Peter Rice

👏 Thank you Carol Mochan MSP for highlighting SHAAP and @ias.org.uk most recent report, which uncovers tactics used by the alcohol industry to mislead the public on harm, the economy, environment & policy.

“Based on the existing evidence, minimum unit pricing (MUP) would likely be the most impactful measure the government could take to reduce alcohol-related health harms from excessive consumption.” - Council for Science and Technology

The Council for Science and Technology, a body that advises the Prime Minister on science and technology policy issues has recommended Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) be implemented in England.👏

Read the full recommendation👇
www.gov.uk/government/p...

🗣️In our latest report with @ias.org.uk we found alcohol industry groups claiming “Alcohol harms are going in the right direction.”

In reality, deaths hit a record high.

Read the report 👇
shaap.org.uk/publication/...

European Health Alliance on Alcohol launched to reduce the unsustainable toll of alcohol harms in Europe The WHO European Region has the heaviest alcohol consumption of all regions in the world. Alcohol use causes a significant reduction in life expectancy in Europe, especially among men. Here, every hou...

An auspicious day for European Alcohol Policy.

www.who.int/europe/news/...

We deserve better than delays to landmark health legislation Alcohol labelling laws have repeatedly been delayed, with American tariffs cited most recently, write Sara Burke and Norah Campbell

"Even in the snakes and ladders that is politics, it’s unusual to stop a piece of reform that you yourself created and championed."

Sara Burke & Norah Campbell write that delaying Ireland's health labelling is "the alcohol industry’s dream outcome".

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

The IARC Perspective on the Effects of Policies on Reducing Alcohol Consumption | NEJM Alcohol policy interventions, including those that increase alcohol taxes, raise the drinking and purchase age, reduce days or hours of sale, and impose strong marketing bans, reduce alcohol consum...

📢 An IARC @who.int report confirms that policies like alcohol taxes, minimum pricing, availability controls, and marketing bans reduce alcohol use - helping prevent cancer at the population level.

A landmark review now published in @nejm.org: www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...

The USA has mandatory health and safety information on alcohol products. The content and design is in sore need of updating, but the principle of labelling , including for imported products, is accepted in the USA. So what is the basis of any objection?

Today, we've been calling for urgent action to prevent and reduce #AlcoholDeaths

We want to see increased early diagnosis of #LiverDisease to save lives

Here Dr Ewan Forrest talks about the huge success of a pilot fibroscan service in Glasgow

#AlcoholEmergency

Before the election, more than 70 organisations are demanding that the Scottish Government prioritise increasing early detection & treatment of liver disease alongside other targeted measures, to address the highest number of unnecessary deaths from alcohol since 2008 👇
shaap.org.uk/news/446-tim...

YouTube video by Alcohol Focus Scotland What are alcohol care teams and why do we need them? Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, SHAAP

“We want to see an alcohol care team in every acute hospital” says Dr Alastair MacGilchrist of @shaapalcohol.bsky.social

This will save lives by ensuring patients with alcohol problems are identified & provided with specialised support.

#AlcoholEmergency

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfD...

Interesting against the background of new tariffs. In 2024, Canada accounts for 34% of U.S. wine export value, China & Hong Kong for 10%, and Mexico for 2%; 13% goes to the UK.

Young people's consumption of no/low alcohol drinks in family settings - Sheffield Addictions Research Group This project explores young people's consumption of no/low alcohol drinks in Great Britain, focusing on family settings. Using surveys and interviews, it will investigate adult perceptions, consumptio...

As we continue to expand our research into the consumption of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks, here are details of a new project focusing on young people. It's funded by @alcoholchangeuk.bsky.social and led by @soc-researcher.bsky.social and @melissaoldham.bsky.social #alcohol #publichealth

If politicians are brave on prevention people will understand. No-one has lost elections in Scotland, Wales, Ireland on alcohol price regulation. Excise duties are accepted as justifiable taxes. Economic interests make a lot of noise opposing regulation. The public know why.

Northern Ireland has a completely different system of alcohol licensing to the rest of the UK. Last week we published a review, led by @jamesnicholls.bsky.social and @niamhfitzgerald.bsky.social, looking at the system and exploring possible alternatives:

www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications...

