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.

Report highlights issues with underage online sales

A new report reveals a range of concerns relating to the sale of alcohol to under 18s online, making a number of recommendations to tighten their circumvention.

Download the report 'Effective age-gating for underage sales' here [pdf].

The report, released by Alcohol Change UK, finds current methods of age verification are largely ineffectual. When implemented online, they often involve simple 'honour’ checks, which are easily deceived, or alternative forms of authentication that can be bypassed in various ways. Implemented offline, by delivery drivers, etc., they are known to be ineffective in practice. A particular difficulty arises when alcohol is part of a larger online shopping cart, which can lead to it going unnoticed. The report therefore questions the appropriateness of online age-gating (AG) or age-verification (AV) processes.

'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.

Declines in drinking amongst young people: what does the evidence say?

In this guest post Rakhi Vashishtha, a research officer at Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, Melbourne, Australia, explores the current evidence behind falls in youth drinking following publication of a recent systematic review.

For decades, alcohol consumption among young people has remained a huge concern for community, public health practitioners and policy advocates. Adolescent alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for range of negative health and social outcomes.

Drinking amongst young people: NHS Digital 2018 school pupils survey

The latest figures on drinking amongst pupils aged up to 15 have been released in Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England - 2018.

The survey report presents information on the percentage of pupils who have ever smoked, tried alcohol or taken drugs and explores the attitudes of school children towards smoking and drinking, last released in 2017.

In 2018, 44% of pupils said they had ever had an alcoholic drink, the same as in 2016, and ranging from 14% of 11 year olds to 70% of 15 year olds. In 2018, 10% of pupils said they had drunk in the last week, also the same as in 2016.

Findings bulletins: harm reduction for homeless drinkers, parenting interventions, therapy insights

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank: 

Low-barrier intervention for homeless people with (mostly severe) drinking problems

Heavy drinking is clearly problematic for homeless populations, but is the best way to tackle it to aim for abstinence, or to accept the reality of life on the streets and aim to reduce harm and improve lives in ways which make sense to the patient? This US study provides part of the answer.

Alcohol's harm to others: PHE evidence review

Public Health England (PHE) have released an evidence review of the harm caused by alcohol to the people around those who are drinking in the UK.

The review examines alcohol’s harm to others (AHTO) based on six surveys across the  UK and Republic of Ireland, including a recent study published in the BMJ which attracted widespread media coverage. The findings indicate one in five people have been harmed by others drinking over the past year, though did not cover all AHTO, for example Foetal Alcohol Syndrome was not included.

Drinking in pregnancy: lasting effects of low-level alcohol use?

In this guest post, Kayleigh Easey (@KayEasey), a PhD student and member of the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (@BristolTARG) at the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol, takes a look at a recent systematic review investigating effects of parental alcohol use and offspring mental health.

It’s generally well known that drinking large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy is linked to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), and negative outcomes such as premature birth and an increase in the risk of miscarriage. However, less is known about the effects of low to moderate alcohol use during pregnancy on offspring outcomes after birth, and even less for mental health outcomes in the child, particularly internalising disorders such as depression. Despite government guidelines being updated by the Department of Health in January 2016, advising pregnant women that the safest approach is to abstain from drinking alcohol altogether through their pregnancy, there remains uncertainty amongst the public as to whether a ‘drink or two’ is harmful or not.

NICE consultation on school based alcohol interventions

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has launched a consultation on alcohol interventions in secondary and further education.

The consultation seeks to update NICE guideline PH7 Alcohol: school based interventions published in 2007 which aimed to prevent and reduce alcohol use among children and young people by preventing alcohol use, delaying drinking onset and reducing the harm to those who do drink.

First guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

New guidelines to help healthcare professionals in diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have been published by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).

It is estimated that approximately 3.2% of babies born in the UK are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), though the guidance says currently few children are identified or receive support. As such, many children have neurodevelopmental disorders where Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) has not been considered as a possible cause. However early diagnosis and intervention from birth and in the first years of life can make significant differences to the developmental progress of affected children, thus the guidance seeks to improve understanding, identification and care for those affected.