Alcohol Policy UK

Adopting “moderate drinking”: challenges and ways forward

In this guest post, Dr Samanthika Gallage, an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Nottingham University Business School discusses recent research exploring the experiences of young people seeking to moderate or abstain from alcohol use.

In public discourse, moderate drinking is commonly used to describe drinking behaviour that is not regarded as ‘excessive’ or ‘binging’. While the term itself has no clear definition, it is often considered synonymous with terms such as ‘responsible’ or ‘sensible drinking’.

Again, whilst not clearly defined or used in public health, the idea of ‘responsible drinking’ may be seen as drinking which is not harmful to oneself or others, or in some cases, as following the recommend drinking guidelines. However, some argue that it is precisely because of the unspecified nature of responsible drinking, and its emphasis on personal responsibility, that industry affiliated groups often favour such terms.

Alcohol Change UK grants programme & research strategy

Alcohol Change UK have opened a new grants programme alongside a research strategy [pdf] outlining its funding priorities and plans for 2020 to 2023.

The New Horizons grants programme is now open with the first round of grants focused on developing a greater understanding of 'Groups, Communities and Alcohol Harm', particularly those that focus on:

Alcohol & COVID-19 pt 2: PHE guidance, Alcohol Change UK survey, WHO factsheet & more

Following our first post on alcohol and COVID-19 related guidance, news and support, the below sets out key subsequent releases.

Alcohol Change UK have released findings from a survey of over 2,000 people on the effect of Coronavirus on consumption, as reported in the Guardian. More than one in three people said they had either stopped drinking or reduced how often they drink since the lockdown. Six per cent have stopped drinking entirely. Around one in five drinkers (21%) said they have been drinking more frequently since the lockdown.

Almost half of drinkers said they were drinking about the same amount on a typical drinking day, but 15% said they have been drinking more per session. However, falls seems to be driven by lower risk drinkers, whilst increases seem to be driven by those already drinking at risky or harmful levels. See here for a Twitter summary thread and separate findings from a YouGov survey here.

IAS Alert March 2020: Tax, regulation, lobbying & more

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

• COVER STORY – King’s Fund: Taxes and regulation on alcohol ‘highly effective’
• Busiest MPs up to three times more likely to be ‘risky’ drinkers
• Four every minute: Six Nations references to alcohol
• Ireland: Cross-border talk of a uniform MUP
• Irish ministers lobbied daily by industry
• Seven out of ten alcohol labels fail to display guidelines
• Budget 2020: Alcohol duty frozen, again
• Barnsley backs call for Minimum Unit Pricing in England
• Irish drank less in 2019
• Alcohol and public health in the time of a pandemic
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – The effectiveness of duty increases in raising prices at the checkout varies widely between drink types

IAS announce small grants scheme & 2020-23 strategy

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has announced a new small grants scheme for innovative research ideas that can help inform public policy debates on how to tackle alcohol harm.

The scheme forms part of a new IAS Strategy for 2020–2023 [pdf] which sets out its goals and priorities, including attention to key areas of affordability, marketing, crime and enforcement and social and environmental impact.

Early career researchers can apply for small grants between £500-£10,000 for up to 12 months. Priority will be given to proposals that align with the organisational objectives outlined within the new strategy. Outline proposals are invited for submission by Friday 15th May 2020.

Further information and how to apply is available on the IAS Small Grants Scheme webpage. All pre-submission enquiries should be directed to Dr Sadie Boniface [email protected].

Findings bulletins: brief interventions implementation, improving mental health and SUD care, residential evidence & more

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank:

Major trial of ways to extend brief alcohol interventions

Could combinations of three strategies – training and support, financial reimbursement, and the opportunity to refer patients to a website – effectively and cost-effectively boost delivery of brief alcohol interventions in five European countries, including England? The aim was to find the best way to narrow the gap in primary care between the number of patients who could benefit from these interventions and those who receive them. An important trial whose findings we analyse in depth, and for which we have updated our analysis of the cost-effectiveness findings.

What would better mental health and substance use care look like?

Minimum pricing at home and away: where next?

In this guest post, Jane Hughes, a researcher at the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG), explores the current position of MUP across the UK and elsewhere, and the key issues for policy debates.

A bit like Brexit, implementation of the minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy in Scotland has had its share of twists, turns, legal challenges and divided public opinion. In Scotland, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation to introduce the policy in 2012 and, after a five-year legal challenge led by the Scotch Whisky Association, it was eventually implemented on 1^st May 2018.

More needed to ensure consistent advice from midwives: IAS report

A new study funded by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) highlights there is no standardised approach to screening for alcohol consumption during antenatal appointments and inconsistency in official guidance has led to midwives giving different advice on alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Download ‘Alcohol guidelines for pregnant women: Barriers and enablers for midwives to deliver advice’ [pdf].

Nine out of ten midwives reported alcohol abstinence was advised within the guidelines, however four out of ten midwives were not aware of the actual content of the 2016 alcohol guidelines on pregnancy.

Although nearly all midwives (97%) ‘always’ or ‘usually’ advised all women to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy at the booking appointment (the first appointment), the proportion of who did so at later appointments fell to 38%.

Funding to support Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder projects

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recently announced project funding to support work around foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). 

The fund totals £473,000 though DHSC are aiming for a smaller number of grants and therefore encourage application via consortia where projects align. However, grants will be awarded according to quality of the bid against the specified criteria.

The guidance states it is particularly interested in innovative approaches from the voluntary sector along the themes of:

IAS Alert August 2019: MUP, cancer, genetics, parenting & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: August 2019 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• COVER STORY – MUP ‘well implemented’ in first year
• Nearly 20,000 new alcohol-related cancer cases in England
• Strict alcohol policy environments may reduce intimate partner violence
• Scientists untangle links between genes and alcohol intake
• Abertay Uni watering hole goes dry
• £1 drinks promo fuels row over Belfast’s drinking culture
• Children’s drinking influenced by parents
• Alcohol does not impair our (moral) behaviour
• Drink driving death numbers still stalling
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT – Parental permissiveness the best predictor of underage drinking