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In this issue: Starmer fumbles prevention promise; Kenya moves forward; WHO sets tax target. Starmer should showcase change with effective labelling; The beer gardens of Bulawayo. Public health double-think

Alcohol Review 2025: Learn to push back against the alcohol industry at the local and international levels. Full event recordings available with a subscription, as well as extra content and entry to next year’s event.

News

Starmer fumbles prevention promise: The UK government infuriated alcohol harm advocates by omitting the strongest evidence-based policies from its plans amid an ongoing alcohol harm crisis. Campaigners continued their calls for minimum pricing in England, among the ignored measures. Delivering effective mandatory alcohol health labelling–which miraculously survived the alcohol policy cull–would be a good way to come good on cleaning up government, argues Alcohol Review.

Fourth biggest cause: Alcohol-specific disorders and poisonings was the fourth biggest preventable cause of death in the EU in 2022, after lung cancer, heart disease and covid, according to Eurostat figures.

Kenya moves forward: The Kenyan cabinet signed a national alcohol strategy, including plans to raise the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, ban online alcohol sales and ban celebrity alcohol endorsements. It was a “big milestone”, head of the Nairobi-based NGO International Institute for Legislative Affairs Celine Awuor told Alcohol Review. 

WHO sets tax target: The WHO launched the “3 by 35” initiative to persuade countries to use taxes to increase the price of alcohol, tobacco and sugary drinks by 50% by 2035, cutting health harm and raising $1trn in tax revenue.

Features

Opinion: Labour should showcase change with labelling: Sir Keir Starmer’s government could find much-needed focus by committing to policymaking process reform, with the delivery of effective mandatory alcohol health labels being an excellent place to start.

The beer gardens of Bulawayo
Many of the western suburbs of Bulawayo contain an  intriguing industrial-era institution, the beer garden. Development researcher Maurice Hutton explores their century-long history of pursuing the conflicting aims.

Public health double-think

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In this issue: US alcohol inclusion call; Heart benefits rejected; Lobbyist’s credentials queried; Tax plan Vietnam; New cancer risk identified. Why alcohol is bad injury medicine; US research funding cuts itemised. Man quiz.

Alcohol Review 2025: Watch takeaways and new session highlights from UK public health leader Alice Wiseman on pushing back against the alcohol industry at the local level. Full event recordings now available with the new monthly subscription.

News

Alcohol inclusion: “Alcohol kills more Americans each year than opioids and guns combined,” noted 24 NGOs which called on the Trump administration to make alcohol measures part of its efforts to reduce chronic disease. Alcohol harm reduction has so far been notably absent from US health plans. Alcohol Review this month itemised $31m research funding cuts.

Benefit claim rejected: The European Heart Network NGO formally recognised alcohol as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and rejected “any claim that alcohol consumption, at any level, offers cardiovascular benefits.” Separately, the American Heart Association took a more hesitant step in the same direction saying, “It remains unknown whether drinking is part of a healthy lifestyle.”

Lobbyist queried: The credentials of the UK’s Night Time Industries Association are questionable, according to an investigation by investigative newsletter Democracy for Sale. Despite this the outfit has been granted high-level ministerial meetings and funds an all-party parliamentary group.

Vietnam tax hike: Vietnam is set to raise tax on alcoholic products over 20% from 65% to 90% by 2031. Tax on products below this strength threshold will rise from 35% to 60%. The WHO welcomed the move, but critics warned it still incentivises stronger products because the tax does not increase with total alcohol content.

Tax harmony: The East African Community agreed to harmonise alcohol excise duty at $6 per litre of alcohol in the product, regardless of the product.

Telling inconsistency: Recent alcohol industry statements show the “essential conflict of interest between alcohol industry economic objectives and public health goals”, said a new report from two leading UK NGOs.

New cancer: A large-scale study found a “modest positive association” between alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer. This suggests an eighth alcohol cancer risk, on top of breast, colorectal, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat (pharynx) and voice box (larynx).

Features

Five reasons to give up alcohol when injured
Current research shows there is no safe threshold of alcohol consumption during injury rehabilitation, according to sports scientist John Kiely, with even low-to-moderate drinking impairing athletic performance and injury recovery.

US research funding cuts itemised
The Trump administration has stopped funding at least 34 alcohol research projects promised $31m, with 58% of the funds still to be paid out, according to statistics collated by Alcohol Review. Around three-quarters of those nixed involve studies of sexual and gender minorities.

Mens health special

Quiz: Can you name the famous men who didn’t drink?

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In this issue: Online ad ban draft; New FASD guidelines; NZ policy support strong: New alliance launches; Brits back health; Top doc doubt. Plus: Approaching addiction through environment; And US alcohol normalisation after Prohibition

Alcohol Review 2025: The entire programme of 14 sessions is available to watch in full, as well as in some concise takeaways. 

