Archives

Register for Lucy Bryant (IAS) and Dr Carly Lightowlers’ (University of Liverpool) talk on the socio-economic distribution of alcohol-related violence. Read more »

Three projects chosen from a competitive field of entrants Read more »

UK Supreme Court “unanimously dismisses” Scotch Whisky case Read more »

Only 8% of people know what the low-risk weekly guideline actually is Read more »

Annual totals at their highest level this decade Read more »

Doctors claim heavy drinking will kill 63,000 people over next five years Read more »

Survey provides more evidence for minimum unit pricing Read more »

Minimum unit pricing is one of the five Bills of new government Read more »

Report acknowledges impact of alcohol on children’s life chances Read more »

Lords Committee report critical of ‘fundamentally flawed’ Act, while backing minimum unit pricing Read more »

Cutting alcohol duty benefits UK economy less than industry claims, report says Read more »

66% of the public back increased tax on cider Read more »

Current controls on alcohol marketing are failing to prevent the association between youth exposure and subsequent drinking Read more »

Glasgow research finds news stories depict female drinkers as “inconvenient burdens” compared with their male drinking companions Read more »

Letter urges Philip Hammond to take action ahead of the 2017 Spring Budget Read more »

Public opinion polls show 77% of public in favour Read more »

Exposure to alcohol marketing of all kinds linked to adolescents’ alcohol use over time Read more »

Admissions, deaths, and prescriptions up on previous years, according to new data Read more »

F1 glorifies new sponsorship deal with drinks company Read more »

New proposal fails to take NGOs concerns into consideration; maintains a self-regulatory policy approach Read more »

Improving public knowledge about alcohol harm will increase government appetite for regulation Read more »

Open letter to Transport Secretary comes as drink-driving bill is debated in the House of Lords Read more »

University study finds half of get-togethers with friends or family involve increased or higher risk drinking Read more »

Report finds the 2003 Licensing Act has been commonly interpreted to the advantage of the licenced trade over past decade Read more »

Public mood is supportive of a lower limit, says report Read more »

Journal paper calls for ‘a full, holistic review of the costs of alcohol’ Read more »

New report reveals that alcohol taxes fail to reflect full social costs of drinking Read more »

… but deaths from related conditions, such as cancer, rise by 1% Read more »

Study shows increased risky drinking amongst schoolchildren and adult athletes exposed to alcohol sports sponsorship Read more »

A minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol would be more effective in reducing health inequalities and cutting consumption among heavy drinkers than increases in current alcohol taxes Read more »

Australia’s alcohol brands take advantage of ‘super consumers’ according to FARE report Read more »

Link between alcohol and cancer link leads to new recommended guidelines for units Read more »

SHAAP among numerous health bodies supporting judgment ahead of final ruling from Scottish Court of Session Read more »

IAS welcomes the move to adopt the resolution Read more »

Joint alcohol and drugs dataset for England shows those in their forties are most likely to receive help Read more »

The health implications of this forecast are disturbing for developing countries, argues Professor Jeff Collin Read more »

A new report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, Alcohol’s Impact on Emergency Services, reveals the full extent of the toll alcohol takes on emergency services in England Read more »

Nearly a third (31%) of drivers that drink admit to driving when over the legal alcohol limit – equivalent to 10 million UK adults – according to a recent survey Read more »

A new study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine founds that the signatories to the Public Health Responsibility Deal alcohol labelling pledge are not fully meeting their pledge Read more »

Rebuttal of IEA paper exposes limitations of analysis of the costs and benefits Read more »

UK Government ‘broadly agrees’ with findings of House of Lords inquiry and calls for new EU Alcohol Strategy Read more »

New report reveals impact of alcohol on other people’s safety, sheds light on neglected area of alcohol-related harm Read more »

New Statistics on Alcohol release shows figures for admissions and purchases of drugs for alcohol dependency continuing to creep upwards Read more »

New report shows impact of minimum alcohol prices in British Colombia, Canada Read more »

Raising awareness of the link between alcohol and the seven different types of cancer Read more »

Public Health NGOs have today resigned from the EU Alcohol and Health Forum, following the announcement by Commissioner Andriukaitis that he has no plans to establish a new EU Alcohol Strategy Read more »

The figures in the latest update to the Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE) data tool show alcohol admission rates to hospitals on the rise across several categories Read more »

Formula One alcohol sponsorship exposes audience to alcohol brands every five seconds Read more »

European Parliament ratifies resolution that includes calorie labelling of alcoholic drinks Read more »

Committee report criticises absence of EU Alcohol Strategy; calls for effective legislation at Commission level Read more »

Number of accidents in 2013 may be highest since 2009, with nearly 10% of drivers in their twenties admitting to drink-driving Read more »

New data tells familiar story. Proportion of alcohol-related crimes also accounts for two-thirds of violent incidents between strangers Read more »

Calls come after new survey shows primary school children are more familiar with beer brands than biscuits Read more »

Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 proposals include minimum unit pricing, warning labels on packaging and new restrictions on advertising, marketing and sponsorship Read more »

Labour’s new approach to public health pledges to take tougher action to protect children from “the harm caused by alcohol, sugar and smoke”, says Andy Burnham MP Read more »

First ever analysis of relationship between alcohol sales data and alcohol-related deaths finds a positive correlation between the two Read more »

Fewer than half of people aware of the links between alcohol and cancer, according to survey Read more »

Fewer alcohol only on-sales and round-the-clock licences among overall increases in personal and premises licences Read more »

2014 report shows positive effects of falling consumption, but there is still some way to go Read more »

Council’s compensation claim rejected by the Court of Appeal Read more »

Eurocare calls for action to reduce alcohol-related harm ahead of the 6th European Alcohol Policy Conference Read more »

Reduced limit will come into effect on December 5 Read more »

More clients admitted to more new treatment journeys, but also more problem drinkers successfully treated Read more »

Public Health Wales Observatory findings show the stark challenges caused by alcohol Read more »

