Policies

The rules that govern the rules: why meta-regulation matters for public health

Dr Kathrin Lauber and Dr Eleanor Brooks scrutinise the crucial role of meta-regulation in health policy, using the EU's Better Regulation agenda as a focal...

Acceptable, accessible and affordable – but at what cost?

Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health for Gateshead, discusses why it is becoming increasingly important to implement evidence-based policies to reduce alcohol consumption and harm.

Why are particular alcohol policies adopted in some contexts and not others, and what is the role of the alcohol industry in these developments?

How can post-structuralist discourse theory be used to help explain industry framing of alcohol policy in the UK? And how has the emotive power of...

“The best me probably would be better without alcohol”: What women told us about the sober curious movement

The sober curious movement could offer an opportunity for public health authorities to develop new campaigns and interventions aimed at supporting women to drink less....

Changing the Conversation About Alcohol: A New Partnership Will Leverage Policy to Tackle Alcohol-Related Harms

RESET Alcohol intends to reduce alcohol-related harms in hard-hit countries through policy change. Led by Vital Strategies, it brings together governments, civil society, research organizations,...

What happened with UK alcohol consumption and harm in 2022?

What were the trends in alcohol consumption and harm in the UK in 2022, and how might this affect future harm?

Get the facts – on the label

Dr Sheila Gilheany of Alcohol Action Ireland charts the progress in alcohol labelling changes in Ireland, and how the industry has even downplayed the link...

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...

Government flip-flopping and alcohol industry lobbying risks an increase in harm

Freezing and unfreezing planned rises in alcohol duty highlights the Government’s lack of consistency and the whisky industry’s bizarre economic claims.

“Pub-ageddon!” How alcohol licensing changes during COVID-19 lockdown were portrayed in UK news media

Changes in alcohol licensing throughout the COVID lockdowns were portrayed by the UK media in different ways as the pandemic developed. Generally this moved from...

How does the Late Night Levy spur change in the night-time economy?

The Late Night Levy is a fee paid by alcohol retailers in some areas open after midnight, which is used to fund police and licensing...

Think Before You Drink: How can we improve alcohol health warning labels?

What is the problem with current alcohol labelling and how could labels be improved to help reduce harm? A comprehensive look at the research surrounding...

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...

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...

What can the UK learn from Australia and New Zealand’s fight for mandatory alcohol warning labels?

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...

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.

Under the influence: is the alcohol industry using the World Trade Organization to lobby against alcohol policies?

World Trade Organization member states regularly use alcohol industry arguments to prevent and delay the implementation of effective alcohol control policies. Here Dr Barlow explains...