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Category Archives: UK Alcohol Policy

Minimum pricing: influence, politics and… waiting

Since the Queen's speech failed to confirm whether Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) truly has has been ditched, the jostling, debate and politics surrounding the issue goes on.

Latest from the IBA blog: discussion forum launched; AUDIT Vs shorter tools; INEBRIA 2013; alcohol and the workplace; IBA – making it happen? &…

The alcohol IBA blog was set up to promote learning, understanding and the delivery of IBA through news, links and ideas on IBA from a range of contributors.  The blog now has a discussion forum for anyone to share their views, comments or questions on any IBA issues.  Recent posts from the IBA blog are highlighted below: Full AUDIT screening Vs shorter tools (FAST, AUDIT-C etc) for IBA The 10 question full AUDIT is the ‘gold standard’ screening tool for the identification of alcohol use disorders.

Scotland’s Licensing Act evaluation indicates progress – lessons for England?

An evaluation of Scotland's Licensing 2005 Act has been released , reporting positive impacts such as fewer irresponsible promotions and benefits of an appointed Licensing Standards Officer (LSO) for each council. Download the Licensing (Scotland) Act Evaluation Final Report.pdf   Scotland's Licensing Act came into effect in September 2009 and outlaws promotions providing alcohol free of charge, or at a discounted price on the purchase of one or more drinks. It also bans licensed premises from offering happy hours, drinking games or speed drinking deals.

News & updates May 2013: ‘middle class drinkers know better’; MPs admit to ‘unhealthy drinking culture’; other news

Some recent media stories and other reports are highlighted below. 'Middle classes are in denial' or 'know better than experts' were recent headlines responding to research published in the BMC

Latest guidance offering to commissioners of drug and alcohol services

A new guidance document for commissioning drug and alcohol services has been released by the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (JCPMH).   Guidance for commissioners of drug and alcohol services [pdf] presents an overview of key considerations for those with local remits for developing treatment services

Scotland’s multi-buy promotions ban sees decrease in off-trade alcohol sales

NHS Health Scotland have published a report that evaluates the impact of the Alcohol etc (Scotland) Act on off-trade alcohol sales in Scotland. The report found the introduction of the Act, which included a ban on multi-buy promotions, was associated with an overall 2.6% decrease in off-trade alcohol sales, largely driven by a 4% decline in off-trade wine sales. The Act was also associated with an 8.5% decline in pre-mixed alcohol beverages, although these account for a very small proportion of the overall off-trade market.

Alcohol consumption in adolescence and early adult life: What are the consequences? CLOSER event presentations

This month an event took place exploring 'Alcohol consumption in adolescence and early adult life: What are the consequences?' . It was organised by the Cohorts and Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources (CLOSER), a consortium of the UK’s leading birth cohort and longitudinal studies. 'High alcohol consumption – especially among young people – continues to be a major social and public health concern in the UK.

Alcohol Research UK 2013 annual conference FEAD videos

Alcohol Research UK's 2013 conference took place on 12 March 2013, exploring alcohol and British society. Now videos of the conference have been made available via the the Film Exchange on Drugs & Alcohol (FEAD), and the presentations are also available.

Events May – June 2013: FASD; history and future of drug and alcohol regulation & more

A number of upcoming events coming up shortly may be of interest: Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Evidence, Policy and Practice This week Middlesex University host a free evening seminar: Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Evidence, Policy and Practice taking place on Thursday 16 May , 5pm- 7-30pm in North London.

No announcement on England’s minimum pricing decision as Scotland gets legal go ahead

Rumours that the Queen's speech would confirm whether Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) had been scrapped were proven false this week. However when later asked in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister David Cameron promised to deliver a 'package of measures' to deal with cheap alcohol: “On minimum pricing for alcohol, it is important that we take action to deal with deeply discounted alcohol, with cans of lager sometimes selling for as little as 25p in supermarkets. We will be bringing forward a package of measures, and it is important that we get this right.” Recently Home Office minister Jeremy Brown had said the Government was yet to confirm its decision on MUP and were listening to “powerfull arguments on both sides” following the consultation.