Alcohol Policy UK

Further calls to lower drink-drive limit as women 'not getting message'

Fresh calls for the drink-drive limit to be lowered have been made by the Police Federation, alongside a warning over women 'not getting the message'.

Last year Scotland changed the legal blood alcohol limit for driving from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood, bringing it in line with most of Europe.

Victoria Martin, of the Police Federation, said Scotland had seen a marked reduction in failed breathalyser tests as soon as the law was changed. Martin however warned: “We’ve seen a steep decline in men drink-driving over the years, with targeted advertising campaigns, which is great, but women don’t seem to be getting the same message".

Only England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Malta have an 80mg limit, with most of Europe having a 50mg limit and some having lower or zero limits. Strong evidence for a reduced limit is claimed, however in 2011 it was announced England's limit would remain at 80mg despite an independent report calling for it to be reduced. Instead the Government said it would focus on "improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk."

However whilst the longer term trend in drink-driving is one of significant decline, concerns over an increasing proportion of women failing breath tests are being raised. According to a report by Social Research Associates (SRA), women now account for 17 per cent of convictions, compared with nine per cent in 1998, as reported in the Telegraph.

Kris Beuret OBE, director of SRA and author of the study, said there were a number of gender specific reasons for women's drink driving:

"These include the effects of different metabolism on men and women’s bodies, confusion about how many units are in alcoholic drinks – especially wine – and thinking that the police would be less likely to stop them.

The study also found that several important messages aren’t getting across to women – and this is reinforced by the generally male dominated imagery of anti-drink driving campaigns. Some women in the study even admitted trying to drive ‘extra carefully’ but this is no solution..."

Last year a campaign was based around 50 years of drink-drive messages, celebrating the steady decline. However drink-drive incidents account for 13% of all road fatalities - about 230 each year. 

In 2013 a warning that 'morning after’ drink driving was on the increase was reported, with 46% of drivers having no idea or underestimated how long it took for alcohol to leave the body. Typically a healthy body will process around 1 unit per hour, but a wide range of variables such as body size, gender, age and other factors come into play - read more here or see www.morning-after.org.uk.

The 'Think!' campaign aims to highlight the dangers, as well as a fine of up to £5,000, a minimum 12-month driving ban and a criminal record if caught.

News & updates April 2015: booze buses, alcohol with marijuana, is alcohol a 'gateway' drug?, memory, movies and pop music

Selected media stories since the March roundup

Mobile “booze buses” to treat drunken revellers could soon become a common sight in towns and cities across England, after a pilot project led to dramatic decreases in A&E admissions and saved the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds, reported the Independent.

Personnel Today discussed drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. It suggests a sensible way forward for employers is to remove the stigma surrounding drug and alcohol abuse and get to the root of the problem, taking a health-led, rather than disciplinary-led, approach.

Binge drinking is costing UK taxpayers £4.9bn a year as we analysed here or see BBC report and the Telegraph recently asked "Do you know how much alcohol you are drinking?" explaining units and NHS risk levels to readers.

Crime, drink-drug driving & violence

Thermal cameras could be used to catch drink drivers, using an algorithm that spots changes in the face caused by an 'alcohol flush' said the Daily Mail.

People who smoke cannabis while consuming alcohol are twice as likely to drink-drive, says new research reported in the Daily Mail.

People needing medical treatment due to violence dropped by nearly 23,000 between 2013 and 2014, according to Cardiff University researchers as previously reported here or see Wales Online.

Women

272 children left disabled by foetal alcohol syndrome were hospitalised in England over the past 12 months, according to data from the official Health and Social Care Information Centre reported the Daily Mail and Mirror, but the actual number affected by their mother's drinking could be far greater.

A child born with foetal alcohol syndrome has been refused permission to take her case for criminal injuries compensation to the UK Supreme Court said the BBC.

Alcohol policy

Health bosses in Scotland are considering raising the legal age for buying alcohol to 21 to tackle binge drinking, reported the Daily Mail.

Alcohol Concern Cymru has called for tailored health warnings to be included on drinks advertisements, publishing research showing more than half of adverts and advertorials in supermarket magazines do not contain a specific ‘drink responsibly’ message. Wales Online.

