SARG - SCHARR

A line chart showing cash-terms (i.e. unadjusted for inflation) alcohol duty rates by type of alcohol since 1979. These have increased steadily over time, particularly between 2008-2013 under the 'duty escalator', except for under the previous coalition/Conservative government when they fell or remained at the same levels for almost a decade.

The same graph, but after adjusting for inflation. This tells a very different story with the lines all trending down over time, except for the duty escalator period, when they rose briefly. Overall alcohol duty rates are much lower now in real terms than they have been at almost any point in the previous 40-odd years.

A few thoughts on alcohol duty ahead of the budget (and an excuse to update some old graphs).

These two show the important of accounting for inflation - in cash terms alcohol duty rates are higher than ever before, but in real terms they are at historically low levels.

Professor John Holmes contributes to major new report outlining actions to tackle alcohol harm - Sheffield Addictions Research Group SARG Director Professor John Holmes was part of an expert panel that supported the development of 'A Healthier Future: A long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK', a significant new report pu...

SARG Director @jholmessheff.bsky.social was part of an expert panel that supported the development of 'A Healthier Future: A long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK', a significant new report published by the Institute of Alcohol Studies @ias.org.uk this week. @fohsheffield.bsky.social

Our new paper discusses the challenge of how clinicians and other treatment providers should respond to the use of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) products by patients with, or at risk of developing, severe alcohol-related health problems including AUD and ARLD. #PublicHealth #AlcoholHarm

Smoking cessation after referral from hospital to community stop smoking services: an observational study Introduction In England, acute National Health Service (NHS) hospitals routinely ask patients about smoking status on admission, offering in-hospital treatment for tobacco dependence and support for q...

The latest publication from our evaluation of the QUIT hospital-based tobacco dependence treatment service is now available. It investigates patient flows from hospital to community stop smoking services and subsequent quitting outcomes. Find out more about this work at quit.sites.sheffield.ac.uk

Parvati Perman-Howe, Abi Stevely, Nathan Critchlow and Inge Kersbergen at the SSA Annual Conference

Huge thanks to everyone who joined our symposium on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks at the @addiction-ssa.org Annual Conference last week! 📸 @ppermanhowe.bsky.social @abi-stevely.bsky.social Nathan Critchlow and Inge Kersbergen. Find out more about our No/Lo Project: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/no-lo

SARG researchers present on economic modelling and wastewater surveillance at European Public Health Conference - Sheffield Addictions Research Group Two researchers from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), Dr Charlotte Head and Dr Esther Chanakira, will showcase innovative local-level tools for policy design, including economic modelli...

More conference activity for SARG next week as @charlierosehead.bsky.social and Esther Chanakira head to Helsinki to present work from the @lhgp.bsky.social research programme at the European Public Health Conference #EPH2025 #PublicHealth

Why are alcohol-free drinks so expensive? Some fake spirits cost over £25 a bottle! In this new series, our money and consumer editor considers the often perplexing reasons items cost what they do. As a new report suggests booze-free booze can cost 25% more than the alcoholic equival...

Great to see findings from our @nihr.bsky.social funded No/Lo Project in this @theguardian.com article about no/lo drink pricing, along with comments from project lead @jholmessheff.bsky.social Find out more about the project and download the referenced report here: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/no-lo

SARG to present latest research on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks at SSA Annual Conference 2025 - Sheffield Addictions Research Group Researchers from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) are set to present their latest findings on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks at the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) Annual C...

SARG researchers @abi-stevely.bsky.social @ppermanhowe.bsky.social and @mervemolla.bsky.social are heading to the @addiction-ssa.org Annual Conference to present some of our latest research into alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks. Find out more on the SARG website 👇 #publichealth #nolo

This is a hugely important editorial that sets out how UK Government proposals to reform alcohol licensing will undermine the entire purpose of the licensing system. It will explicitly move the focus from protecting public health and social order to promoting economic goals and business priorities.

Amber Copeland presenting at the SARG Monthly Meeting

Great to hear from @ambercopeland.bsky.social today about her new @wellcometrust.bsky.social fellowship! Her work focuses on modelling how contextual factors influence alcohol consumption. Find out more on the SARG website: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/projects/a-n... #AddictionResearch #PublicHealth

A line chart showing the changes in real-terms prices (i.e. after adjusting for overall inflation) in the 13 separate food and drink categories that ONS reports between January 2021 and September 2025. Oils and fats have seen the biggest increases, by far, of almost 40%, while most other food and drink groups have increased by 5-15%. Only beer, fruit, spirits, fish and wine have seen a real-terms fall in prices over this period.

