Alcohol Policy UK

Alcohol resources and policy for 2018... and beyond?

Public Health England (PHE) have released a listing page of information and other resources to support commissioners, service providers and others providing alcohol and drug interventions. 

The resource will mainly be of use to those involved in the treatment sector, though includes an updated 'Alcohol: applying all our health' resource to support preventative activities and recent 'why invest?' resource. A full range of NICE alcohol guidance can be found here whilst Alcohol Research UK have a set of links and resources on identifying the evidence base.

Family experiences of recovery, IBA mentors, cancer, older people & more: latest Alcohol Research UK reports

Understanding recovery from a family perspective: A survey of life in recovery for families

A new Alcohol Research UK funded research project has explored the family experience of recovery, highlighting the wide-reaching impact alcohol dependence can have but also the significant benefits to families from recovery. 

PHE 'Prevention, treatment and recovery: why invest?'

Public Health England (PHE) have released Alcohol and drug prevention, treatment and recovery: why invest? for commissioners and providers 'to help make the case for investing in drug and alcohol treatment and interventions'.

The resource collects alcohol-related figures and infographics designed to help make the business case for investing in treatment and early intervention - see the slide set here (includes some commentary and references in PowerPoint version -click 'save' in top right of screen).

Funding for helpline to support 'children of alcoholics' announced

New funding of £500,000 has been reported by the Health Secretary to go towards a national helpline to support 'children of alcoholics' as part of a new Government strategy.

The announcement comes after ongoing work by several high profile MPs who have spoken about their experiences and attracted significant media attention to the subject. The funding will go to the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA) to help run its helpline which has previously relied on voluntary donations.

Treatment system warnings from 'state of the sector' and CQC reports

A new research report has issued a stark warning over England’s drug and alcohol treatment system in the context of ongoing cuts to public health budgets. The report was released by Adfam on behalf of the Recovery Partnership who have been releasing annual 'state of the sector' reports. 

Key findings include:

Statistics for alcohol treatment in England: falling numbers

Public Health England (PHE) have released alcohol treatment figures in England for 2016-2017 within a combined report of drug and alcohol treatment data.

The reports states 80,454 alcohol only clients received treatment, a decline of 5% from last year (85,035) and a 12% fall from the 91,651 peak seen in 2013-14. A further 28,242 also accessed treatment for an alcohol problem alongside non-opiate drug use. Reporting no longer identifies primary drug where more than one substance is identified.

Public Health England (PHE) have released alcohol treatment figures in England for 2016-2017 within a combined report of drug and alcohol treatment data.

The reports states 80,454 alcohol only clients received treatment, a decline of 5% from last year (85,035) and a 12% fall from the 91,651 peak seen in 2013-14. A further 28,242 also accessed treatment for an alcohol problem alongside non-opiate drug use. Reporting no longer identifies primary drug where more than one substance is identified.

Drugs for the treatment of alcohol dependence: insufficient evidence?

In this guest post Clare Sharp, a PhD researcher at the University of Stirling, explores the implications of new research on the use of drugs used to support alcohol treatment.

A new review by researchers in France throws doubt on the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for controlled/reduced drinking in dependent drinkers.

Pharmacotherapy is just one of a wide range of possible treatments for alcohol dependence and not recommended for use without adjacent psychological support. Disulfiram, an aversive therapy, which causes nausea/vomiting when combined with alcohol, has been used since the 1940s to treat alcohol problems, in recent times under supervised consumption.

Findings bulletins: brief interventions under the microscope, cycle of change & treatment

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank:

‘My GP says I drink too much’: screening and brief intervention

In the absence of greater obstacles to availability, widespread screening to identify and then briefly advise risky drinkers has been the great hope for improved alcohol-related public health. This major hot topic update guides you through the studies which exposed questionable effectiveness and patchy implementation, leading to today’s less ambitious plans.

GP-delivered brief interventions an ‘important piece of the alcohol policy jigsaw’

Doctors working in Scotland share their thoughts on what helps and hinders the delivery of brief alcohol interventions in general practice. Stifled by short consultation times and faced by a lack of awareness among patients of what constitutes harmful/hazardous drinking, doctors face numerous challenges to embedding these interventions in routine practice despite or regardless of their enthusiasm.

Findings bulletins: 2003 Licensing Act review, drink-driving, binge drinking ABI, interventions & treatment

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank:  

Realising the potential of the 2003 UK alcohol licensing act 

Seen as excluding health concerns and requiring an individualistic and ‘premises by premises’ approach, interviews with stakeholders and a revisiting of the 2003 Licensing Act for England and Wales suggest it could nevertheless be used to address public health and to implement licensing policies and decisions based on likely overall local impact.

News & updates July 2017: memory, diabetes benefit?, drunk in charge of a child, school exclusions & more

Selected news and media stories since the June roundup:

Supreme Court judges retired to consider the latest appeal against minimum pricing of alcohol in Scotland, reported BBC News whilst public health experts continued to put forward their case for the policy (eg in the Guardian and Independent). See our report here.