Alcohol Policy UK

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 Alcohol Change UK say new unpublished data on 2018 participants bolsters previous research by the University of Sussex which suggested 70% of risky drinking participants were still drinking less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'.

PHE partner with Drinkaware for 'Drink Free Days' campaign

Public Health England (PHE) has jointly launched a new campaign with the industry funded alcohol education charity Drinkaware to promote 'Drink Free Days'.

According to PHE, the campaign 'will be encouraging middle-aged drinkers to use the tactic of taking more days off from drinking as a way of reducing their health risks from alcohol.' It states evidence suggests 'that simple and easy ways of helping people to change their behaviour are the most effective, which is why Drinkaware and PHE have chosen to focus on Drink Free Days'.

IAS Alert August 2018: airport alcohol disorder, guidelines and risk, pubs & 'responsible drinking'

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: August 2018 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – Drunk, disruptive air passenger numbers on the rise
• Alcohol industry relies on heavy drinkers
• No level of alcohol improves health, says The Lancet
• Moderate drinking does not prevent dementia
• Alcohol addiction medications improve patient lives

News & updates June 2018: airports, teenagers, U-shaped curves, consumption & more

Selected media stories since the May roundup:

A forthcoming consultation on how alcohol is sold at airports has been reported. With increasing numbers of alcohol-related problems on flights and at airports over recent years, calls have been made to review the licensing exemptions at airports. A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will issue a Call for Evidence to assess the impact that an extension of the Licensing Act to airside premises at airports in England and Wales could have on reducing alcohol-related disruptive passenger behaviour.”

The “smoke and mirror” tactics of defence lawyers in drink-driving cases have been criticised by the government’s forensic science regulator, who has launched an investigation into the work of a number of expert witnesses. Guardian

IAS Alert June 2018: MUP in Wales, labelling, cancer, research & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: June 2018 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – Welsh Assembly passes MUP
• Texts fail to moderate binge drinking
• Holyrood to make ‘wholesale’ changes to MUP
• Andriukaitis on labelling – consumers have a right to know
• Alcohol and cancer awareness link needs prompting
• Time To Deliver in 2018
• Abstinent workers off sick more than moderate drinking ones
• New tech gets tough on drink-drivers
• French support alcohol price rise to boost health
• Cancer risk lowest for light alcohol drinkers
• MESAS: weekly alcohol sales exceed guidelines
• Irish alcohol bill passes committee stage
• Canada: Committee calls for content, labelling, and marketing restrictions
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – How heavy drinking varies by income