News
Current licensing practices may have contributed to an increase in “pre-loading” among young people
The policy implications of “pre-loading” are discussed in a recent issue of Addiction.
“Pre-loading”, also called “front-loading” or in America,
“pre-drinking”, involves planned heavy drinking, usually at someone’s
home, before setting out to a social event. The authors argue that the
banning of drink promotions such as having a “happy hour” and later
opening times may have contributed to what they claim is a “common and
celebrated practice among young adults around the world.”
To discourage or reduce pre-loading, authors Samantha Wells,
Kathryn Graham and John Purcell suggest a comprehensive strategy
including:
The research paper can be found here.
A separate commentary on the issue is provided by Robin Room and Michael Livingstone, here, and a reply by the authors is here.