February 2025

The cost of alcohol harm to businesses – podcast feature

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Tabbin Almond, alcohol-freedom coach and author of the recent book: ‘Bottling Up Trouble: How alcohol is harming your business… and what to do about it’. Tabbin shares insights from her work helping people change their relationship with alcohol. We discussed the pro-alcohol workplace culture, its impact on employees and businesses, and the need for structural change. We also delved into her new podcast, The Alcohol Debate.

We are pretty much the only country in the world where alcohol addiction is not a protected disability. Employers encourage drinking, then punish people when it becomes a problem. That needs to change.”

The 50th KBS conference – Glasgow, supported by IAS

The 50th conference of the Kettil Bruun Society (KBS) will be held between the 9-13 June 2025, at the University of Glasgow’s James McCune Smith Learning Hub.

The event is jointly hosted by the Institute for Social Marketing and Health at the University of Stirling and the University of Glasgow, and supported by IAS, Alcohol Change UK, SHAAP, and the Institute of Public Health.

KBS 2025 welcomes formal research or reports from practice on diverse topics. Examples include policy analysis and evaluation, alcohol cultures and practices including in minority or underserved populations, health and public service impacts plus many more.

IAS will host a lunchtime seminar on the topic of research and the policy process (title and day TBC). The seminar will:

• Be designed for early career researchers
• Give an overview of how research is fed into the policy process (alongside many competing factors)
• Offer guidance for engaging with civil society organisations to enhance policy relevance of research design and impact of findings

A deadly trend: alcohol-specific deaths hit another record high

Alcohol-specific deaths hit another record high in the UK in 2023, with 10,473 people dying, according to the Office for National Statistics. This is an increase of 4.2% since 2022 and 38% since 2019.

The figure belies what happened in constituent countries, with the increase in deaths from 2022 to 2023 mostly due to increases in England and Wales, which saw increases of 4.6% and 15.6% respectively. There was no increase in deaths in Scotland over this period and a slight decrease in Northern Ireland.

In England alone, alcohol-related hospital admissions in 2023 were over 1 million for the first time (using the broad measure).

IAS’s Chief Executive Dr Katherine Severi said this cannot become the “new normal” and the government must prioritise tackling alcohol harm in 2025:

For the Government’s Growth and Health Missions to succeed, we need measures that are proven effective at reducing alcohol harm. Minimum Unit Pricing for alcohol has reduced alcohol-specific deaths by 13% in Scotland, with the greatest benefits seen among the most disadvantaged communities. We hope this will be a keystone policy in a national alcohol strategy, which is urgently needed.”

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said:

Today’s figures paint a bleak picture of the ongoing harm caused by alcohol across the UK. It is unacceptable that year after year, we continue to see alcohol deaths rise while action from government remains woefully inadequate.

Just as we have seen strong political will to tackle the harms caused by tobacco, junk food, and gambling, we must apply the same urgency and commitment to reducing alcohol harm. Without meaningful intervention, these figures will continue to rise, and more lives will be lost.”

Ash Singleton, Director of Research and Public Affairs at Alcohol Change UK, highlighted that these deaths represent the tip of the iceberg, as there are thousands more alcohol-related deaths from conditions including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

IAS has developed a short briefing to explain the different terminology used regarding alcohol deaths: ‘Alcohol-specific and alcohol-related deaths: what does it all mean?’ We have also developed a short film to help explain the topic:

The Guardian followed up on the news with a piece looking into more depth at the statistics. It stated that there appears to be a “stark difference in drinking behaviour between the generations”, with people in their 50s and 60s drinking more and experiencing far greater alcohol-related harm than younger or older people. The piece highlighted the difference in policy direction between each country in the UK, with Dr Katherine Severi stating that:

The increase in alcohol-specific deaths in the UK is mainly driven by a sharp rise in England, which accounted for 86% of the additional deaths in 2023 [compared to 2022]. A key difference between England and Scotland is the political effort put into tackling alcohol harm in recent years.

Alcohol has become much more affordable in real terms in recent years, due to successful lobbying by alcohol trade associations for tax breaks. This has led directly to more people drinking at higher levels, which has contributed to increased deaths.”

