Government alcohol campaigns launched

Two government publicity campaigns began over the summer as part of the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy in England. A key stage of the government’s `Know Your Limits’ campaign began in May, focusing on the number of units of alcohol contained in a range of drinks. In June an anti-binge drinking advertising campaign was launched. Also announced was the Youth Alcohol Action Plan.

Know your limits

The Know Your Limits campaign on alcohol units and the strength of alcoholic drinks was prompted by research showing that there is widespread public confusion. A YouGov poll found that whilst most people (82%) thought that they knew what a unit of alcohol was, the majority (77%) were unable to say how many units were contained in a large glass of wine.

The campaign was welcomed by the Institute of Alcohol Studies as a small step in the right direction. In particular, IAS supported the planned change in terminology from ‘sensible drinking’ to a scale of risk, indicating an acceptance that no level of drinking is without risk. The IAS said that whilst alcohol education campaigns had a poor record of success when used in isolation, they could form an important part of an integrated strategy to improve public health. It added that it would like to see a lowering of the drink-drive limit as part of this larger strategy.

Knowing your units

One reason for the confusion about alcohol units is the gradual increase in strength of both wine and beer. HM Revenue and Customs recently reviewed its estimate of the strength of wine, and found that it had been getting stronger at a faster rate than previously thought. The average strength of wine, previously believed to be 12%, is now thought to be closer to 13%. This compares with 11.4% in 1995. Beer has also increased in strength, from an average of 4.05% in 1995 to 4.2% in 2006, though the latter estimate is also thought to be a little low.

The centrepiece of the new campaign is a series of advertisements for television and radio designed to inform people how many units are in a range of drinks, for example, three units in a large glass of wine, two to three units in a pint of beer (depending on strength) and one unit in a (single) gin and tonic. The emphasis is very strongly on giving people information to make their own decisions about their drinking habits. Public Health Minister, Dawn Primarolo, said, “This is a sophisticated audience. They can handle it.”

In addition to the advertisements, material is being provided to GPs, local councils and other interested groups to provide additional support for people at risk of alcohol-related problems, or who are worried about their drinking.

The way the guidelines are expressed is also changing, though the guidelines themselves stay the same. The terms, ‘sensible,’ ‘hazardous’ and ‘harmful’ drinking are being replaced by ‘lower risk,’ ‘increasing risk’ and ‘higher risk’. This draws attention to the fact that there is a continuum of risk associated with drinking and that even a small amount of alcohol increases the risk of a number of health problems.

The guidelines specify quantities that should not regularly be exceeded, where ‘regularly’ means most days of the week. The ‘lower risk’ guidelines are no more than 3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 units per day for women. An ‘increased risk’ occurs between 3-4 units and 8 units per day for men and between 2-3 units per day and 6 units per day for women. Drinking more than this is classified as ‘higher risk’.

Anti-Binge Drinking campaign

The national advertising campaign to drive home the serious consequences of binge drinking to 18 to 24 year olds was unveiled by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The £4 million campaign, which includes a range of television, radio, print and online adverts, is designed to challenge prevailing attitudes and change behaviour among young adults who binge drink. It poses the question: ‘You wouldn’t start a night like this, so why end it that way?’

The centrepiece of the campaign is two new television adverts that graphically highlight the consequences of binge drinking by reversing the sequence of a night out gone wrong. The adverts show a man and woman getting ready at home for a night out. They end with the man leaving home bloody and damaged and the woman closing her front door with smeared make-up and vomit in her hair.

The television adverts appeared in youth programming before and after a night out to capture people when they were considered to be more responsive, as well as on sport and music channels. The radio adverts targeted youth programming on national and regional stations. Print advertising featured in men’s and women’s magazines such as Nuts, Zoo, NME, FHM, and Loaded and Heat, Closer, Now, Reveal, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

“I am not prepared to tolerate alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder on our streets and this new campaign will challenge people to think twice about the serious consequences of losing control.

“Binge drinking is not only damaging to health but it makes individuals vulnerable to harm. People who are drunk are much more likely to be involved in an accident or assault, be charged with a criminal offence, contract a sexually transmitted disease or have an unplanned pregnancy.

“This campaign reinforces Government action already underway to deal with excessive drinking, including tougher sanctions for licensees who sell to young people, new powers for the police to disperse disruptive drinkers and better education and information for everyone.”

The new adverts were unveiled alongside an innovative window display on Long Acre in central London, which re-enacts scenes from the television campaign. The display ran for two weeks and was complemented by a viral video downloadable via a Bluetooth connection at the site. A team of street marketers were on hand to engage the target audience face-to-face to reinforce the campaign messages. There are plans to recreate the shop window display in town centres up and down the country.

Youth Alcohol Action Plan

At the start of June the government launched its Youth Alcohol Action Plan, also promised in the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. The Plan was announced by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary and Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health.

The Action Plan sets out what the Government intends to do to address drinking by young people. It outlines three main approaches:

• Working with police and the courts to stop underage drinking, making it clear that unsupervised drinking by young people under 18 in public places is unacceptable.

• Recognising that drinking by young people in the home is clearly the responsibility of parents and families, but providing clearer health information for parents and young people about how consumption of alcohol can affect children and young people. The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, will produce clear guidelines for families.

• Working with the alcohol industry to continue the good progress made to reduce the sale of alcohol to under-18s but also in marketing and promoting alcohol in a more responsible way.

The government says that while the proportion of young people who drink regularly has fallen, the consumption of alcohol by those who do drink has risen sharply, and the ways in which young people are drinking have changed. There is a rising trend of young people drinking unsupervised in public places. This puts them and their communities at greater risk, so new measures will be introduced to give the police powers to tackle young people who harm themselves and their communities by persistently drinking unsupervised in public places. This includes the use of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts and Parenting Orders. The government will legislate to make it an offence for under-18s persistently to possess alcohol in public places.

In regard to parental responsibility, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer will develop a new set of guidelines on young people and alcohol. The government says he will work with experts, parents and young people themselves “to consider the age at which children and young people can start to drink alcohol, how much it is sensible for young people to drink, and how far young people’s drinking of alcohol should be supervised by parents.”

Announcing the new package, Ed Balls said: “Tougher enforcement powers are needed to tackle under-age binge drinking but enforcement measures alone are not the solution. We need a culture change about drinking with everyone from parents, the alcohol industry and young people all taking more responsibility.

“We need to fundamentally influence young people’s behaviour and attitudes towards alcohol. This will involve talking to young people themselves but, crucially, parents tell us they want better, clearer information as they bring up their children.”

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

“If you can’t buy alcohol you shouldn’t be able to drink it in public either. Underage drinking erodes the safety and well being of communities as well as damaging young people’s health. It’s not right and I am determined to put a stop to it.”