And the greatest effects would be in harmful drinkers, say experts Read more »

New paper by historian Peter Catterall looks at the changing attitudes of the party to alcohol legislation Read more »

Do you know what is in your drink? Public health experts attend Brussels event to find out why European Union consumers are kept in dark over alcohol Read more »

Drinking and driving for women drivers is the ‘new normal’ as one in six say they’ve driven whilst over the legal limit in the past year Read more »

Doctors take battle to implement “Scotland the Brave’s” alcohol minimum unit price policy to Brussels Read more »

Fifth report of its kind shows 60% of respondents in favour of pricing legislation Read more »

Number of deaths ‘not significantly different’ from previous year, according to the Department of Transport Read more »

MPs unveil 10-point plan for combatting alcohol misuse Read more »

Specially commissioned report finds ‘indisputable evidence that the price of alcohol matters’, says health minister Read more »

The Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) of drugs for treating alcohol dependence reached a record high of £3.13m in 2013, a rise of 6.7% on 2012 (£2.93 million) Read more »

Results from the newly published Welsh Health Survey 2013 show no change in the proportion of adults who exceeded the recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption Read more »

Worldwide, 3.3 million deaths in 2012 were due to harmful use of alcohol, says a new report launched by WHO today Read more »

Case to be referred to the European Court of Justice; clarification sought on ‘technical matters’ Read more »

Appeals to withdraw a television advertisement highlighting the link between alcohol and cancer have been rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today Read more »

Researchers from Cardiff University have suggested that higher alcohol prices and less binge drinking may explain a 12% drop in the number of people admitted to hospitals in England and Wales for treatment following violence last year Read more »

The Welsh Government proposes to introduce a minimum price for alcohol of 50 pence per unit to ‘reduce the harms associated with alcohol overuse and misuse’, according to a Public Health White Paper published today Read more »

A group of health experts led by Alcohol Focus Scotland have published an open letter urging the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) to drop their lawsuit against the Scottish Government over minimum unit pricing without further delay Read more »

The Coalition Government has decided to proceed with its proposal of a national relaxation of licensing hours for England’s Football World Cup campaign later this year, in spite of opposition from police and health bodies Read more »

England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has delivered a stinging criticism of the practices of alcohol retailers, describing the selling methods used to attract consumers to purchase alcohol as ‘irresponsible’ Read more »

Researchers at the Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University have produced updated figures on the impact of alcohol on population health in England Read more »

The vast majority of deaths caused by liver disease could be prevented, according to the outcomes of an inquiry launched today by the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group (APPHG) Read more »

The UK Government has decided not to proceed with the proposal to abolish the system of personal alcohol licences, in response to stakeholder feedback during a two-month consultation by the Home Office Read more »

In today’s Budget announcement, Chancellor George Osborne has scrapped the alcohol duty escalator, meaning that alcohol duties will not rise 2% above inflation as previously planned Read more »

Writing on bmj.com, IAS Director Katherine Brown says that the UK chancellor should resist industry lobbying to scrap the annual rise in alcohol duty because ‘society simply can’t afford for such cheap drink to get cheaper’ Read more »

The British Medical Association (BMA) has urged Members of the European Parliament (MEP) to do more to combat alcohol harms in Europe by introducing comprehensive, evidence-based population-level measures to reduce alcohol consumption Read more »

A report released by the House of Commons Health Select Committee today has criticised Public Health England (PHE) for not having a clear official position on minimum unit pricing (MUP) as an effective evidence-based measure for tackling alcohol misuse Read more »

The latest NHS Scotland figures show a consistent downtrend trend in alcohol-related discharges from Scotland’s general acute hospitals, however the proportion of patients from deprived areas remains significantly high Read more »

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics [ONS] reveal the extent to which alcoholic liver disease contributes to alcohol-related deaths in the UK Read more »

The Alcohol Health Alliance has written to Chancellor George Osborne urging him to stand firm and maintain the alcohol duty escalator in the 2014 budget Read more »

The results of a new study showing that a minimum unit price of 45p would reduce deaths and hospital admissions among high risk drinkers but have negligible effects on low-income moderate drinkers’ have been published in The Lancet Read more »

The Home Office releases definitive guidance on legislation banning the sale of alcohol below cost today, amid renewed criticism that the policy will do little to reduce alcohol-related problems Read more »

The World Health Organisation warns of a ‘tidal wave’ of cancer cases occurring over the next 20 years following the release of its third World Cancer Report 2014 Read more »

Today, the British Medical Association (BMA) published new guidance for addressing the issue of alcohol misuse in the workplace Read more »

England’s first motorway service station pub launches today, amid fierce criticism from road safety and health campaigners who warn that it will encourage drink-driving Read more »

A study published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found that pubs, bars and nightclubs regularly flout legislation preventing the sale of alcohol to people who appear highly intoxicated Read more »

Recovery-orientated drug and alcohol treatment centres across England are set to benefit from new government investment of £10 million Read more »

A BMJ investigation today reveals the ‘extraordinary level of access’ granted by the government to the alcohol industry as it fought successfully last year to kill off a minimum unit pricing policy in England and Wales Read more »

Research published in the Alcohol and Alcoholism journal finds that regulation lacks the adequate safeguards to protect UK children from online alcohol marketing. Read more »

The Health Survey for England – 2012 suggests that the level of risky drinking remains constant among regular drinkers, despite slight falls in the proportion of drinkers and the frequency of drinking compared with previous years Read more »

New Office for National Statistics display evidence of a continuing high level of heavy drinking among young women Read more »

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) has today published an analysis of submissions to the Home Office consultation on minimum pricing that indicates public support for the policy was greater than previously thought Read more »

Balance North East has launched a new hard hitting health campaign warning against the cancer causing effects of alcohol Read more »

Home Office statistics show a significant increase in the number of premises owning 24-hour licences to sell alcohol since the Coalition Government came to power Read more »