This policy difference is clearly highlighted by the closing gap in the alcohol death rate between Scotland and England over the past two decades:

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said:

It is unacceptable that alcohol deaths have reached a record high. Urgent action is crucial, which is why we are investing an additional £267 million in drug and alcohol treatment in 2024/25, to ensure more people receive better quality support.”

In related news

DHSC announced that the Public Health Grant – which funds health services and other interventions via local authorities – will expand to £3.858 billion, a cash increase of 5.4% (and 3% in real terms) on last year’s funding. This was welcomed by public health groups after a decade of real-term cuts.

A day after the announcement, Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked after he was found to have “sent a string of offensive and abusive WhatsApp messages”, stated the BBC. Gwynne was replaced by Ashley Dalton, Member of Parliament for West Lancashire since a 2023 by-election.

The Impact of Alcohol on our Healthcare Services: Explained

As alcohol-related deaths reach record highs and NHS services face growing pressure, our latest Explained film highlights why a stronger, integrated approach to alcohol treatment is urgently needed.

Featuring Professor Julia Sinclair, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, and Dr Dominique Florin, the film explores:

• the impact of service fragmentation
• the consequences of underfunding
• and the steps needed to rebuild effective pathways to care.

It makes the case for a national alcohol strategy to ensure that people experiencing alcohol dependence receive the support they need.

Drinkaware’s conflict of interest made clear

A Private Eye article [paywall] has reported a conflict of interest at the heart of Drinkaware.

The charity – which consistently claims to be ‘independent’ of the industry – received a letter from 25 alcohol companies including Diageo, Heineken, and AB InBev stating that they felt there was a “disconnect between the organisation’s stated objectives and its current work plan”. According to the article, this was after the charity’s new CEO Karen Tyrell (who joined in 2022) had been pushing for the charity to do more, including advocating for an “alcohol harm reduction strategy”.

The industry demanded that their “donations” (or funding) were mapped on to “signed-off investment plans”. As the article states, this would mean the industry would “effectively have power to veto ideas it didn’t like”. The letter also called for annual meetings where the charity would have to account for its work before the next round of funding was confirmed.

Drinkaware made some concessions, but instead of agreeing to the industry deciding on projects alone, the charity suggested that a “tripartite working group” – made up of the industry, Drinkaware, and government representatives – signed off projects. Private Eye states this wasn’t acceptable to the industry, which said it would only agree with government involvement if there was “alignment on agenda” beforehand and more wide-ranging financial transparency” from Drinkaware. Industry staff also critiqued individual points from a financial overview document.

Ironically, the initial letter had stated that the companies “want to see [Drinkaware’s] independence protected”.

Alcohol labelling: a public health priority

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for mandatory health warning labels on alcoholic beverages across Europe, highlighting alcohol’s link to cancer. A new WHO report found that prominent cancer warnings significantly increased awareness, whereas QR codes – favoured by the industry – are largely ignored by consumers.

In The Guardian, Dr Katherine Severi criticised the UK’s lax regulations, noting that:

In the UK we’ve got into a ludicrous situation where a bottle of orange juice or milk require more information on their label than a bottle of wine or vodka. Our inadequate regulations have for too long favoured alcohol companies over the health of the public.”

Cancer Research UK’s Malcolm Clarke emphasised that clear labels would help raise awareness of alcohol’s role in causing seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancer.

However, the alcohol industry continues to resist. The Portman Group, the industry trade group that self-regulates alcohol labelling, argued that cancer warnings can:

create unnecessary anxiety, eroding trust in health advice and alienating the very people who require support.”

SpiritsEurope’s Ulrich Adam dismissed health warning labels as ineffective, claiming they fail to change behaviour significantly.

To try to maintain control, the Portman Group has commissioned an audit of UK alcohol marketing practices. Critics argue this self-regulation tactic prevents mandatory government policies.

The push for alcohol health warnings is gaining momentum, particularly after the US Surgeon General’s recent call for cancer warnings.

Australia’s Northern Territory repeals minimum unit pricing

The Conservative government of Australia’s Northern Territory, which introduced minimum unit pricing in 2018, the same year as Scotland, has scrapped the policy, with health and Aboriginal groups criticising the decision.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) NT said the policy was “a crucial measure to reduce alcohol-related harm” and warned that scrapping it was a “backward step”. It’s President Dr Robert Parker said: “MUP has contributed to significant reductions in alcohol-related harm, and its removal could reverse these gains,” he said, citing research showing it successfully reduced cask wine and total wine consumption.

