The physical and mental health effects of alcohol

Summary Introduction Alcohol affects health in a variety of ways; virtually every system of the human body can be damaged by its harmful consumption. The...

Measure for measure: calculating alcohol consumption

Summary Introduction Data on alcohol consumption is usually calculated by the self-reported drinking habits of randomly selected respondents in surveys, or by collated receipts of...

A brief history of the UK’s low risk drinking guidelines

Summary Introduction The current low risk drinking guidelines were introduced in 2016, the product of an inquiry initiated by the House of Commons Science and...

Licensing in practice: the availability of alcohol in UK society

Summary Introduction The legal availability of alcohol is generally accepted to be one of the main controls on levels of alcohol consumption and harm. Licensing...

Licensing law

Summary Introduction Licensing laws control where, when and to whom alcohol can be sold or supplied. Licensing is governed by the Licensing Act 2003 in...

Alcohol and Marketing

Alcohol marketing includes advertising in traditional media outlets such as print, television and radio, promotional activities in online and social media, and sponsorship of sporting...

Minimum pricing of alcohol

Summary Introduction In recent years, minimum alcohol pricing has attracted substantial attention in a number of countries. Minimum pricing is not a tax, but rather...

A brief history of alcohol duty

Summary Introduction Governments have levied taxes on alcohol for centuries, and today the vast majority of countries apply specific excise duties to at least some...

Patterns in alcohol-related violence: exploring recent declines in alcohol-related violence in England and Wales

Figures from the UK Office for National Statistics (2021a) suggest that alcohol-related violence in England and Wales has been declining – both as a total...

IAS response to consultation on Late Night Levy Fees

Alcohol in the workplace

Summary Introduction Official statistics show that employed people are more likely to drink heavily than unemployed people [1], and that the proportion of workers drinking...

Spring Budget 2023 – IAS submission

People, Planet, or Profit: alcohol’s impact on a sustainable future

Alcohol has rarely been considered from a sustainability angle. Between 2021 and 2022, we ran a four-part webinar series on ‘Alcohol and Sustainability’, with expert...

Corporate Political Activity of the Alcohol and Gambling Industries

Background There is growing evidence that unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) use the same strategies to influence policy decisions in line with their commercial interests. For...

IAS response to consultation on the Redesign of the Crime Survey for England and Wales

The COVID Hangover: summary report

The COVID Hangover: addressing long-term health impacts of changes in alcohol consumption during the pandemic

Drinking patterns in England changed during the COVID-19 pandemic There has been an increase in the number of higher risk drinkers, and the heaviest drinkers...

IAS response to consultation on Mental health and wellbeing plan

IAS response to consultation on the Online Advertising Programme

IAS response to consultation on MUP in Northern Ireland