Alcohol Policy UK

'Alcohol and drugs JSNA support pack' 2015 released by PHE

An updated guidance document to support strategic and commissioning approaches to alcohol treatment and prevention has been released by Public Health England (PHE), alongside packs for drugs, tobacco and children and young people's substance use.

It aims to support the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) process and local joint health and wellbeing strategies. These underpin local delivery for drug and alcohol treatment and prevention, now the responsibility of local authorities.

News & updates July 2015: floozing, Evelyn Gillan tributes, boozing whilst pregnant, cocktail clouds

Selected July media stories since the June roundup:

Alcohol-related crime & disorder

Alcohol-fuelled air rage incidents are up 40% from last year... proving a 'floozing' phenomenon is on the rise, said the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile Ryanair has banned passengers from bringing duty free alcohol onto its flights between the UK and Ibiza in an effort to reduce incidences of rowdy behaviour. Telegraph

Just 42 drinkers were responsible for more than 1,000 police call-outs in Portsmouth - ranging from anti-social behaviour to sexual assaults and robberies - as the council defends its Reducing the Strength initiative. The News

Health news

News & updates June 2015: MUP cuts crime, loi evin, Anti-Social Behaviour, chimpanzees that drink, pregnancy, smoking in pubs

Selected June media stories since the May roundup:

Alcohol policy

Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) cuts crime, according to research from Canada. Crimes against the person fell by 9% over a decade as authorities in British Columbia increased prices by 10%. The Guardian

The British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland has called for alcohol advertising at events aimed at children to be banned. BBC News

Drinks advertising in France, currently severely restricted, could become "almost limitless" if MPs approve wine grower-senator Gerard Cesar's (pictured) amendment on Monday, warns Claude Evin, father of landmark law on drink ads ban. Telegraph

Alcohol-related hospital admissions rise again reports the Guardian, despite falls in consumptions - APUK analysis here.

News & updates May 2015: alcohol research, football fans, Formula 1, night time economy

Selected media stories since the April roundup

Alcohol research stories

Binge drinking as a teenager causes long-lasting changes to the regions of the brain that control learning and memory, according to new research reported in the Daily Mail

Teenagers who mix energy drinks with alcohol are more likely to binge drink and abuse alcohol later in life, again according to new research reported in the Daily Mail

The Express asked whether weekend wine could be ruining your waistline (it could).

The Independent looked at how alcohol makes you friendlier – but only to certain people, whilst according to a new study published in the Journal of Sex Research, which included 18 females, booze is a total killjoy when it comes to getting it on and really getting off, reported Metro.

DCLG report on 'Alcohol Fund' project to tackle binge and underage drinking: money well spent?

Findings from a £1 million project to support ten key areas to tackle alcohol-related problems have been released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG).

Not to be confused with the Home Office led Local Alcohol Action Areas (LAAAs), the ten main 'alcohol fund' areas were announced in 2012 as a two year project led by Baroness Newlove, the Government's Champion for Active, Safer Communities and pledged in the Government Alcohol Strategy. 

Download the The Alcohol fund: end of project report slides [pdf]

The overall aims of the project were to 'develop sustainable community-based approaches to tackle problem drinking' and 'test innovative ideas' involving partnership approaches to:

• Education & awareness raising (incl. youth education work)
• Youth work – outreach & diversionary activities
• Youth work – targeted work for those already with alcohol misuse issues
• Targeting hardened drinkers / street drinkers
• Police led operations
• Responsible retailing of alcohol
• Night-time economy
• Better use of data / info-sharing

Expected outcomes according to the end of project report were a 'direct measurable reduction in anti-social behaviour' and evidence of partnership working. However the 2012 announcement also detailed outcomes including fewer A&E admissions, reduced consumption by young people and reduced proxy sales. The report does acknowledge 'accessing A&E figures has been an issue for some areas'.

Evaluation, evidence and effectiveness?

The report gives a summary of the activity undertaken in the participating areas as well outcomes (or output) data. The summaries capture a range of activity relating to the various work strand areas, with young people focused educational activities appearing the most common.

