Alcohol Policy UK

News & updates February 2018: pricing, Baclofen, admissions & new UK Hospitality industry body

Selected media stories since the January roundup: 

"Hazardous or harmful" drinkers must get the help they need if minimum unit pricing is introduced, Alcohol Concern Wales has said as the Welsh Government seeks to follow Scotland with a minimum 50p unit price in law. "I think we've known for quite sometime a lot of the alcohol in this country is consumed by those where alcohol is a problem not a pleasure" said, Andrew Misell, director of Alcohol Concern Wales. BBC

News & updates January 2018: airports, labelling 'awareness vacuum', young people, Newcastle MUP

Selected media stories since the November roundup: 

Restrictions on the sale of alcohol at UK airports could be introduced in an effort to reduce the number of drink-related rage incidents on planes. Airports are currently exempt from legislation governing when they can sell alcohol. The Home Office says passengers should be able to enjoy their holidays without having their flight disrupted by "a small minority of people". It is expected to begin assessing the impact of implementing the Licensing Act 2003 on airside premises in a few weeks. BBC

The increasing size of wine glasses: a driver of consumption?

A recent study published in the BMJ has revealed the increase in average wine glass sizes over time, with a near seven fold increase since the 1700s and a particularly sharp rise since the 1990s.

The average glass size grew from 66ml in the 1700s to 449ml today. The current near half litre average glass capacity reflects the 250ml 'large' wine serving popularised in recent decades, demoting the former 'large' 175ml to a medium and making the 125ml standard serving of old appear rather paltry. The study points out that 250 ml equates to a third of a standard bottle of wine and typically over a fifth of the weekly recommended guidelines.

IAS Alert November 2017: MUP, white cider, GPs, deaths, AAW & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: November 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• TOP STORY – Minimum Unit Pricing declared legal
• TOP STORY – 2017 Autumn Budget: White cider tax threshold slated for 2019
• One in seven GPs turns to alcohol and drugs to cope
• Almost half of pupils have tried alcohol
• New definition, same old story
• Charity: Parental alcohol misuse ruins children’s lives

Government response to 2017 House of Lords licensing committee report

Earlier this month the Government published its response to the House of Lords Select Committee report on the Licensing Act 2003 released earlier this year.

Whilst the Government's response describes the Lords report as 'making an important contribution towards where and how the Act can be improved', it rejects many of the recommendations including a call for a fundamental overhaul of the Act.

What's behind declining licensing reviews? Expert opinions

We recently reported on the 2017 statistics on alcohol licensing, speculating as to why the number of premises called to review has declined more than 50% since 2010 when recording began.

Whilst top level licensing figures may not be the most valuable source of information about changes taking place around alcohol retailing practices and the Night Time Economy (NTE), such a significant drop against a modest rise in total licensed premises is intriguing.

Below we highlight comments on the possible reasons from some selected experts involved in licensing or the trade.

News & updates October 2017: soberocracy, hangover-free prosecco, gin pong, rise of the micropub

Selected news and media stories since the September roundup:

We are witnessing the rise of a 'soberocracy' suggested the Telegraph at the start of Macmillan Cancer Support's 'Go Sober for October' initiative, whose popularity, and that of Alcohol Concern's 'Dry January', make 'the seemingly ingrained British belief that nights out and nights in both require alcohol [look] increasingly anachronistic'.

News & updates September 2017: Gin trends, stealth drinking, millennials, draft wine, pubs

Selected news and media stories since the August roundup:

A survey by Evenbrite says millennials consume 'just five units' of alcohol each week, reported Mailonline. Some 90 per cent see getting drunk as 'uncool' and a quarter believe it is 'pathetic' and 'embarrassing' when someone has had too much.

Hospital admissions linked to liver damage have doubled in a decade, according to new figures which also show that people from Blackpool are nearly eight times as likely to die from liver disease as those from Norfolk, reported the Telegraph.

IAS Alert September 2017: pubs, holidays, alcohol-free beers, Facebook ads & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: July 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• Pubs call for action on cheap supermarket alcohol
• 28% of adults ‘can’t enjoy holiday without alcohol’
• Most ill heavy drinkers would drink a third less under MUP
• Industry misleading the public about alcohol-related cancer risk
• Women and alcohol: What's next?
• ‘Misleading coverage’ of pregnancy drinking risks from media
• Mixed picture for new liver disease atlas of England
• Europeans gaining taste for alcohol-free beer
• Communication of alcohol guidelines ‘needs to be improved’
• Facebook trial lets users hide alcohol adverts
• Magic pill to cure alcoholism is make believe
• Do “digital interventions” reduce heavy drinking?
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT: Public Health England highlight geographical inequalities in the burden of alcohol

What drives home drinking? YouGov report for pubs to win back drinkers

A new YouGov report explores the current push and pull factors behind home drinking, offering the on-trade insights to attract drinkers back into pubs and bars.

The report, 'Getting In-Home Drinkers To Go Out', is only available for a significant cost, but several trade publications have reported on key findings. CLH news reports that one in seven Brits (15%) almost always stay in to drink, whilst The Morning Advertiser highlighted the unsurprising finding that the proportion was highest for older adults, half of whom who mainly drink only at home. Home drinkers are most likely to be married women aged over 45, who are typically responsible for the weekly shop.