Alcohol Policy UK

New IAS report on duty and income ahead of 2020 budget

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has released a new report advocating a rise in alcohol duties as the 2020 spring Budget approaches. Health groups have been repeatedly disappointed by previous budgets which have generally seen real term cuts favouring industry group calls.

The latest report though aims to debunk the seemingly intuitive claim that higher alcohol taxes disproportionately hurt the poorest. However, the report argues it is poorer groups who would see greater health benefits as a result of lower drinking and by receiving a greater share of any increase in public spending derived from increased revenue. The analysis, which calculated the amount of alcohol duty that different households paid as a share of their income and total spending, finds taxes account for a similar share of the incomes and budgets of rich and poor households alike, and at worst are only mildly regressive.

Jobs: Research Group Manager & Dry January PhD position at Sheffield

Dry January PhD Studentship

Applications are being invited for fully-funded PhD Studentship at the University of Sheffield, in partnership with Alcohol Change UK, to explore 'How do heavy drinkers make enduring changes to their drinking behaviour after taking part in “Dry January”?'. The aim of the PhD is to explore the psychological (e.g. behaviour change techniques, improved self-efficacy) and social (e.g. changes in social practices) mechanisms through which people may change their drinking behaviour after a period of temporary abstinence.

Applications should be sent by the 13 March 2020 deadline.

Research Group Manager (Sheffield Alcohol Research Group)

Statistics on Alcohol England 2020: alcohol-related admissions continue to rise

The annual Statistics on Alcohol for England 2020 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.

On the key headline figures of hospital admissions, a continued rise in the broad measure brings annual alcohol-related admissions to a new peak of 1.26 million, 8% higher than the previous year. Increases in the rate have been observed every year for over a decade, first passing the million mark in 2010. Alcohol-related episodes now reflect 7.4% of all hospital admissions. See IAS Twittery summary here and Daily Mail story.

Minimum pricing one year data confirms drop in sales

The first analysis of off-trade alcohol sales over the full year following the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) has been released by NHS Health Scotland, confirming a fall in sales in Scotland and a rise in England where MUP is not in place.

After MUP was introduced on 1st May 2018, the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland fell by 3.6% compared to the previous year, whilst in England & Wales the volume of pure alcohol sold in the off-trade during the same year increased by 3.2% from 6.3 to 6.5 litres. BBC report here.

IAS Alert January 2020: Dry January, children, pubs, community action & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: January 2020 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – Dry January 2020 – a challenge for some
• Lancet: youngest and poorest nations worst affected by alcohol
• Alcohol impacts children’s emotional wellbeing
• Commission on Alcohol Harm launched
• Pubs in care homes
• A quarter of drinkers in Yorkshire exceed guidelines weekly
• Southern Comfort social media ads removed
• Majority of deaths at ports are alcohol-related
• RSPH sets out to help communities tackle alcohol harm
• More lives lost – alcohol-related deaths continue to rise
• Reformulate sugary alcohol drinks
• No change in underage drinkers' behaviour in age of MUP
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – Mapping alcohol consumption patterns in France

Has pub diversification ended decades of decline?

Recent ONS figures show the number of pubs and bars increased in 2019 for the first time in a decade, raising questions over whether a long term downward trend since the 1980s could be coming to an end.

The rise of 315 (0.8%) pubs and bars last year to a total of 39,130 is attributed mainly to the growth in food sales. The figures show more people are now employed in food roles than those working behind the bar and changes in people spending more on eating out and less on drinking out, though multiple factors are linked to changes in pub numbers.

'Positive sobriety', Dry January & the rise of alcohol-free in 2020

It's hard to imagine many people won't have heard about Dry January this month as the alcohol-free trend appears to go from strength to strength. At least that appears to be the case for younger generations where rising numbers of teetotallers mark a significant departure from the picture of the alcopop-fuelled binge Britain around the high-tide of the millennium.

Alongside Dry January, a wider movement has also been flourishing, most recently dubbed the 'positive' or 'new sobriety' movement. Under this umbrella, a range of organisations, support groups, hashtags, 'quit-lit', alcohol-free drinks and events have continued to emerge at a seemingly ever-increasing rate.

AHA launch Commission for Alcohol Harm evidence call

The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is supporting a Commission on Alcohol Harm, chaired by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and made up of a panel of expert practitioners, cross-party parliamentarians and health leaders.

The Commission on Alcohol Harm has been established to examine the current evidence on alcohol harm, recent trends in alcohol harm and the changes needed to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. The Commission will also examine the need for a new comprehensive UK-wide alcohol strategy, highlighting there has been no national alcohol strategy for England and Wales since 2012.

IAS Alcohol Alert 2019 : The Year in Review

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has released a 2019 year in review, providing an overview of the key developments featured in the IAS Alcohol Alert series:

JANUARY 2019 
The start of the year saw the release of a long-term plan for the NHS, which promised the provision of new Alcohol Care Teams to treat patients at the 50 hospitals with the worst levels of alcohol dependence-related admissions in the UK.
Meanwhile, the health secretary appeared to deny the nation had a drinking problem at all. See full edition here.

Latest 2019 alcohol-specific deaths, HSE, Scotland & domestic abuse data

Alcohol-specific deaths 2018

The latest ONS figures on alcohol-specific deaths show in 2018 there were 7,551 deaths registered in the UK related to alcohol-specific causes. The rate is the second highest since records began in 2001, representing a 13% increase over the period, but down by 146 from the previous year's peak of 7,697. Alcohol-specific death rates were highest among men aged 55 to 59 years and women aged 60 to 64 years in 2018, at least twice as high among men and highest in Scotland.

An article in The Conversation explores the range of factors behind alcohol deaths, calling for better use of policy measures available to reduce alcohol harms. An IAS blog has explored the party manifestos say on alcohol policy (see APUK's analysis here) ahead of the forthcoming snap election on December 12.

Health Survey England (HSE) 2018