In partnership with Mentor UK and the ADEPIS project, Adfam has published Identifing and supporting children affected by parental substance use: resource for schools Read more »

Initial, brief applications for this programme are now invited. Proposals should take into consideration our current research priorities Read more »

The system for treating alcohol dependence among adults in England is performing well overall for those accessing services, according to Public Health England (PHE) Read more »

We are sad to report the death of Roy Grantham CBE, a former chairman of the Alliance House Foundation who was closely involved with the IAS since its inception Read more »

Hospital Episode Statistics [HES] for 2012/13 published today show that there were 295,000 hospital admissions wholly attributable to alcohol in England Read more »

Professor Christine Griffin from the UKCTAS Department of Psychology is calling for tighter regulations around alcohol marketing aimed at young people who use social network sites Read more »

Pubs and clubs in the centre of Newcastle will be charged for selling alcohol after midnight from Friday Read more »

Report published ahead of the Irish Government’s recent decision to introduce minimum alcohol pricing as part of its Public Health (Alcohol) Bill Read more »

Today, the Irish Government announced its intention to proceed with the introduction of a minimum price regime for alcohol as part of an extensive package of measures aimed at addressing the problem of alcohol misuse Read more »

New annual figures on alcohol treatment activity in England produced by the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) show continued increases in both patient take-up and successfully completed treatments Read more »

A newly published review of currently available scientific literature shows that exposure to online alcohol marketing leads to advancing the onset of alcohol consumption, increasing the amount consumed, as well as the frequency of consumption Read more »

Newly revised figures released by the Department of Transport today estimate that there were 280 deaths caused by drink drive accidents in 2012, accounting for 16% of all road deaths Read more »

Newcastle City Council has introduced a minimum unit price condition for all new licences and applications for licence variation across the on and off-trade Read more »

A newly published UK report on birth outcomes related to alcohol consumption claims to be the first study to discover a clear link between binge drinking and the increased risk of SGA (small for gestational age weight babies) among mothers Read more »

The Home Office opened its consultation on enabling targeted, local alternatives to personal licences to sell alcohol today Read more »

NHS Health Scotland figures released today show that 10.9 litres of pure alcohol was sold per adult in 2012, a fall of 3% per person on the previous year Read more »

In an evaluation of beer advertising code regulations aimed to encourage responsible advertising practices, new research from the American Journal of Public Health finds that content violations still occur Read more »

Provisional drink-driving figures released by the Department of Transport today estimate that 290 deaths were caused by drink drive accidents in 2012, 17% of all reported road fatalities Read more »

Newly published data from the Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) reveal that the North East of England has the highest proportion of pupils who have ever drunk alcohol Read more »

New research has shown a marked increase in alcohol-related mortality among women in their 30s and 40s, contrary to the recent overall picture of falling numbers of deaths in England and Scotland Read more »

New research commissioned by the Government as part of its consultation on the Alcohol Strategy confirms that minimum unit pricing (MUP) is far more effective at tackling harm than banning ‘below cost sales’ of alcohol Read more »

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office was quizzed by peers in the House of Lords over government plans to publish its response to the consultation on the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol Read more »

Charity’s research highlights the growing problem of alcohol misuse among the capital’s homeless. Read more »

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act (PRSRA) 2011 gave local authorities the power to introduce a Late Night Levy on licensed premises opening after midnight Read more »

The latest National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death [NCEPOD] report, Measuring the Units, finds that hospitals are missing opportunities to provide early intervention in the care of people with alcohol-related illnesses Read more »

Immediate changes to the way alcohol is advertised, backed up by a complete ban on advertising at all sporting, cultural and music events, are needed to protect children and young people from excessive exposure to alcohol advertising, says Alcohol Concern Read more »

The number of drugs prescriptions for alcohol dependency in England is at an all-time high, according to figures from Statistics on Alcohol in England 2013 Read more »

North East police officers are feeling the first-hand impact of alcohol misuse with over 80% being subjected to an alcohol-related assault during their career – and one in five being assaulted six or more times Read more »

Scotland’s highest civil court has rejected a legal challenge to the Scottish Government’s plan to implement a minimum price per unit of alcohol Read more »

Provisional figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show that in 2012, nearly half of liver disease admissions to hospitals in England were for alcoholic liver disease Read more »

The World Health Organisation has spoken out against industry involvement in alcohol policy at the national level, with the intention of using its safeguards against conflicts of interest in future interactions with global alcohol producers Read more »

More than 500 public health professionals, health scientists and NGO representatives from 60 countries have signed a joint Statement of Concern about the activities of the global alcohol producers Read more »

Premature death from chronic liver disease is rising in England, largely as a result of lifestyle issues such as alcohol abuse, drug-taking and obesity Read more »

A new report from the Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) has found that hospital admissions for alcohol-related cancer in England have jumped 28% in just eight years Read more »

The legality of minimum alcohol pricing under EU law is being challenged in the courts. Here, at the invitation of IAS, solicitor Jonanthan Goodliffe examines the issue Read more »

Provisions from European legal instruments with commentary, by Jonathan Goodliffe, solicitor Read more »

The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) today urges the Government to stand firm on its commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol (MUP) Read more »

Scientists have today spoken out against criticisms from the drinks industry of research on the effects of minimum pricing Read more »

Newly published survey data shows a wide gap in the alcohol consumption habits of different age groups, with over 45s twice as likely to drink on 5 days or more than younger age groups Read more »

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP announced his plan to reduce the number of deaths occurring from alcohol misuse in parliament Read more »

More than 70 health organisations from across the UK have backed a new independent alcohol strategy calling for the UK Government to prioritise Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP), amongst a set of key policies aimed at curbing the nation’s drink problem Read more »

Drinking over the limits could be much higher than previously thought, with more than three quarters of people in England exceeding the limits on their heaviest drinking day, according to a new paper in the European Journal of Public Health Read more »

A report published today by the FASD Trust proposes to clear up confusion over current clinical guidelines on alcohol consumption for women during pregnancy Read more »

The Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) is appealing to the international public health community to support an open letter to the WHO outlining concerns about the actions of the global alcohol producers Read more »

A new study from Canada has found a link between increases in minimum pricing and a fall in the number of alcohol-related deaths Read more »

Today the University of Sheffield’s Alcohol Research Group (SARG) released a detailed response to a critique of the effectiveness of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol published last year by the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) Read more »

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show an increase in the number of female alcohol-related deaths in the UK in 2011 Read more »

Newly published data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) reports a rise in the number of new patients being treated for alcohol problems for the fourth year running Read more »

The legal challenge to the Scottish Government’s plans to implement a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol will begin today at the Court of Session in Edinburgh Read more »

Findings published in the Lancet today show that alcohol now poses an even greater threat to global health than poor sanitation, air pollution, and malnutrition. Read more »

The Home Office has launched its consultation into the Alcohol Strategy today. In a written statement to MPs read out in Parliament, Home Secretary Theresa May MP announced the Government’s intention to set a minimum price per unit for the sale of alcohol. Read more »

Comprehensive action is needed to stop the rising tide of liver disease, is one of the key findings to emerge from Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies first annual report on the state of the public health. Read more »

IAS adds its voice to calls from the Alcohol Health Alliance for the Government to set the minimum price per unit of alcohol at 50 pence in a letter published in the Sunday Times on 18 November. Read more »

Tackling the harm caused by alcohol is one of the key topics included in NICE’s latest set of local government public health briefings, published last week (31 October). Read more »

MSPs have voted to back the Scottish National Party’s [SNP] plan to cut the drink-drive limit from the current UK-wide level of 80mg of alcohol to 50mg, following a consultation that ends on 29 November. Read more »

Hospital Episode Statistics [HES] for 2011/12 published today show a rise in the number of admissions wholly attributable to alcohol to a record high of 304,200. Read more »

This National Statistics release contains figures on the issue by licensing authorities of premises licences, club premises certificates, personal licences, 24 hour and late night refreshment licences and other measures under the Act. Read more »

Consumers tend to switch to less potent alcoholic beverages when minimum prices are raised for cheap, strong drinks, according to new research from the Centre for Addictions Research of BC [CARBC] in Canada. The report – released today in the American Journal of Public Health – also indicates the measure successfully reduces the consumption of ethanol, the harmful ingredient of alcoholic drinks, and so lowers the risk of harmful health effects. Read more »

The Institute of Alcohol Studies welcomes today’s ruling to grant Scotland’s national alcohol charity permission to intervene in a legal challenge to the Scottish Minimum Pricing Bill. Read more »

The Scottish Government is seeking views on its proposals to lower the drink drive limit. Read more »

Recent survey data, exploring young people’s attitudes towards alcohol, challenges the assumption that drinking is an integral part of growing up. Read more »

Figures from the annual Alcohol in England report published today by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care show a huge increase in the number of prescription drugs used to treat alcohol dependency over the last eight years. Read more »

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has announced plans to slash the drink-drive limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg by the end of the year. Read more »

The Scottish government has confirmed that it will set the minimum price of alcohol at 50p per unit, five pence higher than expected. Read more »

The Prime Minister will today meet doctors, nurses, paramedics and local police on a visit to a hospital in the North East to highlight the cost of alcohol to the NHS Read more »

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has issued a statement that she has been assured that the principle of minimum pricing is entirely compatible with EU law. Read more »

The Office of National Statistics today released figures showing that alcohol-related deaths in the UK increased in 2010 to 8,790. This figure is higher than 2009, when 8,664 alcohol-related deaths were recorded. Read more »

The Science and Technology Committee have released a report urging the Government to review its sensible drinking guidelines. The report, published today, is the result of an inquiry held at the end of last year, to which IAS gave evidence. MPs on the Committee conclude that greater efforts should also be focused on helping people… Read more »

David Cameron today declared he would overrule Cabinet colleagues to push through plans setting a minimum price for alcohol, it has been reported. Officials have been ordered to draw up proposals for a 40-50p unit floor price in English shops and supermarkets, according to the Daily Telegraph. Read more »

Yesterday (14 December), IAS joined leading health experts in writing a letter to the Daily Telegraph to ask the Coalition Government to tackle the problem of cheap alcohol. The letter came ahead of a debate in Westminster Hall, called by Dr Sarah Wollaston Read more »

On 31 October 2011, the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament. Read more »

The House of Commons Health Select Committee has issued a report this week critiquing the Coalition Government’s planned changes to the public health system in England.   Read more »

NICE has  published a good practice guide for the clinical management of alcohol misuse. The guide supports commissioners to design services to improve the identification and treatment of hazardous drinking, harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in children, young people and adults. The guide can help the NHS and local authorities to make best use of resources. Read more »

A study of over 15,000 children by the think tank Demos shows parenting style is one of the most important and statistically reliable influences on whether a child will drink responsibly in adolescence and adulthood. Read more »

A report published today by the House of Lords Science and Technology sub-committee states that the Government’s ‘nudge’ agenda is unlikely to change behaviour at a population level, and will not have a significant impact on reducing levels of alcohol harm. Read more »

The Department of Health provides guidance to the public on alcohol intake. Read more »

The IAS has joined forces with over 100 NGOs around the world to sign a statement of concern about conflicts of interest between the commercial sector and public health policy objectives. Read more »

A report published today, Friday 17 June 2011, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, examines the drinking behaviours of young people in England and the main influences on their alcohol consumption. Read more »

The eighth plenary meeting of the European Alcohol Health Forum took place in Brussels on 8th April 2011. Read more »

New figures released on 26 May show that alcohol-related hospital admissions in England topped 1 million for the first time in 2009/10. Read more »

Today, Friday 15th April 2011, the Scottish National Party (SNP) launched its manifesto for the Scottish parliamentary election due to be held in May this year. Read more »

