Alcohol Policy UK

MUP two year anniversary; IAS briefing & impact of families MESAS report

The 1st of the month marked two years since the introduction of Scotland's Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) after a long-running legal battle led by sections of the alcohol industry.

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) released a briefing Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland: What we know so far about its effects on consumption and health harms [pdf]. The executive summary states "media reports have been mixed, with some claiming the policy has been a success and others claiming it has been a failure. This briefing attempts to summarise this evidence to draw conclusions about the impact of MUP based on what we know so far."

Alcohol Change UK grants programme & research strategy

Alcohol Change UK have opened a new grants programme alongside a research strategy [pdf] outlining its funding priorities and plans for 2020 to 2023.

The New Horizons grants programme is now open with the first round of grants focused on developing a greater understanding of 'Groups, Communities and Alcohol Harm', particularly those that focus on:

PHE COVID-19 guidance on stopping drinking for people dependent on alcohol

Public Health England have added to the growing list of alcohol resources in response to the Coronavirus crisis with COVID-19: information on stopping drinking for people dependent on alcohol.

Contents include:

1. What you need to know
2. Background
3. Symptoms
4. Protection against infection
5. Considerations for people using drugs or alcohol
6. Children and families
7. Mental health
8. Access to opioid substitution treatment
9. Needle and syringe programmes (NSPs)
10. Drug detoxification
11. Alcohol harm reduction and detoxification
12. Non-medical support
13. Those not in drug and alcohol treatment
14. What else commissioners and providers of drug and alcohol treatment services can do
15. Cleaning and waste
16. Other sources of information

The guidance follows SHAAP guidance on recommendations for services on alcohol related problems and other available reports and resources.