, whilst others including The Times implied the policy was not working owing to rises in consumption. Others however reflected nuances, including larger consumption rises in England coinciding with the hot summer and football world cup, and big hits on drink types such as white cider in Scotland. See APUK's analysis MUP one year on: speculation, spin & evidence?.
Britons 'get drunk' more often than 35 other nations, The Guardian and others reported, following Global Drug Survey 2019 findings. Britons get drunk an average of 51 times a years, compared to an average of 33 times across all respondents. Britons also topped the table for cocaine use, with Harry Sumnall, of Liverpool John Moores University, warning of the harms from the drug 'especially when mixed with alcohol'. See APUK analysis of the GDS findings here.
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The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: May 2019 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:
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Its editor is Dr James Morris. Got a question? Email us.
For alcohol help see here or call 0300 123 1110
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