A study published in the BMJ on 8th April 2011 reports that one in 10 male cancers and one in 33 female cancers can be attributed to former and current alcohol consumption in eight European countries. Read more »

On 30th March 2011 Dr Sarah Wollaston MP presented a Private Member’s Bill urging the Government to adopt a new approach to protect UK children from alcohol advertising. Read more »

Transport Committee Report on Drink and Drug Driving Law In its first report to the new parliament, the Transport Committee is calling on ministers to strengthen police enforcement of the drink-drive limit. They also call on ministers to retain the current 12-month mandatory disqualification minimum penalty. Launching the report, committee chair Louise Ellman said: 
… Read more »

The Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE 2010) have been released  by the North West Public Health Observatory, based in the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University. Read more »

Proposals for tough new measures to crack down on problem premises and more powers for local communities to influence licensing decisions were unveiled by the government today. Read more »

The Government is committed to reviewing alcohol taxation and pricing to tackle problem drinking without unfairly penalising pubs, responsible drinkers or local industry. Here you can find further information about
the continuing work on the review. Read more »

30% of Children Scared by Adults’ Drinking A survey by BBC’s Newsround found that almost a third (30%) of children feel scared
when they see adults drinking. Read more »

In his emergency budget delivered today, Chancellor George Osborne has announced that that there will be no increase in alcohol duty at this time and that the increase in duty on cider, introduced just three months ago, will be reversed. This increase in cider duty was a small step towards reducing the discrepancy in duty between cider and beer…. Read more »

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), sometimes called the UK Government’s ‘health watchdog’, has called for the introduction of minimum pricing of alcohol and for consideration to be given to a ban on alcohol advertising. The calls are made in the latest NICE publications. Read more »

Measures to regulate the sale of alcohol are included in the Crime and Policing section of the Coalition’s ‘Programme for Government’, but licensing remains within the remit the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, being the responsibility of John Penrose MP, Minister for Tourism and Heritage. Read more »

UK as bad as the US for lifestyle-related cancers. Read more »

The Chancellor of the Exchequor has stuck to the alcohol duty escalator announced in the 2008 budget, and increased duty on most alcoholic drinks by 2% above the rate of inflation. Read more »

Following opposition from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, amongst others, the culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has excluded alcohol, smoking accessories, junk food (foods high in fat, sugar or salt), over-the-counter medicines, baby food and gambling from new rules allowing product placement in UK-made TV programmes. Read more »

Child alcohol crime increased by 28% in four years Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that a total of nearly 40,000 under 18s have been fined, cautioned or taken to court for alcohol-related offences between 2003 and 2007. Over this period, the number has increased by 28%, from 6,764 in 2003 to 8,686 in… Read more »

Call for evidence on alcohol bill launched Views on minimum pricing of alcohol, off-sales discounts and raising the alcohol sales age to 21, have all been called for today by the Health and Sport Committee. A call for evidence on the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Bill was launched by the committee after the Bill was introduced… Read more »

Prof David Nutt sacked from Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, asked Prof David Nutt to step down from the ACMD, as he has “lost confidence in your ability to advise me as Chair of the ACMD.” This follows the publication of a briefing paper by Prof Nutt, based… Read more »

Fears of drink spiking distract from the dangers of alcohol A new study of the perceptions of risk found that young people, especially women, may be so scared of having their drink spiked that they completely overlook the dangers of alcohol itself. The study, conducted at three UK universities in parallel with a similar study… Read more »

The BMA calls for a comprehensive alcohol control strategy In a report by Prof Gerard Hastings and Kathryn Angus of Stirling University and the Open University, the British Medical Association calls for the UK governments to move away from partnership with the alcohol industry and to impose a range of control policies. The report, entitled… Read more »

Fall in Alcohol Sales Figures released by HMRC show a fall in the volume of alcohol sold in the UK in the financial year 2008/09. Reduced consumption was seen in all classes of alcoholic drink apart from cider, which showed a 1% increase, following much larger increases in recent years. Sales of wine fell by… Read more »

Summer drink drive campaign results The Association of Chief Police Officers (APCO) has released the results of this summer’s drink drive campaign. Compared with 2008, the total number of breath tests administered rose by 32% from 91,848 to 121,398 and the number of tests that were positive, failed or refused dropped from 7.6% of tests… Read more »

Campaign for Smarter Drinking The drinks industry has announced a £100M campaign to promote responsible drinking, due to be launched in September. The campaign, to run over five years, targets binge drinkers and includes advice such as eating before drinking and alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks. The tagline is ‘Why let a good night… Read more »

Alcohol is responsible for 11% of male deaths and 2% of female deaths in Europe A new study of the global burden of disease attributable to alcohol has found that Europe has the highest level of alcohol attributable deaths and the highest burden of disability-adjusted life years lost (DALYs) in the world. Alcohol accounts for… Read more »

Alcohol in Britain: trends show young men are binge-drinking less, but women are binge-drinking more Research released today (6 May 2009) shows that the proportion of women who binge-drink almost doubled between 1998 and 2006 and is now at 15% (men who binge-drink increased by 1% to 23%).  However, the proportion of 16- to 24-year-old… Read more »

Press statement Low price alcohol still No 1 problem, say NHS staff A snapshot survey of doctors and nurses treating patients with alcohol related harm showed that many believe that public health campaigns are not effective and that action on sales of low priced alcohol is the most important weapon for tackling the rising tide… Read more »

Cheap alcohol is killing us and our quality of life, says Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, today published his 2008 Annual Report, in which he called for society to recognise the effect of ‘passive drinking’ on society. He wants to see a shift in public opinion on alcohol similar to the… Read more »

Licensed trade body telling stories about tax The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers claims that “The Treasury could be £217 million worse off this year” following increases in the rate of alcohol duty. They base this claim on the fact that duty receipts for January 2009 (reflecting sales in December 2008; published by HMRC) were… Read more »