Alcoholic drinks, along with fruit and fish, are the only food and drink category to have got cheaper, in real terms, since the start of the cost-of-living crisis.

Beer has got slightly more expensive in real terms since the end of 2022, but wine and spirits remain at late 2022 prices.

A line chart showing the trends in alcohol-specific deaths in England and Wales (separately) between 2013 and 2024. Both lines show a similar pattern, although Wales' figures are consistently slightly higher. The trend was fairly stable until 2019, then increased sharply during the pandemic, but has fallen back slightly in 2024 from the 2023 peak.

New data shows that the rate of alcohol-specific deaths in England & Wales *fell* in 2024 by 7.8%, but remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

This is the first fall since 2018, and is certainly good news, but the no. of people who sadly died from these causes in 2024 is still 1/3 higher than 2019

I spoke to @samuelacuff.bsky.social and @noahemery.bsky.social on their Addiction Psychologist podcast about the evidence on minimum unit pricing for alcohol. You can listen below: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

The use of alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks in attempts to restrict alcohol consumption: findings from a cross-sectional survey The sale and consumption of alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks (no/lo drinks) has increased substantially in many high-income countries, including Gr…

The latest paper from our @nihr.bsky.social funded No/Lo Project finds that around a third of people use alcohol-free or low-alcohol drinks in attempts to cut down on drinking alcohol, but no clear evidence that they increase the success of these attempts. #AlcoholResearch #NoLo #AlcoholPolicy

Purchase price of tobacco in small retailers in Great Britain: the relationships with neighbourhood deprivation and urbanicity between 2016–2021 Background Tobacco price is an important determinant of smoking behaviour. Using electronic point-of-sales (EPOS) data, this study assesses purchase price of factory-made cigarettes (FMC) and roll-you...

📢 New paper published in @bmjtobacco-control.bsky.social Using electronic point-of-sales (EPOS) data, this study assesses purchase price of factory-made cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco across neighbourhood deprivation and urban/rural status in Britain. #TobaccoResearch #PublicHealth

New SARG report details alcohol-related health and financial burden in Northern Ireland - Sheffield Addictions Research Group The Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) has published new analysis estimating the substantial health and financial toll of alcohol consumption in Northern Ireland, using the most recent availab...

Here's more on the key findings from our report published earlier this week which uses the most recent available post-pandemic data to estimate the health and financial toll of alcohol consumption in Northern Ireland. #AlcoholPolicy #PublicHealth

New SARG report published today - find out more in @victimofmaths.bsky.social thread 👇

The association between macro-level structural discrimination and alcohol outcomes: A systematic review Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for death and disability, disproportionately harming disadvantaged groups. While a positive association bet…

This new paper led by @sophiebright.bsky.social provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on how distinct types of structural discrimination impact upon alcohol outcomes, advancing our understanding of this emerging field, and identifying key directions for future research.

New report reveals further growth and key trends in alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks market - Sheffield Addictions Research Group A second Monitoring Report from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group has been published, revealing further growth in the alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks market and offering new insights...

Lots of media coverage this morning of findings from our new report 'Alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks in Great Britain: Monitoring report on 2023 data'. The no/lo market continues to expand and no/lo drinks are more likely to be consumed by risky drinkers. Find out more 👇 @nihr.bsky.social

Does Dry January change how we drink? - Institute of Alcohol Studies A new study finds that Dry January does show up in national alcohol sales data – people drink less and buy more no/lo options during the month. But most return to old habits by February, raising quest...

Sober months like Dry January have become increasingly popular in recent years, but do they actually change how we drink?

In this blog, @aishamoolla.bsky.social outlines the findings from recent @sarg-scharr.bsky.social research on the short and long-term impacts.

www.ias.org.uk/2025/09/23/d...