More than 100 people have died because of a legal challenge to minimum alcohol pricing by Scotland’s whisky industry, health secretary Shona Robinson has claimed. The Courier 

Treatment 

The NHS could save £27m a year by changing the way it deals with alcoholic patients, reported the BBC after a week at Manchester's Chapman Barker detox unit.

Two key drugs recommended in international guidelines and used to treat alcoholic hepatitis are failing to increase patients' survival and leave death rates among patients "alarmingly high", reported the Mail Online. 

Young people

Marijuana isn’t a gateway drug – alcohol is, said Metro, reporting on research by Treatment4Addiction.

Binge drinking as a teenager causes long-lasting changes to the regions of the brain that control learning and memory, said the Daily Mail, reporting on new research from Duke University.

In a study of 15-year-olds in the UK, those who had been most exposed to alcohol use in films were also most likely to have tried alcohol, and about twice as likely as the least exposed to have been binge drinking, reported the Huffington Post.

Psychologists have documented a striking increase in references to alcohol and heavy drinking in the lyrics of UK chart music. They warn this could mean that attempts to control the direct advertising of alcohol to young people will be in vain, as pop music is effectively spreading a positive message on the drinks companies' behalf.

24 per cent of young professionals in the UK would consider themselves to have a “drinking problem” according to a recent survey reported the Independent.

A new event, Shaken Not Slurred — a pop-up night on the first Thursday of the month has been launched for people to enjoy a drug and alcohol free night out in Bolton without alcohol or drugs. Bolton News

Trade news

Local councils are the real driving force between prohibitionist alcohol policies - and the trade should devote more attention to them, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, reported Harpers.

This Is Money said local councils could be made to pay thousands of pounds in compensation to retailers who say they were pressured into stopping selling strong lagers and ciders, following a legal ruling in Newcastle.

Drinks industry leaders will resist plans for compulsory labeling of calories on alcohol products, by arguing that information would be better used online or on smartphone apps rather than on bottles and cans, said the Grocer.

Starbucks has opened a cafe at Edinburgh Airport which is only its second in the UK to offer dinner and alcohol, reported the Scotsman.

Meanwhile the Grocer says UK consumers have almost no interest in using lower-strength drinks to cut down on alcohol consumption, according to a major new study.

the Telegraph recently asked "Do you know how much alcohol you are drinking?" explaining units and NHS risk levels to readers.

News & updates March 2015: licensing reform, investment in treatment (Wales), weak booze and small bottles

Selected media stories since the February roundup:

Policy 

Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, has urged reform of the licensing system, suggesting the number of bars and pubs in the country be reduced in order to stem the rising tide of alcohol related violence, reported the Telegraph.

Wales: More than £50m will be invested in programmes to tackle drug and alcohol misuse over the next year, announced Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething, says Wales Online. Alcohol misuse is still costing the Welsh NHS more than £109m a year, the Gething said, despite a fall in alcohol-related deaths (BBC).

 

Research

A single alcoholic drink could make people seem more attractive because it causes facial muscles to relax, pupils to dilate and cheeks to flush, according to research reported in the Telegraph.

Scientists have pinpointed a protein in the brain which could be used to suppress the desire to keep drinking alcohol, and could even lead to a cure for alcoholism reported the Telegraph.

Three alcoholic drinks a day could lead to liver cancer – although drinking more coffee could prevent the disease, according to the most comprehensive review to date, reported the Independent.

 

Alcohol by volume

Beer drinkers are turning their back on strong lager with 2 billion fewer units of alcohol consumed in the last two years, reported the Telegraph.  

Does weak wine taste better, asked the Daily Mail, reporting that low alcohol bottles of red stimulate our senses more.  Good news for New Zealand it seems, where the cooler climate is giving its winemakers an edge as they seek to exploit growing global demand for lighter, premium wines, as rising temperatures push up the alcohol content of wines from rivals such as Australia and the United States, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, said the Guardian, sales of mini bottles of wine containing single servings have soared as health-conscious consumers seek to rein in the amount of alcohol they drink, supermarkets are reporting.

 

Trade news

Pub groups gave three cheers to George Osborne after the Chancellor cut another penny from the price of a pint for the third year in a row in the Budget, reported the Telegraph. Scotch whisky producers were pleased too (BBC).