House of Lords Sleaze Probe One of the peers being reported to the police in the ‘cash for amendments’ scandal is Baroness Coussins, the former director of the alcohol industry’s Portman Group. BARONESS COUSSINS The former chief executive of the Portman Group, an organisation funded by the drinks industry “to promote responsible behaviour”, was ennobled… Read more »

Five-Point Plan for Alcohol-Free Childhood For the first time, young people and their parents will have clear guidance on alcohol consumption. The guidance, announced today by Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, is published for consultation. It will recommend that young people up to the age of 15 should avoid alcohol altogether and emphasises the… Read more »

A new meta-analysis shows that alcohol taxes have a clear effect on drinking On the basis of over 100 studies, researchers have found that “when prices go down, people drink more, and when prices go up, people drink less.” Researchers Alexander Wagenaar, Matthew Salois and Kelli Komro at the University of Florida College of Medicine… Read more »

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… Read more »

No Cure for Hangovers Scientists at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in the UK, and Utrech in the Netherlands, have examined studies of the effectiveness of hangover treatments and concluded that the most effective way to avoid hangover symptoms is to “practise abstinence or moderation.” Max Pittler, Joris Verster and Edzard Ernst reviewed published… Read more »

New data published on alcohol consumption in England Both the Health Survey for England and the Local Alcohol Profiles for England have published new statistics this week. Health Survey for England Summary results for adults: 90% of men and 84% of women said they drank alcohol at least occasionally. The majority of adults had drunk… Read more »

Sheffield report analyses effects of alcohol pricing and promotion policies Sheffield report analyses effects of alcohol pricing and promotion policies A University of Sheffield report, commissioned by the Department of Health to help Government Ministers decide future alcohol policy, shows that policies which lead to price increases reduce alcohol consumption and can have significant effects… Read more »

Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, and Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, today responding to the Queen’s speech said: “Although the Government’s commitment to improve public health is welcome, it is disappointing that how they intend to achieve it was not set out more clearly. We consider the evidence base,… Read more »

Alcohol duties raised but net tax decrease! Increase in duties not enough to offset the cut in VAT. In the 2008 Pre-Budget Report the government has pledged to raise the level of duty on all alcoholic products. This change will come into place from 1 December 2008. With VAT to be cut from 17.5 %… Read more »

Lower alcohol limit needed to reduce deaths on our roads, says BMA Commenting on the launch of the Road Safety Compliance consultation published (Thursday, 20th November 2008), BMA Head of Science and Ethics, Dr Vivienne Nathanson said: “There are a number of sensible ideas in this consultation which if adopted will help improve the nation’s… Read more »

Home Affairs Committee calls for ban on alcohol promotions A Home Affairs Select Committee report on policing has found that alcohol-related crime is straining the resources of the police force, taking officers away from dealing with other types of crime, and from being a visible presence in local communities. The report notes that since the… Read more »

Scottish Parliament vote to keep alcohol purchase age of 18 SMPs voted 72 to 47 in favour of the motion, “That the Parliament rejects the Scottish Government’s proposals to raise the age limit for purchasing alcohol from off-licences and supermarkets from 18 to 21.” The proposal was just one of a raft of measures put… Read more »

Scots drink more than English and Welsh New analysis of sales figures, conducted by Nielsen for the Scottish Government, show that Scots drink an average of 11.8 litres of pure alcohol per adult, per year compared with 9.9 litres in England and Wales (2007 figures). Both north and south of the border, the figures remained… Read more »

Major Government Reviews on Alcohol The government has published reviews on the effectiveness of self-regulation of the alcohol industry, labelling, the effects of pricing and promotion on consumption and harm, and the cost of alcohol to the NHS. These are available here…. Read more »

Industry voluntary code “Not fit for purpose” A report commissioned by the government has found that self-regulation of the alcohol industry is failing to uphold voluntarily-agreed standards. “In the current trading climate the commercial imperative generally overrides adherence” to the code, it says. The study, conducted by KPMG, was commissioned by the government to evaluate… Read more »

Depression linked to moderate drinking A new study on mice has found that two weeks’ abstinence following ‘moderate’ drinking (not enough to produce dependence) lead to depression-like behaviour. This has been widely reported as evidence that drinking protects against depression, but this is like saying that the way to avoid hangovers is to keep drinking…. Read more »

Anti-binge drink ads launched The next stage of the government’s Know Your Limits campaign, launched today, targets 18-24 yr-old binge drinkers. The advertisements show young people preparing for a night out, smearing vomit in their hair and deliberately injuring themselves. They challenge their audience with the question, “You wouldn’t start a night like this, so… Read more »

Bikinis make men impulsive It’s long been known that sex sells, but previous research has assumed that this effect is specific to the product being advertised. This ranges from the very direct, “If you use this deodorant, you will be chased by sexy women,” to a more general halo effect, in which good feelings generated… Read more »

Young and Alcohol – A new approach launched in Government Action Plan A comprehensive plan to stop young people drinking in public; help them make the right decisions about alcohol; and provide clear information to parents and young people about the risks of early drinking was announced today (2nd June 2008) by Ed Balls, Jacqui… Read more »

Young and Alcohol – A new approach launched in Government Action Plan Institute of Alcohol Studies Comment IAS welcome the Youth Alcohol Action Plan as an overdue step in the right direction. We welcome particularly the setting up of an expert panel to advise the Chief Medical Officer on the evidence in regard to alcohol… Read more »

Alcohol-related hospital admissions have more than doubled since 1966 According to the NHS Information Centre report, “Statistics on Alcohol in England, 2008,” the number of hospital admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis specifically related to alcohol has increased from 93,459 in 1995/96 to 207,788 in 2006/07. Secondary diagnoses include, for example, a patient admitted… Read more »

Higher retail alcohol sales increase the risk of suffering serious assault In a new paper, Joel Ray and colleagues use a population-based case-crossover design to show that a doubling in the level of usual daily alcohol sales from retail outlets in Ontario is associated with a 13% higher relative risk of hospitalisation for assault. The… Read more »