A 2021 study found that sales of cask wine in the region had fallen by 50.6%, showing it was successfully targeting the cheapest products. A 2023 study found that the policy, alongside police auxiliary liquor inspectors, led to a significant reduction in alcohol-related assaults across the region, including a 14% reduction in Darwin/Palmerston. And a 2022 study of the wastewater in the Northern Territory suggested that MUP did lead to an immediate drop in alcohol consumption but that this almost returned to pre-MUP levels after 15 months.

In defending the government’s decision, NT Attorney General Marie-Clare Boothby stated that policy must be “responsible, targeted, and evidence-based”.

In Drinks Trade, industry figures welcomed the decision, with CEO of Retail Drinks Australia stating that:

We congratulate Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, for acting on the CLP’s election promise to repeal the MUP which failed to address alcohol-related harm whilst punishing the vast majority of Territorians who drank responsibly.”

IAS will publish a blog looking at the topic in more depth soon.

300 pubs closed in England and Wales in 2024

Figures from the BBPA show that 300 pubs closed in England and Wales in 2024, around 6 a week, and that 4,500 jobs were lost across the sector.

The number of pubs has fallen from 47,613 in 2019 to 45,345 in 2024, a drop of 2,268.

CEO Emma McClarkin said the government must “phase in new employment costs so pubs can keep boosting the economy and remain at the heart of the community.”

Similarly, in February the Society of Independent Brewers (Siba) said that the number of independent breweries in Britian declined at its fastest rate in 2024, with 100 fewer at the end of the year. This bucks the trend, as, since 2002 – when Gordon Brown introduced tax breaks for small brewers – the number of small breweries has consistently grown.

Siba said that the main issues are aggressive competition from big brewers, rising costs, and consumers reducing spending. Margins have also been eroded by wage and ingredient inflation.

Andy Slee, Chief Executive of Siba, said:

Given the demand for independent beer isn’t being met locally, you have to wonder whether more local beer in community pubs would help pub closure rates as well.”

Anti-competitive licensing in Northern Ireland

Continuing on the theme of pubs, research by the University of Stirling has found that licensing practices in Northern Ireland are allowing established businesses to restrict competition, damaging the pub sector.

The “surrender principle” means that there are a set number of licenses in Northern Ireland, so an existing business needs to “surrender” its licence if a new pub or off-licence is to open. The review found that most surrendered licences are bought by supermarkets and convenience stores which can afford to pay more than new pub businesses.

Dr James Nicholls, one of the report’s authors, said the pub sector in Northern Ireland is in long-term decline:

Under the current licensing system, most pubs that close are replaced by off-licences, while the reverse is almost never the case.”

By addressing the high cost of licences on the private market and an objections system that benefits incumbent businesses – both of which can stifle innovation and reduce diversity.”

Alcohol Toolkit Study: update

The monthly data collected is from English households and began in March 2014. Each month involves a new representative sample of approximately 1,700 adults aged 16 and over.

See more data on the project website here.

Prevalence of increasing and higher risk drinking (AUDIT-C)

Increasing and higher risk drinking defined as those scoring >4 AUDIT-C. A-C1: Professional to clerical occupation C2-E: Manual occupation

Currently trying to restrict consumption

A-C1: Professional to clerical occupation C2-E: Manual occupation; Question: Are you currently trying to restrict your alcohol consumption e.g. by drinking less, choosing lower strength alcohol or using smaller glasses? Are you currently trying to restrict your alcohol consumption e.g. by drinking less, choosing lower strength alcohol or using smaller glasses?

Serious past-year attempts to cut down or stop

Question 1: How many attempts to restrict your alcohol consumption have you made in the last 12 months (e.g. by drinking less, choosing lower strength alcohol or using smaller glasses)? Please include all attempts you have made in the last 12 months, whether or not they were successful, AND any attempt that you are currently making. Q2: During your most recent attempt to restrict your alcohol consumption, was it a serious attempt to cut down on your drinking permanently? A-C1: Professional to clerical occupation C2-E: Manual occupation