Drinks giant Diageo is to become the first alcohol company to start providing “per typical serve” information on alcohol content and nutrition - including calories - on its products, reported the Grocer.

Publicans with personal licences expiring on or after 1 April 2015 will not need to apply for renewal, the Home Office has confirmed. Morning Advertiser

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill has been passed by Parliament, without further amendment, so that the bill, which includes the statutory pubs code and controversial market rent only clause, will now be put forward for Royal Assent before the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the General Election, reported the Morning Advertiser. Update here.

The Scottish Licensed Trade Association has urged the Government to do more to support pubs north of the border, following a survey that reveals two thirds of outlets have suffered a decline in like-for-like sales of up to 10% following the introduction of tougher drink driving limits, reported the Morning Advertiser.

News & updates December 2014: pub closures; 'arrest drunks to save A&Es'; drinking and the body; trade news & more

Selected media reports since the November roundup:

Policy in the news

A report from 'free-market think-tank' the Institute of Economic Affairs blamed pub closures since the recession on the smoking ban, increases in alcohol duty and declining real wages. It says these directly contributed to more than half of the total 6,000 pub closures since 2006, but plays down the role of cheap off-trade sales. See the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph reports.

Tory peer Lord Hodgson preferred to blame the closure of pubs on an increase in the size of the country's Muslim community, along with the 'inexorable rise of regulation' and the availability of low price alcohol in supermarkets, reported the Daily Mail.

Calls to arrest and fine drunks to reduce pressure on A&Es has been made by the president of the College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Cliff Mann. He claimed it would act as a deterrent and change the idea it was 'normal' to get too drunk - the Guardian (or see a previous RCN debate on the subject).

The Guardian reported new research findings that industry lobbyists are hijacking government alcohol policy reform discussions and hampering efforts in Australia and the UK to curb drinking rates.

Doctors demanded a ban on alcohol firms sponsoring sports clubs and events because they claim that the “outrageous” practice is fuelling underage drinking by children, reported the Guardian. as Wales Online. reported Alcohol Concern Cymru's calls for statutory regulation of the drinks industry.

A National Audit Office (NAO) report has said a £2.7bn fund to improve public health in England has warned over the need to better target health money, and often spend on alcohol is not reflecting local need. BBC News.

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a child born with foetal alcohol syndrome is not legally entitled to compensation after her mother drank excessively while pregnant, reported BBC News.

Drinking and drinkers

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat ran a feature on how the body metabolises alcohol, which also explained how different factors such as age and gender impact on level of intoxication.

'Most people who die from liver disease AREN'T alcoholics - they just drink nearly every day': Experts warn we need a 3-day break each week so the body can recover, proclaimed the Daily Mail.

New figures have indicated the extent of the danger posed by pedestrians under the influence of alcohol, with the Glasgow area third for pedestrian drunkenness, just behind Greater London and Kent, reported BBC News.

New research reported in the Daily Mail shows tee-totallers have come up with various ways of getting out of drinking at work social events without arousing suspicion from their colleagues.

Scientists claim to have discovered a drug that reduces the harmful effects of binge drinking, reported the Daily Mail of 'wonder drug' ethane-β-sultam, which reduces the loss of brain cells and the inflammation that results from bouts of heavy drinking. However, NHS Choices said the Mail had exaggerated the research findings.

A decline in drinking among middle-aged people over the past decade could be caused by isolation as well as a growing awareness of the dangers of alcohol, research suggested. Yahoo News.

About a third of 15-year-olds in the UK have blacked out due to alcohol, a new survey indicates - and the rate rises to nearly three-quarters by the time they reach 19, reported Reuters.

Researchers believe early man developed a gene mutation that meant they could metabolise fermenting fruit lying on the ground, prompting the Daily Mail to suggest we have been drinking alcohol for 10 million years.

Trade news

Just 10 people were prosecuted in England and Wales in 2013 for selling alcohol to a drunk person, reported the Morning Advertiser, a fall from 18 the previous year. See our recent post on this issue.

UK beer sales have bounced back after five consecutive years of decline, according to the latest research from Mintel. Big Hospitality

A powers of entry code, stipulating that licensing authorities will be expected to give at least 48 hours’ notice before visiting a pub, will come into force in April, reported the Morning Advertiser.