2008 Budget: Tax increases on alcohol Duty on alcoholic drinks has been increased by 6% more than the rate of inflation. In his address to the House of Commons, the Chancellor said, “Mr Deputy Speaker, as incomes have risen, alcohol has become more affordable. In 1997, the average bottle of wine bought in a supermarket… Read more »

Review of the Licensing Act 2003 – IAS Comment The Licensing Act 2003 was brought in at the behest of the licensed trade, to their benefit at the expense of the wider community. The government promised that this legislation would reduce alcohol-elated crime and disorder by putting an end to binge drinking allegedly caused by… Read more »

Stronger government action needed to tackle the epidemic of alcohol misuse, says new BMA report A new hard-hitting report1 ‘Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic’ launched today (Thursday 21 February 2008) by the BMA calls on the government to show leadership and implement a full range of effective control policies that will reduce the burden… Read more »

Home Secretary’s Speech on Tackling Drunken Violence and Disorder The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, spoke to an audience of police, local authority licensing officers and representatives from the alcohol and retail industries about problem drinking.  She made clear that the focus of her concern “is squarely on the serious harm that alcohol misuse can cause… Read more »

Men drink twice as much alcohol as women Men are drinking twice as much alcohol as women according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics – 18.7 units a week, on average, compared with 9.0 units. A report on smoking and drinking among adults, which uses data from the 2006 General Household Survey… Read more »

Alcohol and Mortality in the Over 50s Two studies published this week, conducted in Britain and Denmark, report on the combined effects of exercise and alcohol on the risk of death (from any cause). Both studies found that moderate drinkers (less than 14 units per week) had a lower risk of dying in the ten… Read more »

Anti-drinking campaign ads may be counterproductive Some anti-drinking advertising campaigns may be “catastrophically misconceived” because they play on the entertaining ‘drinking stories’ that young people use to mark their social identity, say researchers who have just completed a three year study of the subject. Adverts that show drunken incidents, such as being thrown out of… Read more »

We’re Drinking More Than We Thought We Were The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revised the way that alcohol consumption is calculated from surveys of drinking habits. The government surveys that  provide most of the official statistics on alcohol consumption have always assumed that there is one unit of alcohol in half a pint… Read more »

How can the public be expected to count their alcohol units when the government doesn’t know how many units are in a glass of wine? The Department of Health has updated the alcohol advice leaflet, “How much is too much?” which was first published last year. According to the official description, “Information is provided on… Read more »

The House of Lords debated the Harm Reduction Strategy To view the whole debate follow the link below: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/71018-0003.htm#07101815000012… Read more »

Local Alcohol Profiles for England: New Figures Released The alcohol profiles for every local authority in England were published online today by the North West Public Health Observatory, Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University. Figures show the percentage of adults drinking at “hazardous” levels – regularly drinking between 22 to 50 units a… Read more »

Forty years of the breathalyser: RoSPA calls for lower drink-drive limit Tuesday 9th October marks the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the drink-drive limit in the UK, and the roadside testing that enforces it. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is calling a reduction of the limit from its current level… Read more »

Zero tolerance of alcohol misuse In her speech to the labour conference, the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith said, “I’ve zero tolerance of anti-social behaviour, and zero tolerance of its causes. Causes like alcohol misuse. So from Monday, we are giving councils and police new powers to take the licences away from dodgy premises. We should… Read more »

Alcohol increases the Risk of Breast Cancer, Whatever the Type of Drink A US study of more than 70,000 women, over two decades, has concluded that the type of alcohol drunk, whether wine, beer or spirits (liquor), has no impact on the risk of breast cancer. It is the alcohol itself, and the quantity consumed,… Read more »

Drinking in 11-15-year-olds in England, 2006 The number of under-age drinkers may be falling, but the amount they drink is increasing, especially amongst the youngest drinkers. Most obtained alcohol from family or friends, but of those who tried to buy it from a shop, pub or club, most 15 year olds claimed to have been… Read more »

Bar Staff have Doubled Risk of Death from Alcohol Consumption A new report from the Office of National Statistics reveals that bar staff and publicans are approximately twice as likely to die from alcohol consumption as the general population. Other people working in catering, hospitality and entertainment also have an increased risk, as do hairdressers… Read more »

Treasury refusing to think of children’s health over alcopops taxes, says Institute of Alcohol Studies Higher taxes on alcohol – and particularly the alcopops targeted at adolescents – would reduce the toll of binge-drinking among young people. The Health Secretary, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and nearly the entire health research community knows it –… Read more »

‘Early Days” For Licensing Act 2003 Warns Institute of Alcohol Studies The Licensing Act 2003, came into force one year ago today. A much contested and controversial legislation, the Act transferred responsibilities for licensing from the Magistrates Court to Local Authorities, in order to allow, in principle, a more comprehensive, localised approach to the issues… Read more »

‘European Commission releases landmark alcohol report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies’ The European Commission has today released the first-ever comprehensive study of alcohol in the EU, which has been written by the Institute of Alcohol Studies over the past two years. The full report is available from the EU’s Health Portal: and the Institute… Read more »

Government uses statistical sleight of hand `prove’ Licensing Act cuts crime. The carefully selected crime statistics released by the Home Office on 8 February fail to justify the claims being made by the Government and sections of the alcohol industry that the Licensing Act 2003 succeeded in cutting violent crime during its first month of… Read more »

“Violence down amid pub law change” Violent crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales fell by 11% at the end of last year, despite longer pub opening hours coming in, figures show. Read the full BBC NEWS Story. Institute of Alcohol Studies Response The carefully selected crime statistics released by the Home Office… Read more »

Institute of Alcohol Studies says binge drinking blitz is only sticking plaster DeHavilland Report – News Comment Summary The Institute of Alcohol Studies today described the Home Office’s Christmas binge drinking crackdown as ‘a sticking plaster’ solution from a government that had failed to prevent the nation’s city centres from becoming a ‘battlefield’. IAS director… Read more »

