Consumption

With evidence on alcohol policies being stronger than ever, now is the time for governments to act

Dr Peter Rice, IAS's new chair, looks at the progress in alcohol policy and research this year, and the effect MUP has had in reducing...

Drink? The Good, the Bad and the Moderate

Professor David Nutt explains some of the pharmacological effects of alcohol and gives a few tips on why and how to engage in more mindful...

Do the size of servings, glasses and bottles influence how much people drink?

A review of 15 studies and 1 review to determine whether reducing glass and bottle sizes reduces overall consumption of alcohol.

Digital Support Tool Helps People Reduce Their Drinking

A novel digital support tool finds encouraging results in reducing participants' drinking, compared against online support.

Cost of hidden harm: alcohol’s harm to others

The economic cost of alcohol's harm to others is rarely looked at. In this new study, researchers quantified this cost in Australia - including costs...

The COVID hangover: more urgency is needed to tackle alcohol harm as an indirect effect of the pandemic

Changes in drinking patterns during the pandemic are likely to lead to significant increases in alcohol-related disease cases and subsequent death. Here Dr Sadie Boniface...

Realising our rights: How to protect people from alcohol marketing

Alcohol Focus Scotland's comprehensive marketing report looks at what restrictions should be brought in to help protect the rights and health of people at risk...

Should we have lower drinking guidelines for younger people?

Colin Angus looks at the problems with a new study that suggests different drinking guidelines for different age groups.

Everything you wanted to know about minimum pricing, in one place

The World Health Organization published a comprehensive review of minimum pricing policies on alcohol, including summaries of the most recent evidence on their impact for...

Minimum unit pricing and harmful drinking: Mixed findings should not override the bigger picture

A study on the impact of Scotland's minimum unit pricing on harmful drinkers and those with alcohol dependence received a lot of press attention lambasting...

Healthy life expectancy: why tackling alcohol is key

If the Government is serious about extending healthy life expectancy for all, it must get serious about tackling alcohol. With the Health Disparities White Paper...

Entertainment-education could be a more effective health communication channel for young people in the UK

With children's education on alcohol harm seemingly having little effect, could education through entertainment - such as soap operas - be a new and more...

2012’s Alcohol Strategy 10 years on: was the ‘GAS’ a lot of hot air?

Our Head of Research looks at 2012's Alcohol Strategy a decade on, highlighting the Government's inertia and failure to achieve the vast majority of what...

Help or harm? Exploring the expanding ‘No and Low’ alcohol market in the UK

Dr Emily Nicholls investigates the marketing and consumption of no and low alcohol products and discusses her new report.

2021 alcohol consumption and harm: no signs of a ‘return to normal’

Dr Sadie Boniface looks at the trends in alcohol consumption and harm throughout 2021.

Does alcohol make you fat?

The relationship between alcohol and obesity is extremely complex. Dr Gary O’Donovan looks at what the UK Government can do in their 'war on obesity'...

Does a tipple topple the scales? The science on alcohol and body weight

Does alcohol increase calorie intake? Does alcohol lead to weight gain? Mackenzie Fong's new study looks at these important questions, at a time when the...

Is it time to help alcohol retailers make more money by selling less alcohol?

Public health bodies need to focus on more specific policy aims in order to make a difference and educational campaigns can develop the necessary climate...

Preventing harmful alcohol consumption is an excellent investment for countries

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published an in-depth book that highlights the huge cost of alcohol harm across 52 countries, and models...

How can we use what we already know about health inequality to understand inequalities in alcohol harm?

As part of the Royal College of Physicians action on health inequalities day, our blog post looks at four key theories in health inequality and...