Tameside council has rejected a proposed late-night levy due to the current economic climate, whilst Liverpool council is about to launch a consultation on the levy for the city.

The Gambling Commission is looking to appeal the First-Tier Tribunal’s decision to allow Greene King a bingo licence, in order to stop commercial gambling “spreading to pubs”, said the Morning Advertiser.

See the Morning Advertiser's ten most popular stories of 2014.

Other news

Alcohol consumption in Scotland has fallen by the equivalent of 38 million pints of beer a year since 2009, according to an NHS Health Scotland report, which said much of this could be attributed to the economy crashing and the scrapping of multi-buy deals. BBC News.

The number of towns and cities which are officially “saturated” with alcohol has grown by a third in just two years reported the Telegraph.

One in five drivers admits to getting behind the wheel the morning after a heavy night’s drinking despite the risk of still being over the drink-drive limit, according to AA research reported by Yahoo.

The Mirror reviewed 5 smartphone apps that can 'keep you on a relatively straight and narrow path and help you avoid becoming the ultimate Yule fool'.

50 years of drink-drive campaigns as new limit for Scotland approaches

A new drink-drive advert highlights the significant reductions in drink-driving made over the last 50 years, but that that current figure of 230 a year is still "230 too many".

The history of drink-drive campaigns were reviewed in reports by the Independent and Telegraph, also identifying legislation changes and key developments such as the introduction of the breathalyser in 1967. See here for a montage of drink drive campaigns through the years.

Drink-drive incidents still account for 13% of all road fatalities. The 'Think!' campaign aims to highlight the dangers, as well as a fine of up to £5,000, a minimum 12-month driving ban and a criminal record if caught.

As from 5th December Scotland's legal blood alcohol limit for driving will be cut from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood, following new legislation recently passed. Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary said there was "strong evidence that drivers with a blood alcohol reading of between 50mg and 80mg are significantly impaired" as he justified the automatic ban for anyone convicted.

In 2011 it was announced the legal drink-drive limit in England would remain at 80mg per 100ml of blood despite an independent report calling for it to be reduced to bring it in line with most European countries. Instead the Government said it would focus on "improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk."

Last year a warning that 'morning after’ drink driving was on the increase was reported, with 46% of drivers having no idea or underestimated how long it took for alcohol to leave the body. Typically a healthy body will process around 1 unit per hour, but a wide range of variables such as body size, gender, age and other factors come into play - read more here or see www.morning-after.org.uk

  

See here for the Think! road safety website, including facts and advice on drink-driving.

News & updates October 2014: Scotland's drink drive limit; pre-paid benefits cards; sperm quality & health 'benefits'; sex and driving offences by young people; industry news & more

Selected media reports since the September roundup:

Alcohol policy & research

The Scottish Government has announced plans to reduce the country's drink-drive limit in time for Christmas. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has taken steps which, if approved by the Scottish Parliament, would mean a new limit being introduced on 5 December. Under the plans, Scotland's blood alcohol limit would be cut from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood. BBC News

The British Government is to introduce pre-paid benefit cards to stop claimants spending their money on alcohol, drugs or gambling habits. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said it would help those "on the margins break the cycle of poverty". BBC News

Drinking just five units of alcohol every week could reduce the quality of a man’s sperm, new research suggests. And the more alcohol consumed, the weaker the quality reports The Guardian

Meanwhile, drinking alcohol for health reasons would be "silly", says this Telegraph report which attempts to unpick the various myths and messages around supposed health impacts of moderate consumption. 

Couples are drinking more at home as staying in with a glass of wine as television replaces outings to the pub. The amount households spend on alcohol at supermarkets and off-licences has risen to almost £500 a year on average, according to a study by the Grocer magazine - The Telegraph.

The average Briton spends almost £50,000 on alcohol during their lifetime, says Macmillan Cancer Support. The Independent

Researchers have argued for cap on caffeine levels, citing health risks, particularly when the drinks are consumed with alcohol. The Guardian.

Dangerous levels of alcohol consumption are “the norm” in the armed forces, with urgent action needed. Links with PTSD and domestic violence need better understanding and more attention to address the issue - the Independent.