Government in the pocket of the Alcohol Industry IAS attacks Portman Group influence The drink industry’s hand is plainly visible in the Interim Analytical Report on the long-awaited national alcohol policy is the view of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, published in the current edition of its journal, Alert. “…the report contains one particularly glaring… Read more »

The national alcohol strategy in the hands of the drink industry The long-delayed national alcohol policy will be dictated by the drink industry. This is the accusation levelled at the Government by the Institute of Alcohol Studies. In the edition of Alert No 2 2002 published today the IAS says that responsibility for the strategy… Read more »

The Government’s refusal to lower the drink drive limit is a broken promise that will cost lives, the IAS said today in response to the announcement that the 80mg% limit is to be retained Read more »

Young drinkers receive a death warning Institute of Alcohol Studies calls for government action to stem the tide of dangerous drinking among young people. The IAS today called for government action to contain the barrage of alcohol industry marketing that contributes to the British culture of binge drinking, particularly among the young. The Institute also… Read more »

10 per cent increase in drink-drive casualties – IAS condemns Government’s record The IAS today accused the Government of shameful neglect of the drink-drive problem, and of caving in to vested interests. The comments were prompted by the release of figures showing that, despite a fall in the overall number of deaths and injuries in… Read more »

The Labour Government’s record on drink driving casts doubt on whether it can be trusted to deal with the endemic alcohol problem Two and a half years ago the Government declared its intention to lower the legal limit for drink driving to 50 mgs%. Failing to act has cost the lives of at least 125… Read more »

IAS Condemns Delay in Tackling Drink Driving Responding to the Government’s White Paper on road safety, the IAS said that while it was delighted the Government still intends to lower the legal alcohol limit, it was dismayed by its delay in actually introducing this and other measures. The IAS said: “There is no valid reason… Read more »

Majority Oppose Late Night Drinking Most people are opposed to extending drinking hours, especially in residential areas. The huge majority are in favour of local residents having the right to object to late night opening and are opposed to any reduction in the legal drinking age. Over three quarters are against petrol stations being allowed… Read more »

Combating Drink-Driving – Next Steps A Consultation Document Letter to Lord Whitty Since the end of the consultation period, 20 months have elapsed during which time the Government has been able to formulate policy with regard to life saving and injury preventing road safety measures, particularly in relation to a lower legal limit and police… Read more »

1999 Budget Excise Duties – Brown accused of political cynicism The Chancellor of the Exchequer decision to freeze excise duties on alcohol while raising them on tobacco is an exercise in political cynicism, the IAS said. If the problem of smuggling is not to be allowed to undermine health policy on tobacco, as the Chancellor… Read more »

Lowering Drink Drive Limit Could Save Over 200 Lives A Year Lowering the drink drive limit is the most important element in the package of measures needed if the Labour Government wishes to crown the road safety success begun by a previous Labour Government under Barbara Castle. The beneficial effect on road fatalities of reducing… Read more »

The IAS Welcomes New Drink Drive Proposals The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) today welcomed the Government’s proposals to combat drink driving, especially the lowering of the limit to 50mg, in the White Paper ‘Combating Drink-Driving – Next Steps’. Speaking for the IAS, Derek Rutherford said, “It is 30 years since the 80 mgs limit… Read more »

UK Presidency of the Council of Ministers gives Britain the opportunity to introduce a 50mg limit. A reduction in the Drink Drive limit to 50 mgs could save between 100 and 300 lives a year. Lowering the limit affects drivers at all blood alcohol levels and therefore is one of the most effective measures for… Read more »

Barbara Castle’s Social Revolution – May Have Saved Over 62,000 Lives “Everyone has cause to be grateful for the courage of Barbara Castle who pioneered the greatest life saving Act in road safety which may have prevented over 62,000 people from being killed on our roads – equivalent to an average MP’s constituency – over… Read more »

Luncheon to honour the Rt Hon Baroness Castle and the 30th Anniversary of the introduction of the breath test To mark the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the breath test, a luncheon to honour Baroness Castle will be held at the Law Society on the 9th of October 1997 at 12.30pm (invitation only). The… Read more »

George Howarth Serves up a ‘Bucks Fizz’ “George Howarth, Home Office Minister, has served a bucks fizz with his measures to deal with alcopops”, says Derek Rutherford commenting on today’s announcement. Whilst we welcome measures which help to enforce the law to curb under age drinking and protect minors, we believe that the proof of… Read more »

Missed opportunity to curb underage drinking The Institute of Alcohol Studies expressed disappointment at the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s refusal to hike the tax on ‘alcopops’ in today’s budget speech. In a statement, IAS Director Derek Rutherford said that the Chancellor had declined an opportunity to tackle a serious and growing problem. The public were… Read more »

Alcohol-related death & disability ranks in world order with measles, tuberculosis and malaria Alcohol causes three to four per cent of global death and disability putting it on a level with measles, tuberculosis and malaria and is five times more severe than illegal drugs in terms of impact on global health. These facts will be… Read more »

The ‘Alcopops’ Scandal The drinks industry has behaved so cynically and irresponsibly in promoting ‘alcopops’ despite or perhaps because of their attraction to children and young people that it cannot be left to regulate itself, said Derek Rutherford, director of the IAS. Derek Rutherford was speaking in support of the Daily Express’ initiative to seek… Read more »

Drink drive cases up over Christmas – IAS Comment The 18 per cent increase in the number of motorists caught drinking and driving over the Christmas and New Year period, and the 4 per cent increase in the number of alcohol related road accidents, provides further evidence that the anti-drink drive campaign is floundering and… Read more »

A 50mg limit could produce a saving of 200 lives each year The increase in the number of alcohol-related road deaths in 1995 may not have happened had last Christmas the Secretary of State announced the lowering of the legal limit for drinking and driving (alcohol-related road deaths increased by 7.5% – from 540 in… Read more »