Alcohol Policy UK

'Count 14' NHS Scotland campaign & debate on the future of alcohol guidelines

NHS Scotland has launched a new campaign to promote awareness of the recommended guidelines, whilst the journal Addiction has published a set of open access commentaries debating how drinking guidelines should be developed and communicated.

The new 'count 14' campaign follows several years of regular debate about alcohol health risks and their communication since the revised guidelines of 14 units per week, spread over three days or more, were announced by the Chief Medical Officer in 2016. Whilst based on epidemiological evidence indicating drinking at around the guideline level broadly reflects a 1% increased risk of dying from an alcohol-related condition over a lifetime, issues raised range from the interpretation of the available evidence itself through to how such messages should form policy or behaviour change approaches.

Portman Group release new code of practice: labelling changes ahead?

The alcohol industry body the Portman Group, which oversees aspects of alcohol marketing self-regulation, has published the sixth version of its Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks.

The code applies to alcohol promoted or marketed by producers in the UK and joint promotions with retailers from September 2019. Changes to the code include an overall principle of not appealing to vulnerable groups, whilst products should not cause serious or widespread offence, suggest any association with illegal behaviour, or claim to have mind-altering qualities or suggest that it will change mood or behaviour.

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.

Pubs and policy in 2019?

Pubs look set to continue to be a source of interest within alcohol policy debates in 2019, in part owing to their perceived role amongst some as part of a healthier drinking culture and shift away from cheap off-trade sales.

Pubs have however been in decline since the 1980s, with current estimates suggesting 18 pubs are closing every week, and 1 in 4 having closed since 2008 according to ONS pub statistics released last year.

Dry January in 2019: still in vogue, but still facing questions

It seems 2019 is to be another strong year for Dry January, with over four million people expected to take part according to Alcohol Change UK. However the campaign continues to face criticisms from some perhaps unexpected quarters.

Alcohol Change UK emphasise that going dry for the month leads people to drink less year-round, responding to the commonly raised issue of whether taking part may lead to more drinking pre or post January, with some arguing year round moderate drinking messages are preferable. Alcohol Change UK say new unpublished data on 2018 participants bolsters previous research by the University of Sussex which suggested 70% of risky drinking participants were still drinking less six months on. Participants also reported a wide range of other health and social benefits including saving money, better sleep and losing weight.

CMO guidance for children and young people: an overlooked issue?

Issues around children and young people's drinking (CYP) are never far from the headlines, and certainly well-publicised declines in CYP's drinking have continued to attract media attention. However efforts to further protect CYP from alcohol harms appear to remain a policy priority despite challenges over evidence gaps and communication challenges.

This week Scotland's new national alcohol strategy was released, promising to 'put the voices of children and young people at the heart of developing preventative measures', whilst in the North East of England a new campaign was launched by Balance warning parents about the risks to their children from alcohol. The 'What's the harm' campaign, launched during Alcohol Awareness Week 2018, encourages parents to delay when children first start to drink, citing evidence on the harmful effects on early-onset drinking and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) guidance released in 2009 advising an alcohol-free childhood as best.

News & updates September 2018: Labour pledge hospital alcohol teams, drink-drive limit questioned, health, pubs & more

Selected media stories since the August update:

Alcohol treatment figures are falling despite record numbers of people with dependency, reports The Guardian. The figures come as MP Jon Ashworth pledges Labour would fund an alcohol care team in every district hospital at a cost of £13.5 million, though would result in savings of £40 million to the NHS. Figures suggest that at least 41 English hospitals do not currently have an alcohol care team in place - The Metro.

Drink-drive limits are too high suggests a BBC report. In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, it says 'you can drink a surprising amount of alcohol before you go above the current drink-drive limits'. However even within the limits - 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood- drinkers are up 13 times more likely to kill someone than a driver with a zero BAC. The drink-drive limit is the highest in Europe with most countries at 50mg per 100ml. "The government currently has no immediate plans to lower the drink-drive limit" a Government spokesperson said.

Youth drinking in decline: who, why & where next?

A new report examining the decline in youth drinking since the turn of the century has been released as part of a new four-year study which aims to examine the patterns and causes of the decline in youth drinking.

Whilst based on previously released data, it brings together the Smoking Drinking and Drug Use amongst Young People in England surveys (SDD) and Health Surveys for England (HSE) findings 'to present the most comprehensive picture to date of the downturn in alcohol use among young people aged 8 to 24'.