Critics of the project might be keen to point out the limited evidence to support education or awareness based approaches, as well as the sparse detailing of actual outcomes or 'innovative ideas which can be disseminated more widely'. Questions also exist over partnership working as a valid focus of activity in itself, and one might expect more of a report following £1million worth of activity (assuming there is nothing further to be released).

On the other hand, demonstrating the impact of alcohol action is indeed difficult, and work to support and engage young people may have broader value than just its possible impact on alcohol use. Activities to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder too can be valid for addressing both actual or perceived levels of crime, whilst making local alcohol action happen does indeed tend to require partnerships and resources. The report identifies that the project kick-started local action in some areas and levered in extra funding in others. 

However the project may still be prone to the same criticisms as the 2012 Government Alcohol Strategy that announced it; a heavy focus on crime and disorder and young people may be seen as alcohol policy influenced more by politics than evidence.

Local and National Alcohol Policy: how do they interact?

A briefing exploring the relationship between local and national alcohol policy has been released by the Centre for History in Public Health, part of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Download Local and National Alcohol Policy: how do they interact? [pdf]

The briefing captures presentations and debate at seminar held last year attended by a range of historians, policy roles and alcohol leads. Over-arching themes from the briefing may not be of surprise; alcohol policy at national and local level is a complex area, interacting on many levels, and often influenced by wider social, economic or cultural changes.

Despite this, lessons from history provide many interesting parallels, particularly in regard to licensing. In the first presentation, Dr James Nicholls explored how concerns over drinking in the late 18th century and 19th century led to measures to address outlet density and improve pubs - both contemporary themes of alcohol policy. Modern examples of policy failings (such as EMROs) show us, as history does, that alcohol policy is 'clumpy' and involves many tensions. It also shows that where policy threatens industry business interests, it will 'almost always use its economic influence to resist legislation'.

In the second talk, Professor Betsy Thom explored how knowledge within the alcohol policy field exists and the various challenges to seeing it implemented. In particular, the example of 'partnership working' has been shown to be typically challenging and still without conclusive evidence of its effectiveness. Despite this, various forms of partnership working have been considered central to national, regional and local attempts at implementing alcohol policy over recent decades.

Finally Public Health England's Don Lavoie presented on the last decade of national policy related to health harms following the first national Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England in 2004. Since then, two further national strategies followed; new Labour's extensive 'Safe.Sensible. Social', and the current Government Alcohol Strategy. Surrounding these has been an ever broadening policy base of documents, including full NICE guidance, and various initiatives such as the Alcohol Improvement Programme.

Further discussion captured in the briefing identifies a range of other issues currently found within national and local alcohol policy. Differences between England and Scotland proved interesting discussion points, whilst challenges to implementing local action and the role of 'data' versus personal testimonies in policy advocacy also captured attention.

Download the full briefing here for more of the discussion and conclusions. See here for a FEAD video of a James Nicholls talk on 'Alcohol Policy - can we learn from history?'.

In 2009 a research project along similar lines explored 'The Orientation and Integration of Local and National Alcohol Policy in England and Wales'.

LGA call for alcohol tax to resource further local level action

The Local Government Association (LGA) have called for the Government to divert a fifth of the current total annual duty on alcohol to councils.

The LGA say £2 billion of alcohol duty should be directly invested in alcohol harm reduction activities that will help save money in return.

Download ‘Tackling the causes and effects of alcohol misuse' [pdf].

The call is part of a wider LGA campaign calling on the next Government to invest heavily in key local authority issues such as housing, schooling and unemployment 'by radically devolving power to local areas'. The report outlines the key ways in which local authorities can act to address alcohol misuse, but argues more resources are needed, particularly for preventative measures. 

The report states that "local councils’ responsibilities for health and wellbeing boards, social care, planning and housing strategy as well as public health, environmental health, licensing and trading standards put them at the heart of the web of influences needed to tackle this complex issue".

As such, the report outlines key "activities we could develop, expand and strengthen with additional resources" to address alcohol misuse. Of course many of the activities are already undertaken through local alcohol strategies, though certainly levels of investment and coverage of alcohol services varies greatly.

