Alcohol Policy UK

New IAS report on duty and income ahead of 2020 budget

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has released a new report advocating a rise in alcohol duties as the 2020 spring Budget approaches. Health groups have been repeatedly disappointed by previous budgets which have generally seen real term cuts favouring industry group calls.

The latest report though aims to debunk the seemingly intuitive claim that higher alcohol taxes disproportionately hurt the poorest. However, the report argues it is poorer groups who would see greater health benefits as a result of lower drinking and by receiving a greater share of any increase in public spending derived from increased revenue. The analysis, which calculated the amount of alcohol duty that different households paid as a share of their income and total spending, finds taxes account for a similar share of the incomes and budgets of rich and poor households alike, and at worst are only mildly regressive.

Jobs: Research Group Manager & Dry January PhD position at Sheffield

Dry January PhD Studentship

Applications are being invited for fully-funded PhD Studentship at the University of Sheffield, in partnership with Alcohol Change UK, to explore 'How do heavy drinkers make enduring changes to their drinking behaviour after taking part in “Dry January”?'. The aim of the PhD is to explore the psychological (e.g. behaviour change techniques, improved self-efficacy) and social (e.g. changes in social practices) mechanisms through which people may change their drinking behaviour after a period of temporary abstinence.

Applications should be sent by the 13 March 2020 deadline.

Research Group Manager (Sheffield Alcohol Research Group)

Statistics on Alcohol England 2020: alcohol-related admissions continue to rise

The annual Statistics on Alcohol for England 2020 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.

On the key headline figures of hospital admissions, a continued rise in the broad measure brings annual alcohol-related admissions to a new peak of 1.26 million, 8% higher than the previous year. Increases in the rate have been observed every year for over a decade, first passing the million mark in 2010. Alcohol-related episodes now reflect 7.4% of all hospital admissions. See IAS Twittery summary here and Daily Mail story.