Young people and alcohol

Children as young as 11 have been caught drink driving in the UK, with an average of 1,000 under-18s being convicted of the offence in the last six years. Over 6,500 under 18s have been caught driving while drunk by police, with more than a quarter of offenders driving under the age of 16, with the added danger of being completely uninsured. The Independent.

Neknominate death was ruled 'accidental' after a 20 year old collapsed and died after drinking a 30 unit mix of wine, vodka, beer and whisky earlier this year. Pathology tests found he had drunk a "very high" amount of alcohol which was "within the range to induce a coma". BBC.

Humberside Police figures show the number of sex attacks where the offender and victim are both under 18 are increasing at a rapid rate. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Leaver has said more must be done to tackle the issue. He said: "There is one common factor to be found in both suspects and victim and that is alcohol consumption". Hull Daily Mail

Young people in Wales drink more alcohol each week than in any other part of the UK, a new report has found. According to the Public Health Wales Observatory, 17% of boys and 14% of girls between 11 and 16 drink alcohol at least once a week – 2% higher than in England and Scotland and twice the amount of youngsters in the Republic of Ireland. Wales Online

Alcohol industry news

Diageo has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Agency for an advert featuring an animated parrot, which was judged to have a strong appeal to children. Morning Advertiser

The Publican’s Morning Advertiser has launched a campaign, Make Some Noise, to protect established pubs and bars that are threatened with closure due to noise complaints.  In an early success, a Manchester music venue has won a licence review after claiming the council made “severe errors” in failing to install soundproofing in a neighbouring residential flat. Morning Advertiser

A Big Hospitality infographic (right) shows the claimed positive impact that two consecutive beer duty cuts have had on sales, employment and investment in the pub industry, using data from the British Beer and Pub Association's 'Cheers 2014' report.

The first scientific study of the impact of pubs on rural communities has proved they are “a vital service the countryside cannot afford to lose”, saying they are worth up to £120k to the community. Morning Advertiser

Almost 19,000 different cask ales are now brewed in Britain as a surge in demand for the beers has led to three new breweries opening every week, according to a new report. The Independent

News & updates July 2014: Red wine not good for the heart after all?, 'Sobriety' ankle tags, Nalmafene set for NICE approval, 'Juicetails' & new drinks to the market

Selected media stories since the June roundup

Booze NOT good for the heart...

One drink a day could be enough to increase the risk of heart disease according to new research, contradicting popular claims that moderate consumption has a protective effect, reports the Guardian.

Previous studies found a correlation with moderate drinking and reduced heart disease risk - but this could not be isolated from other influential factors in those groups. However the newly published research, using data from more than 260,000 participants in 56 studies, found those with a gene variant that resulted in lighter drinking had lower heart disease incidence. See Huffington Post and Daily Mail reports.

Other health reports..

The link between alcohol sponsorship and hazardous drinking in UK athletes has been highlighted in new research from the University of Manchester and Monash University in Australia. Alcohol consumption was found to be high in athletes overall. However, 50% of those sponsored by an alcohol-related industry had AUDIT scores that indicated the need for brief counselling and further monitoring of drinking, compared with 39% for non-sponsored athletes, reports Medical News. See the full findings via Alcohol Research UK site who funded the study.

People with a history of alcohol use disorder, which can include those drinking within recommended limits, are twice as likely to have severe memory problems in subsequent years, reports the Telegraph following research by Exeter University.

Mixing energy drinks with alcohol results in intense cravings for more alcohol says a Newsweek report of a study conducted by the Center for Research on Aging, Health and Well-Being at the Australian National University.

Alcohol & the law

Courts will have the power to issue alcohol-monitoring ankle tags under the Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring scheme, which will be piloted in South London from August, reports the Mirror. The tag measures the amount of alcohol in sweat every half-hour, with the results sent electronically to a monitoring system. Illustation below from the MailOnline and see our previous Alcohol Policy UK report on 'sobriety tags'.

Specialist Family Drug and Alcohol Courts are starting to spread to the regions after being praised by Sir James Munby, the most senior family judge in England and Wales - Belfast Telegraph. Already operating in London (and Gloucester), the latest Court opened in July in Milton Keynes.  See also Community Care's article Embedding family drug and alcohol courts into family justice.