These alcohol, sports and political arrangements can get complicated because of the competing interests. Thanks to @alcoholreview.bsky.social for following the twists and turns.

Interesting story, A Sour Taste, in the current Private Eye (20th Feb 2025) about relations between Drinkaware in the UK and their alcohol industry funders. www.private-eye.co.uk/issue-1603/i...

Pregnancy warning labels missing on alcohol - ABC listen New research published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has revealed that only 65 per cent of alcohol products sold in Australia display the mandatory warning about the...

"New research published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has revealed that only 65% of alcohol products sold in Australia display the mandatory warning about the risks of drinking while pregnant."
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Should alcohol carry cancer warning labels? Associations between alcohol consumption and cancer are scientifically well established, but the public are often unaware of the links. Sharmila Devi reports.

Associations between alcohol consumption and cancer are scientifically well established, but the public are often unaware of the links.

Should alcohol carry cancer warning labels?

On #WorldCancerDay, a new World Report explores this question: tinyurl.com/ytfhkry9

Interesting thread on US mortality. Rise in alcohol related deaths is a factor in deteriorating overall trends.

How fortunes turned flat at Johnnie Walker and Guinness owner Diageo With crucial results looming, investors fear 25 years of dividend growth may stall this week as drinks firm battles major headwinds

Why is Diageo struggling? 📉 Sales are down, shares have tanked nearly 30%, and investors are nervous

One major investor sold its stake due to the rise in weight-loss drugs but also due to “problems with [Diageo’s new management]” @byrobdavies.bsky.social reports

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Alcohol-related deaths in UK hit record high of 10,473 Men are more than twice as likely as women to die as a result of excess alcohol consumption, statistics show

Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK reached another record high in 2023, with 10,473 dying.

This is mainly due to increases in England and Wales, whereas Scotland saw no change and NI saw a fall in deaths.

IAS's Dr Katherine Severi said: "We’ve seen record-high..

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

In our latest podcast we spoke to Tim, a long-standing member of Alcoholics Anonymous & trustee, and Dr Kieran Moriarty, the godfather of Alcohol Care Teams & AA trustee🎙️

We discussed:
- AA's success
- Whether its religious roots are a barrier
- The term 'alcoholic'

www.ias.org.uk/podcast/the-...

Agreed Mags. Let's keep an eye out for opportunities. I know that Tayside Council on Alcohol has a big client base and the infrastructure to work with research teams and likewise with a few other councils on alcohol , like DACA.

Interesting. There's very little published work on this. Brand choice, motivations to shift categories and so on. MUP mostly eliminates the price motive. I suspect the industry has some insights but they keep that to themselves. Wonder if councils on alcohol could work with researchers here.

Management of alcohol withdrawal syndromes in general hospital settings The covid-19 pandemic was associated with an unprecedented increase in alcohol consumption and associated morbidity, including hospitalizations for alcohol withdrawal. Clinicians based in hospitals mu...

Management of alcohol withdrawal syndromes in general hospital settings - Clinical review. @bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/388/...

A lot of the Buckfast focus came from a young offenders study. 40plus % reported Buckfast consumption but similar rates of vodka drinking. Fitted with my experience that Buckfast was often part of a cocktail and that vodka was the bulk of alcohol intake. 2/2.

Hi Mags. I moved West to East in late 1980s. East coast drinkers were baffled by Buckfast popularity in the West. Didn't make economic sense to them. 1/2

Gone up by a bit more up here! This from Glasgow in December 2018.

I'd left clinical practice by then but I'd expect that the most dependent would tend to seek out the lowest cost per unit and these 5% brands were price competitive with the 7.5% brands. My assumption is that the supermarkets wanted to distance from 7.5% ciders but retain the lowest cost market.

Alcohol warning labels featuring lived experiences attract greater attention - Institute of Alcohol Studies Do cancer warnings on alcohol work better if they feature graphic imagery or narrative imagery? A new eye-tracking study looked into this.

Do cancer warnings on alcohol work better if they feature graphic imagery or narrative imagery?

In our latest blog, Dr @zxma.bsky.social explains her new eye-tracking study that looked into this. @uconn.bsky.social @uconninchip.bsky.social

www.ias.org.uk/2025/01/07/a...