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In this issue: Ireland guidance report; UK delivery promise; Sachet enforcement plan; Kenyan tax slashed. AR interviews on alcohol brain impact, deliveries, nolos, tackling youth addictions and alcohol distress.
AR2026 update: Watch full AI and alcohol harm sessions
Be among the first to watch the full public release of AR2026’s live online sessions on AI and alcohol harm, addressing its potential in ad monitoring and information delivery. You can also watch the latest AR2026 Extra sessions and contribute your own.
News
Risk equality: There is a “substantial amount of risk” for people drinking lower levels of alcohol, according to a new report from Ireland’s Health Information and Quality Authority, with “minimal” difference in risk between sexes. Comment
Delivery promise: The UK said last month it would ”act where necessary to protect public safety” on alcohol delivery from online platforms. The roundtable mentioned in AR’s piece was on June 16th, with NGO Alcohol Change in attendance. You can watch a video interview touching on the campaign.
Sachet forth: Nigeria’s regulator is planning to begin enforcing its ban on sachet alcohol from the marketplaces, having initially clamped down on manufacturing. Comment
Tax slashed: Kenya’s government has slashed tax on spirits by 84%, cutting it from 500 shillings ($3.9) per litre to 80. Comment
New cancer: Alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer have a “dose-response risk relationship”, according to new research from from University of Victoria. Pancreatic cancer is not among the seven cancers the WHO says are directly caused by alcohol consumption. Comment
Cancer advice: It is better to not drink alcohol at all rather than drink in moderation to prevent cancer, said Japan’s National Cancer Centre in an update to its advice at the start of June. Comment
VAT subsidy: The UK hospitality industry’s proposal of a VAT cut from 20% to 10% to save pubs and eateries would in reality be a “hugely expensive subsidy” for big business, according to tax expert Dan Neidle’. Comment
AR interviews (Await videos)
🎥 Study hints at alcohol’s low dose brain impact [full release]
Higher levels of alcohol consumption are associated with brain diseases and dysfunction, but there is little evidence of what happens at levels commonly thought of as low risk. A recent paper looked to narrow this gap with a small-sample study. Alcohol Review caught up with one of the authors, Professor Timothy Durazzo of Stanford University. Comment
🎥 Deaths, deliveries and nolos [full release]
Online alcohol delivery is thought to amplify the already increased risks of drinking alcohol at home. Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, outlines the charity’s campaign for tighter controls, while also reflecting on the UK’s elevated alcohol death toll and new research on alcohol-free drinks.
🎥 Tackling alcohol distress [trailer]
Simon Bratt, a senior lecturer at Liverpool Hope University and author of the Layered Care substack, explains why mental health and alcohol services need to be integrated to be effective in tackling problematic drinking.
🎥 Dismantling the youth addiction economy [trailer]
Social media, vapes, gambling, dating sites and porn all now add to the mix of products which can undermine young people’s lives, along with alcohol. Regulation and making real friends are the way to put it right, says Joe Woof of Society Inside
Message
Alcohol and humour
“Alcohol may not make something objectively funnier, but it can definitely change the threshold for finding it funny,” says neuroscience researcher Paula Korczynska. Disinhibition can also be found through things like dancing and playing games.
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