The report identifies trading standards and licensing teams as key areas where more work can be done to tackle the black market, which currently costs the Treasury £1.3 billion each year. It also highlights opportunities for improving prevention including further investment in Health Checks, further services for people with inter-dependent needs, and further work with the criminal justice system to improve outcomes for offenders.

Overall the report can be seen as a call for any future Government not to forget the role that local authorities play in addressing key areas where local 'invest to save' measures can be taken. This comes at a time where significant further cuts to local government are expected, but the likelihood of seeing any mainstream manifestos commit to ring-fencing a portion of alcohol tax may be slim. As such, the future position for local authorities seeking to resource alcohol strategies may remain the same; find whatever funding from wherever you can, and hope it lasts...

News & updates Sept 2014: liver disease maps and drink data, alcohol and young people, 'hugger mugger' warnings, breathalysing on the door & more

Selected media stories since the August roundup:

Alcohol data

The Huffington Post picked up on regional information about alcohol-related liver disease published by the Health & Social Care Information Centre. It highlights areas of the North West and North East of England have the highest rate of emergency hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease in the country. 

Global alcohol consumption data published by WHO has been used to create an interactive online map showing per capita consumption of wine, beer and spirits by country. 

The Spirits Business reported on new National Diet and Nutrition Survey data on Scots drinking compared to the rest of the UK. Meanwhile, industry figures criticised recent council reports that include “flawed” data that amount to “meaningless propaganda”, according to the Morning Advertiser.

Alcohol and young people

The Morning Advertiser reported that almost 90% of 18-24 year olds agree that education on the effects of alcohol should be integrated into the National Curriculum. Mentor UK's 'ADEPIS' has produced a number of resources for schools, including a toolkit for helping schools review their alcohol and drug policies.

Research reported in the Telegraph suggests students will spend more than £200 on alcohol and getting into bars and clubs during their first week of University. Meanwhile Manchester University claims its new NUS Alcohol Impact scheme has already attracted interest from 'other institutions wishing to get involved' in trying to create a 'social norm of responsible alcohol consumption among students' - our recent analysis of the scheme here.

Meanwhile a Drinkaware poll reported in the Journal, found that nearly a quarter of parents admitted to supplying their own children with up to nine units of alcohol in one sitting. However, parents in Wales are over-estimating the number of young people who drink alcohol, according to Alcohol Education Trust research reported on ITV.com.

300 young people were referred to an alcohol intervention in Durham in Operation Aries - a crackdown on underage drinking over the summer that also saw 200 litres of alcohol confiscated; 80% was purchased by adults, reports the BBC. More here.

Parental drinking habits can affect children before they are born: new research claims that children of mothers who drink as little as four units of alcohol in a day even once while pregnant are at greater risk of developing mental health problems, reports the Guardian.  See more on this from NHS Choices.

Police Alcohol Harm initiatives

In Plymouth, officers have started breathalysing offenders arrested for alcohol related offences. By aiming to ascertain their level of intoxication, police were attempting to identify repeat alcohol related offending, reported the Plymouth Herald. The BBC reports that pub and club goers are to be breathalysed before being allowed into night time venues in Loughborough.

ACPO launched a week-long campaign from 19 September highlighting the realities faced by those dealing with drunkenness and alcohol-related incidents. Police chiefs such as in Worcestershire and Darlington, supported the campaign.

Devon and Cornwall Police kicked the campaign off by tweeting every incident dealt with by officers in the force area overnight on the Friday and Saturday on Twitter to raise awareness of the issue (see @DC_Police #alcoholharm). The last two tweets give a flavour:

Before we say good night, we hope you can see dealing w/ #alcoholharm at weekends has a significant impact on communities & police resources. 

Friday final figures were 43 in custody and 374 incidents between 8pm-3am. Saturday we have 59 in custody and 493 incidents.

Greater Manchester Police tweeted videos of 'hugger mugger' incidents (see video), where drunk people are vulnerable to being robbed during apparently friendly encounters.

Also..

Holidaymaker's insurance claims for accidents are being rejected due to drinking in some cases - but insurers have come under pressure from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who said it expected a "high standard of proof" that the amount consumed made a policy invalid. See BBC report.

