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 countries to consider. In this blog economist Dr Bhattacharya explains what the review looked at. Read more »
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 the policy. Here the lead researcher Professor John Holmes, explains the nuances of the results, with both positive and negative findings for those on both sides of the policy debate. Read more »
Australia and New Zealand struggled for years to bring in mandatory pregnancy warning labels on alcohol products. Maddie Heenan looks at what lessons other countries can learn from their ultimate success. Read more »
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 being published soon, IAS’ Dr Alison Giles looks at what should be done. Read more »
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 the strategy promised. Read more »
A new study assessing alcohol use, reduction and harm among trans and non-binary people is looking to recruit study participants. Read the blog for further information and a link to the participation survey. Read more »
Dr Sadie Boniface looks at the trends in alcohol consumption and harm throughout 2021. Read more »
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’ regarding alcohol consumption, and shows an interesting new finding about men, alcohol and BMI. Read more »
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 UK Government is looking to tackle an epidemic of obesity. Read more »
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 to implement these policies. Read more »
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 much could be saved by enhancing public health policies. Read more »
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 their potential to help understand the causes of alcohol harm inequality. Read more »
For FASD awareness month, Sandra Butcher gives a detailed update on progress made in the improvement of FASD care, with a number of health bodies developing new guidelines. Read more »
Dr Kim Donoghue looks at drug prescription rates for people receiving alcohol treatment and assesses why rates are so low. Read more »
People from lower socioeconomic groups suffer greater rates of alcohol-related hospitalisations. Jennifer Boyd’s study reviewed explanations and theories for why this is the case. Read more »
Richard Cooke and Emma Davies introduce us to a broad range of research into the psychological approach of understanding alcohol consumption.
Professor Emmanual Stamatakis wonders whether the claims of moderate drinking’s benefits have been premised on faulty data
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Insurance is not usually associated with alcohol problems, but there are good reasons for focusing on the two subjects in conjunction, as they give rise to multiple problems, argues Jonathan Goodliffe Read more »
Eva Leal-López argues a combination of alcohol control policies are key to reducing inequalities among adolescents Read more »
Natasha Clarke and Gareth Hollands, Behaviour and Health Research Unit, University of Cambridge Read more »
COVID-19 has put health resilience and preparedness at the forefront of every political debate – How ready were we and our health systems to deal with a public health crisis of this scale? Read more »
We need interventions to address the issue of those who respond to stimuli prematurely, arges Matthew Mayhew Read more »
Part 2 of a blogpost on the history of a groundbreaking labelling study illustrates the level of industry opposition faced by the researchers involved Read more »
Results from the Northern Territories Alcohol Labels study in Canada Read more »
It seems the South African Government, now more than ever, is willing to consider a re-evaluation of the liquor regulatory environment Read more »
Licensing authority control of alcohol availability can have a positive impact on health and crime in a local vicinity Read more »
Abigail Stevely explains the findings of her research Read more »
Dr Tony Rao describes a recent study examining alcohol use by Members of the UK Parliament Read more »
Colin Shevills calls for action on cheap alcohol in England, arguing that the need MUP is ‘becoming hard to ignore’ Read more »
Canadian research group study examines possibility Read more »
Biostatistician Philip Clare on research findings that support the Australian Government’s recommendation that any alcohol consumption in adolescence should be avoided Read more »
Research Coordinator Dr Sadie Boniface explains findings from a localised study looking at alcohol harm Read more »
Sonia Bigot provides a French perspective on Dry January Read more »
Ben Hawkins and Jim McCambridge take a look back at the much hyped scheme and ask what impact it truly had on alcohol policy Read more »
Dr Sadie Boniface and Prof Sir John Strang discuss the need for research to focus attention on those who present only for an initial appointment at drug and alcohol services Read more »
Cross-posted from the Drink Tank website Read more »
Pek Kei Im describes her KBS award-winning paper on the relationship between alcohol consumption and liver disease risk among Chinese men Read more »
Researcher Philippa Case explores findings from a new study on ‘newly defined at-risk drinkers’ following a change to the UK’s low risk drinking guidelines. Crossposted from Alcohol Policy UK Read more »
We need to screen adults for social risk factors if we are to combat the secondhand effects of alcohol Read more »
The relationship between athletes and alcohol is perhaps not as straightforward as it seems at first glance, says academic (and runner) Sian Edwards Read more »
In the wake of the Heineken scandal, Kate Robaina says that the façade of corporate social responsibility initiatives extends far beyond that of the Dutch brewer Read more »
To meet the Secretary of State’s goal of truly prioritising prevention, we need a comprehensive new alcohol strategy, argues Dame Professor Kumar Read more »