Northern Ireland's laws on the sale of alcohol are to be changed, Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland has said. Publicans will be able to apply for an extension until 2am twelve times every year and restrictions on advertising alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences will be introduced, says BBC News 

SNP ministers are to press ahead with legislation to reduce the drink drive limit for Scotland to 50mg per 100ml, instead of the 80mg UK limit, reports the Daily Record.

 

Nalmafene set to get 'NICE' approval

Nalmafene (or 'Selincro) has made the news as draft guidance from NICE suggests its approval for moderately dependent heavy drinkers - see Mail and Independent reports. The drug, made by Danish company Lundbeck, is claimed to help to reduce the craving for alcohol by controlling the reward mechanism in the brain - but only when combined with a psychological intervention. However concerns have been raised that this crucial requirement may be overlooked - see our previous post and comments here. Reuters says Lundbeck believes Selincro has the potential to generate annual sales of $365-457m. 

Industry  & trade news

Chelmsford councillors have voted to approve the controversial Late Night Levy, forcing bars selling alcohol late in the evening to pay towards policing the city centre, reports the Essex Chronicle.

The latest drinks fad is, apparently, "Juicetails" - cold pressed vegetables with alcohol, eg Pea-lini, made from salted pea cordial, spearmint, butterfly absinthe and prosecco. Because "people want to be good while being bad", says the Independent 

Diageo rum brand Captain Morgan has been censured by advertising regulator the ASA for implying that alcohol can overcome boredom and is capable of changing mood, reports Beverage Daily 

Shoppers buying spirits and liqueurs at Sainsbury’s can no longer collect reward points as a result of “complex” new laws - i.e the 'below cost ban', reports the Telegraph

Moray brewery Brewmeister have set the record for the world’s strongest beer for a second time, with their 67.5% brew called ‘Snake Venom’, reports the Scotsman.  

Meanwhile, Spanish brewer Estrella has launched the first non-alcohol beer to be available on draught in the UK, says the Morning Advertiser. Estrella Galicia will be marketed through sponsorship of MotoGP.

Finally..

Released classified documents of a former KGB defector reveal that two of UK’s double agents, who worked also for KGB, were “constantly drunk” at work, reports the Voice of Russia.

Recent Findings alcohol bulletins: does schools prevention work? Drink Driving course fails; Private Vs public treatment flaws? 'Recovery is the norm' & more

Recent bulletins from the drug and alcohol bank:

Authoritative verdict on ways to prevent adolescent drinking  Reviewers helpfully amalgamate the findings of their three authoritative reviews of alcohol prevention programmes in the school, among families and parents, and combining these and/or other components. Some programmes they say work, but why and in what contexts remains unclear, and the findings give little encouragement to adding non-school based strands to drug and alcohol education programmes.

Drink-driving course unable to cut reoffending  An evaluation of a widely-implemented course for convicted drink-drivers in England and Wales found no evidence that it cut reoffending. The Drink-Impaired Drivers programme involves 14 two-hour sessions for drink-drivers given community sentences, and is accredited by HM Prison Service, but even among offenders who completed it reconviction rates were not significantly reduced.

‘Empathy gap’ in private alcohol treatment, poor NHS systems?  This small English study poses fundamental questions about alcohol treatment services: whether private services suffer from an ‘empathy gap’ and NHS services from poor systems; whether opening up treatment choice to patients with a record of bad decision-making is a good thing; and whether there can be universal criteria for what counts as quality provision.

Recovery is the norm  How common is recovery from dependence and other substance use disorders? Can we realistically hold out not just the possibility but the likelihood of recovery, even to dependent users whose problems are severe enough for specialist treatment? The message of this compendious synthesis of hundreds of studies is that "Recovery is not an aberration achieved by a small and morally enlightened minority ... If there is a natural developmental momentum ... it is toward remission and recovery".

Brief advice may may help with emergency department overload  Screening for risky drinking and offering brief advice can (but not always) reduce later emergency department visits was the main finding of this review, suggesting these programmes might ease pressure on overloaded departments.

 

News & updates Dec 2013: young people's drinking, resources for schools, MUP in Ireland & more

A selection of stories in the media since the September round up:

Young people

Department for Education returns show that local spending on alcohol and drug services for young people has been cut by 22% since 2011 reports Mentor. 

293 children aged 11 or under were admitted to A&E units across the UK in 2012/13 after drinking too much, according to the BBC, up a third from the previous year.  