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.

News & updates June 2014: local minimum pricing sought, counterfeit alcohol, alcohol industry updates, drink-driving, holiday drinking, foetal alcohol syndrome & more

Selected media stories since the May round-up: 

Councils seek local minimum pricing and strength controls

Nine councils are considering implementing local alcohol minimum pricing via local licensing policy statements, reports the Morning Advertiser. Research by Poppleston Allen also found that 10 licensing authorities have confirmed they are planning to ban sales of high strength alcohol as part of the revision of their statement of licensing policy.

In addition, five councils have confirmed interest in introducing a “Reduce the Strength Campaign”, following the introduction of the scheme in Ipswich, which sees outlets agree to remove ‘super strength’ (6.5% ABV+) alcohol from their shelves.

Should Charities receive industry money?

Alcohol charities should be made to declare funding that comes from the alcohol industry in order to improve transparency, according to The Alcohol Industry, Charities and Policy Influence in the UK published by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The report caused consternation because two beneficiaries of industry funding, Addaction and Mentor UK, are the only health groups that remain involved in the coalition's public health responsibility deal. See Mentor's response here.

Nurses debate treating drunks in A&Es

A recent debate at the Royal College of Nursing conference on how to respond to intoxicated patients hit the headlines. The Daily Mail suggested senior nurses called for drunks to be banned, but a Telegraph report reflected some of the views from nurses not wanting to exclude patients. See our exploration of 'Drunk Tanks' following last year's call for measures to relieve police pressures.

Counterfeit alcohol

Seizures of counterfeit alcohol by UK trading standards authorities have soared fivefold over five years, reports the Guardian. Statistics from Interpol's Operation Opson III show that international criminal gangs are helping to fuel consumer demand for cheap drink. Last year HMRC consulted on actions to help prevent and tackle alcohol fraud after it came under fire from MPs, but no further news yet it seems. You can report fraud to HMRC here.

Alcohol industry news

• In a move welcomed by Alcohol Focus Scotland, C&C Group, owner of Tennent's Lager, has quit the Portman Group, claiming it is dominated by the interests of multi-national companies, reports the HeraldScotland.

• Diageo has hired Vickie Sheriff, the Department for Transport's director of communications and former deputy spokeswoman to the Prime Minister, as global communications director, reports PR Week.

• A report by the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group, Rising to the Challenge found that around 850,000 shop workers per year are now given training in how to apply the Challenge 25 initiative, leading to ID requests for around 11 million people, 75% of whom are 18-24 year olds.

• Research by Off Licence News suggests proxy purchasing has almost trebled in the past 12 years. Retailers have called on authorities to overhaul proxy purchasing laws and start a public awareness campaign to teach adults that buying alcohol for children can cost store owners their livelihoods.  

Holiday drinking

Half of British holidaymakers drink alcohol every day on summer breaks - and one in three of us admit to drinking in the departure lounge, says the Daily Mail, reporting on research by Alcohol Concern Wales.

Foetal alcohol syndrome

The number of diagnosed cases of foetal alcohol syndrome in those born to women who drink during pregnancy has tripled since records of the debilitating condition were first kept 16 years ago, reports the Guardian. Shadow public health minister, Luciana Berger, who uncovered the new figures, said: "The government must ensure that expectant mums have the information they need to make informed choices during their pregnancy. Instead, ministers have relied too heavily on the drinks industry to do it for them."

Drink driving news

The Ford Motor Company has created a suit that simulates the impact of alcohol on a motorist. The manufacturer is now – courtesy of its Driving Skills For Life courses – encouraging younger drivers to access its impact, reports motoring.co.uk.  

A new laser-based device that detects alcohol vapour inside a moving car by detecting tiny changes in the laser beam as it passes through vapour has been reported by the Daily Mail reports on. Just as well, since more than a third of British passengers would turn a blind eye to if a driver was drinking alcohol at the wheel, according to new research reported by the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, the British Touring Car Championship has become the first motor racing series in the UK to introduce mandatory alcohol testing and a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to driving with any alcohol in the bloodstream, reports motorsport.com.