Selected media stories since the August update:
Minimum price 'cuts drinking by half a pint a week', according to a BBC headline following the release new data on Scotland's minimum unit pricing (MUP) introduced in 2016. While households in England increased their consumption slightly, Scottish purchasing was estimated to have fallen by 7.6% on average, equivalent to 1.2 units a week.
Meanwhile, the number of alcohol-related deaths in Glasgow fell by more than a fifth since MUP, reported ITV news. The figures were presented at the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL) conference in Glasgow based on data from the city's Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) and also reported by the BBC. The BBC also reported on a study to look at the impact of MUP on the homeless to be lead by Glasgow Caledonian University.
Alcohol sold in supermarkets should be taxed at a higher rate than drink sold in pubs, the BBC reported following a new think tank report on the potential for duty reform after Brexit. A "pub relief" would make drinking at home less affordable and support the pub sector, according to the Social Market Foundation (SMF).
A controversial announcement that the government will reintroduce duty-free purchases of cigarettes and alcohol with immediate effect if Britain leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October was reported by The Guardian. It described the announcement as the latest attempt to win public support for Boris Johnson’s Brexit stance.
Companies across Britain have begun stockpiling beer, wine and spirits to keep the alcohol flowing at Christmas as concerns grow that Brexit could disrupt supplies over the festive period. More than a fifth of companies have taken steps to import stocks earlier than usual to avoid any border disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Health 
Fewer than half of middle-aged drinkers have tried to cut back on their alcohol intake, according to research reported by ITV. Figures came from a YouGov poll on behalf of Drinkaware that found despite the vast majority of 40 to 64-year-olds thinking that drinking less is a good way to improve your health, just 49% have attempted to do so. Drinkaware has relaunched the Drink Free Days campaign.
A "conversational approach" is the most successful way of encouraging honest disclosure of drinking habits by pregnant women, reported the BBC. It followed a new study on midwives role in discussing alcohol use. It is estimated more than 40% of women in the UK consume some alcohol during pregnancy, despite there being no known safe level in terms of the health of their unborn child.
Mixing cocaine and alcohol together creates a "deadly combination" which can increase violent and impulsive behaviour, doctors are warning, according to a BBC report. It says at least 13 "self-inflicted" deaths happened in a year in England among people who took the two substances according to the Victoria Derbyshire programme.
A four-part seminar examining how alcohol contributes to male identity and to discuss how that affects the wider concept of masculinity, hosted by SHAAP and the IAS was reported in The Scotsman. Adrian Chiles will speak at the next event at the IAS in London in November.
Pubs, trade & industry 
The smoking ban has transformed ‘grimy’ boozers, says pub guide, The Guardian reports. Twelve years since the introduction of the smoking ban in England, a pub guide has credited the initiative with transforming pubs and forcing them to become cleaner, brighter places with better food and with greater appeal to women and families.
The ASA, the advertising watchdog, has been accused of giving the "green light" to alcohol brands to "blast" children with social media promotions following a groundbreaking ruling on an Instagram 'influencer', reported The Telegraph. Alcohol charities raised the concerns after the ASA dismissed complaints against YouTuber Tanya Burr after she advertised a home draught beer pump with Heineken to her three million Instagram followers.
And...
A long read in The Guardian reports on the problem of alcohol and drugs as a problem that 'plagues the restaurant industry'. It says chefs are nearly twice as likely to be addicted to alcohol and drugs as the wider population and 9% more vulnerable to suicide.
A Guardian feature takes a look at Temperance tours to inclusive packages: a history of Thomas Cook following recent announcement of the holiday operators demise.
A man who drove a van into two men outside a nightclub had "staggering" blood alcohol levels, the BBC reported. Adam Ross Taylor, who reportedly downed eight pints before getting behind the wheel, was jailed for two years eight months at Merthyr Crown Court.
Freshers starting university were warned of the dangers of initiation ceremonies, almost three years after an undergraduate was killed as a result of the “toxic effects” of such events, reported The Guardian. Ed Farmer died after excessive drinking at an initiation event run by Newcastle University’s agricultural society in 2016.
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