A new European Commission report Eyes on Ages: A research on alcohol age limit policies in European Member States. Legislation, enforcement and research says all EU Member States have legal age limits for selling alcohol but, the age limit policies vary widely and countries differ on aspects like sanctions, type of enforcement authorities and communication strategies.

NFER has published Talk About Alcohol: an Evaluation of the Alcohol Education Trust’s Intervention in Secondary Schools which found a statistically significant delay in the onset of drinking amongst the young people in the Talk About Alcohol intervention group.

The Welsh Government's Alcohol in Higher Education Toolkit has been officially launched following extensive trials.  The toolkit has been produced to give student welfare services practical advice on addressing alcohol misuse.

Young people tend to view targeted alcohol marketing via social media sites as ''useful and informative'' instead of recognising it as advertising, research reported in The Telegraph finds.

Adfam has published Identifying and supporting children affected by parental substance use: Resource for schools for the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service (ADEPIS).  Aimed primarily at school governors and headteachers, it aims to summarise the key issues for children affected by parental substance use, and how schools can consider supporting them.

Demos, in its report Sobering Up has urged the government to introduce tougher punishments for parents, siblings and friends who buy alcohol for children, reports the BBC. However the report, funded by the Association of Convenience stores, has some questionable recommendations - APUK analysis to come.

A research study, Young adults and the decline of the urban English pub: issues for planning, reported in Science Daily, finds evidence for the traditional pub as a site for restrained and responsible social interaction for young adults.

Other news

The Irish Examiner reports on research which found the societal costs of the consumption of alcohol “far outweigh” the employment and tax benefits, and will inform current plans to introduce minimum unit pricing across southern and Northern Ireland. 

The Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott (right) has urged politicians to do more to tackle the misery caused by alcohol, saying said one in five crimes in Northern Ireland are alcohol related, and 61% of street violence involved alcohol, reports the BBC.

The BBC reports that the number of motorists arrested for drink-driving the "morning after" has risen, police figures suggest - see APUK analysis here.  Meanwhile, a new report says Scottish drivers are the worst in the UK for driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances, reports the Herald.

Academics have criticised Newcastle's late night levy for lack of evidence, reports the Journal, whilst the Gazette says Colchester is considering such a levy to address its 'image problem' associated with drunken revellers.

To get regular media reports you can sign up to the alcohol e-shot or Drugscope Daily. For the Alcohol Policy UK newsletter email [email protected]

Drink Driving warning over 'morning after'

‘Morning after’ drink driving is on the increase with more motorists putting themselves and other road users at risk, according to figures released by LV insurance. LV obtained figures from 22 of the 45 police forces in England and Wales, finding arrests between 06:00 and 08:00 rose by 4% from 350 in 2011 to 363 in 2012.

A separate survey by LV found 46% of drivers had no idea or underestimated how long it took for alcohol to leave the body. Typically a healthy body will process around 1 unit per hour, but a wide range of variables such as body size, gender, age and other factors come into play.

Crucially, the time span of consumption will also significantly affect blood alcohol levels. There is therefore no specific number of 'units' that equates to the legal drink drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood or 35mg per 100ml of breath. Drinkers who attempt to calculate alcohol processed by the body at '1 unit per hour' would be wise to add at least an extra hour and ensure they do not underestimate the number of units consumed.

Drink-driving arrests typically rise in the run up to Christmas, so LV car insurance's John O'Roarke warned: "It's easy to assume that after a good night's sleep you will be sober enough to drive the next day but, depending on how many units you've had, you may not be fit to drive." Alcohol can also negatively affect sleep so could also be a risk factor for driving the next day.

Overall rates of drink-driving appear to have stabilised following significant falls since the 1970's. However police have been unable to reduce breath test failure rates below the 5% mark, and are worried about higher rates amongst under 25s. Police in the West Midlands are encouraging people to report anyone they know to be drink driving and could recieve a £200 reward.

In 2011 it was announced the legal drink-drive limit would remain at 80mg per 100ml of blood despite an independent report calling for it to be reduced to bring it in line wth most European countries. Instead the Government said it would focus on "improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk."

See here for the Think! road safety website, including facts and advice on drink-driving.