Few suicide prevention policies address the influence of alcohol in the process – Nicola Kalk suggests how we might address this issue in the UK Read more »
Royal Life Saving Society Chief Exec Di Steer draws attention to a tragic issue Read more »
Reducing arguments to simplistic – even incoherent – claims and accusations is not good for reasoned, public deliberation, says Professor John Coggon Read more »
How useful are the messages given by Public Health England’s partnership initiative with industry sponsored Drinkaware? Researcher Colin Angus finds out Read more »
More work is needed to explore midwives’ efforts work in implementing the guidelines Read more »
Paul Hayes, outgoing chief executive of Collective Voice, offers his reflections on how alcohol policy has developed over the course of his career Read more »
They may think themselves responsible, but older people may not recognise that their drinking could be a risk to their health, argues Bethany Kate Bareham Read more »
Hannah Ritchie presents a global picture of the state of substance dependency in five colourful charts Read more »
Maddy Dyer invites you to contemplate the relationship between both factors – at her mock pub Read more »
The links are well known, but we need leadership to change things for the better, says Andy Bell Read more »
Insurers may be well placed to step in where support groups struggle, writes Jonathan Goodliffe Read more »
Women receive too many conflicting messages. Let’s just stick to the facts, urges Catherine Gray Read more »
It is unlikely that the aim of informing healthy drinking choices was met, writes Abigail Stevely Read more »
The International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies is a new research tool for estimating alcohol harms Read more »
Jeremy Swain hopes for change to the a tax regime in the 2017 Autumn Budget that will deal with the devastation wreaked by high strength ciders and lagers Read more »
‘The struggle to stop the UK drowning in cheap alcohol can be won, but it requires exceptional powers of endurance,’ writes professor Rob Poole Read more »
Professor Jonathan Shepherd describes discoveries from the Violence Society Group’s investigations into the issue and reveals how alcohol plays a role Read more »
Sandra Butcher reminds us to take a more sober view of findings of the recent research into the effects of alcohol on pregnancy Read more »
New report shows that there is a common ground between the pub trade and public health advocates Read more »
Inaugural event held as part of a movement to get people to be comfortable with not drinking alcohol Read more »
We need to tackle the rising levels of mortality cause by alcoholic liver disease – and fast, warns Professor Roger Williams Read more »
This inaugural public health debate illuminates challenges and opportunities, says Lucy Westerman Read more »
Social Policy scholars from the University of Edinburgh ask whether the public is willing to spend more in so-called ‘sin taxes’ in order to fund its national health service Read more »
Louise Hassan’s project hopes to feed into the policy debate surrounding whether or not alcohol warning labels should be introduced Read more »
A blogpost based on BMJ paper “Association between clinically recorded alcohol consumption and initial presentation of 12 cardiovascular diseases: population based cohort study using linked health records” Read more »
Eurocare welcomes the European Commission’s report recognising a need for better alcohol labelling. But does it go far enough? Read more »
Away from the “cheap political posturing”, policymakers’ decisions on alcohol taxes have real health consequences for people’s lives, says researcher Dr John Holmes Read more »
Mike Nicholas of Thames Reach writes of the destructive effect of high-strength alcohol on the lives of homeless rough sleepers Read more »
As Alcohol Awareness Week 2016 begins, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance and special advisor on alcohol to the RCP, explains what the government should do to communicate the harms associated with alcohol to the public Read more »
Inaction on obesity and alcohol is reflected in the health of the nation. On World Obesity Day, Vanessa Hebditch observes striking similarities in the UK Government’s attitude to both indicators Read more »
As the Alcohol Health Alliance releases a report showing that 7.5 litres of high-strength white cider can be bought for the price of a cinema ticket, Dr Peter Rice paints a potted recent account of the drink through a medical lens Read more »
Harm from alcohol is all too often experienced beyond the individual drinker, says Katherine Brown Read more »
Smriti Bhatta argues that abstaining from alcohol during the period of fecundability is perhaps the ‘wisest choice’ for expectant mothers Read more »
How much of an influence does alcohol have on suicides? Dr Amy Chandler addresses the need for more research on the issue Read more »
The CLeaR self-assessment for alcohol tool, is a new evidence-based approach designed to help “kick-start local conversations between key stakeholders about how to improve the wide range of outcomes affected by harmful drinking”, says Kevin Fenton Read more »
Journalist Phil Cain’s new book attempts to distil the essence of our relationship with alcohol Read more »
We need to work out which policies best balance alcohol’s pleasures against its harms, writes Dr Ben Baumberg Geiger Read more »
Older people represent an increasing proportion of alcohol-related hospital admissions, argues Dr Tony Rao Read more »
In January 2016 the UK Chief Medical Officer (CMO) published new recommendations on drinking guidelines, which advised that pregnant women should avoid alcohol altogether. But what can we learn from other countries that have endorsed such a recommendation, asks Lisa Schölin Read more »