Targeting alcohol use in high-risk population groups: a US microsimulation study of beverage-specific pricing policies Raising retail prices on alcoholic beverages preferred by high-risk groups (males, those of low socioeconomic status, and those with heavy alcohol use…

New paper from the SIMAH project: This study aimed to simulate the effect of beverage-specific price increases on alcohol use within subgroups of the adult US population defined by sex, educational attainment and alcohol use category. More on the SIMAH project at sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/projects/sim...

Is why we drink alcohol important when considering the potential public health benefit of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks? A cross-sectional study investigating associations between alcohol drinki... Introduction The UK has promoted increased availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks (no/lo, ≤1.2% alcohol by volume) as a public health strategy. To be effective, no/lo beverages must repla...

This new paper by SARG Research Associate and Wellcome Trust PhD student Lucy Burke explores whether the reasons people drink alcohol influence their consumption of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks. #PublicHealth #NoLo

The rise of no/lo: How the alcohol-free and low-alcohol market has developed in Great Britain - Sheffield Addictions Research Group In this guest post, Dr Nathan Critchlow from the University of Stirling provides an overview of a paper published recently in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review. The study explores how commercial, go...

✨New on the SARG Blog✨ Nathan Critchlow gives an overview of a recent study which explored how commercial, government, and third-sector activities have shaped the rapid growth of the alcohol-free and low-alcohol market in Great Britain #nolo #publichealth @nihr.bsky.social

What tranSPIREs from recent research on e-cigarettes? Towards a comprehensive approach to model vaping policies. Lion Shahab, PhD, Hazel Squires, PhD; What tranSPIREs from recent research on e-cigarettes? Towards a comprehensive approach to model vaping policies., Nic

Principal investigators from our SPIRE Project, Hazel Squires and Lion Shahab, have published an editorial in Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal, exploring what we know and what we still need to know to create effective vaping policies.

More on the SPIRE project here: lnkd.in/eVarNm2b

SARG researchers to present at European nicotine and tobacco conference - Sheffield Addictions Research Group Two researchers from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), Esther Moore and Professor Hazel Squires, will present their latest findings at the annual conference of the European Chapter of th...

SARG colleagues will present their research at the SRNT-E Conference next week. Esther Moore will share insights from the @nihr-pruaddictions.bsky.social 'Swap to Stop' evaluation while Hazel Squires will discuss the SPIRE project's work on e-cigarette policy modelling. #SRNTE2025 #Tobacco #Nicotine

Sheffield

We're looking for people in #Sheffield aged 18+ to take part in a workshop to talk about how business activities can positively or negatively affect people’s health. Participants will receive a £75 shopping voucher as a thank you. Find out more and register your interest at: bit.ly/46dyLdD

Do drinking occasion characteristics differ across individuals using different moderation approaches? A social practice perspective Limiting alcohol consumption is challenging as alcohol often serves as a ‘social lubricant’ in drinking practices. While individuals adopt different behavioral approaches to reduce drinking, it rem...

📢 New SARG paper 📢 This study aimed to investigate whether drinking occasion characteristics differ between those who moderate their drinking and those who do not, and among different subtypes of moderators. #alcoholresearch #publichealth

SARG researcher secures major Wellcome funding to model how context influences alcohol consumption - Sheffield Addictions Research Group Dr Amber Copeland from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) has been awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust fellowship worth £591,755 over five years. The funding will support a new project to...

🎉 Huge congratulations to SARG researcher @ambercopeland.bsky.social who has secured almost £600k funding from the @wellcometrust.bsky.social to develop a cutting-edge computational model that explores how a person's environment influences their attempts to cut down on alcohol. #PublicHealth

New report on minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Wales - Sheffield Addictions Research Group The Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) has published a major new report that models the impact of alcohol pricing policies on alcohol consumption and harm in Wales.

The Welsh Government @senedd.wales commissioned us to model the impact of minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol consumption and harm in Wales. We found that increasing MUP would reduce harms, but inflation erodes its value. Read our news story for more on our findings 👇 #AlcoholPolicy

Booze up: is gen Z’s ‘sensible’ relationship with alcohol moving towards hedonism? Reports those born between 1997 and 2012 are ditching clean-living ways don’t tell whole story, say experts

"What makes gen Z slightly distinct as a generation is their attitude towards risk." SARG researcher @soc-researcher.bsky.social is quoted in this @theguardian.com article exploring the possible explanations for the recent increase in gen Z's alcohol consumption. #alcoholresearch