News
Online ad ban: Ethiopia’s food and drug regulator is reportedly drafting a law to ban alcohol ads on social media, having banned them on TV and radio five years ago.

FASD guidelines: Australian health professionals now have access to the first officially approved clinical practice guidelines to help assess and diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. 

Support strong: A large majority of New Zealanders agree with almost every alcohol policy out of ten polled: 71% agree alcohol industry should pay no part in forming alcohol policy; and 62% agree with a complete ad ban.

New alliance: This month saw the launch of the European Health Alliance on Alcohol, WHO backed collaboration between 20 pan-European medical societies committed to reducing alcohol harm.

Health over profit: Around three-quarters of Brits want the government to prioritise the public’s health over business growth, a new survey found. A similar proportion back alcohol health labeling, while just under two-thirds support a “polluter pays” alcohol levy. 

Top doc doubt: Controversial US Surgeon General pick Casey Means, a wellness influencer, has recognised there is no safe level of alcohol and reset her own alcohol intake. But she has also been called “breathtakingly misinformed” and a “grifter”.

Features

Interview: Making alcohol okay again — rehabilitating alcohol after Prohibition
The US alcohol industry restarted from ruins in 1933 after 14 years of Prohibition, with its shattered reputation its biggest challenge. Yet by the end of WW2 alcohol had regained respectability. Cultural historian Professor Lisa Jacobson explains how.

Addiction isn’t just about brain chemistry, nor is it just bad choices
Rather than blaming individuals or pathologising them as brain-damaged, we can focus on reshaping environments to make non-drug alternatives more visible, available and valuable, writes psychology professor Matt Field.

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In this issue:
Briefing: Some key points at Alcohol Review 2025.
News: Trump cuts predicted to have“severe” impact: EU offers “licence to hide”; Sub-Saharan harm; Zero difference
Feature: Alcohol causes cancer, Pranoti Mandrekar of the University of Massachusetts explains.

Briefing
Alcohol Review 2025: The entire programme of 14 sessions is available to watch in full at alcohol-review.com. These include a global perspective from author Grant Ennis and a local one from UK public health leader Alice Wiseman, both discussed with leading figures in the field. And dozen concise “spotlight” sessions outlining the key findings and views of prominent alcohol researchers and campaigners. 

This month’s takeaways: There is room for ”Brief Interventions 2.0”; There is overwhelming support for health policy protection; the need to repeat tobacco success; and a call to ask our representatives about the alcohol deficit.

News
Trump cuts predicted to have“severe” impact: Cuts announced by the US Health and Human Services department are expected to “severely” impact efforts to reduce continued elevated levels of alcohol harm. In the right-leaning male podosphere, meanwhile, Trump-aligned Joe Rogan and tycoon-in-chief Elon Musk–architect of the Trump cuts–agreed on the logic of quitting alcohol. The level of US alcohol deaths were 17% above pre-pandemic levels last year despite a 5% year on year fall. Over 70% of these were of men.

EU offers “licence to hide”: The European Commission’s “wine package” proposals offered a “licence to hide” nutrition and ingredients information from consumers, said European Cancer Organisation’s policy chief. Alcohol Review noted that QR codes do not work.

Sub-Saharan harm: Global alcohol companies undermine public health and regulation in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study from Norwegian NGO FORUT, which criticised Norway’s pension fund for a $13bn holding in the companies mentioned. A separate paper blamed the delay of a bill in South Africa on “regulatory capture”.

Zero difference: Teenagers think of zero-alcohol beverages as a type of alcoholic drink, leading researchers at Australia’s Flinders University to voice concerns about exposing them to zero-alcohol branding and advertising. Public health professionals widely consider 0.0 brands as a ruse to dodge restrictions on alcohol ads.

Feature
Guest post: Alcohol causes cancer: If you ask clinicians and scientists how much alcohol is safe to drink, you might not like the answer, explains Pranoti Mandrekar of the University of Massachusetts.

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In this issue:
Invitation: Join us at Alcohol Review 2025, March 20th
News: Tax cut ahead of Aus election; Indian ad clampdown; 0.0 loophole campaign; Canada’s bourbon blockade; Breakup drinking; Beer and sandwiches and more…
Briefing: AR2025 Spotlight session overview, so far
Opinion: The case for pure free time hedonism

Invitation

Alcohol Review 2025
March 20th, live online; Other sessions now available
Winning the narrative, sharing the benefits.
Please join us for exciting live sessions from acclaimed author of Dark PR, Grant Ennis, and UK public health leader Alice Wiseman. They will mark the launch of a growing collection of compelling recorded sessions from around the world, with contributions already from Alcohol Health Alliance UK, George Institute, European Consumers, and many more to come. Full subscribers can watch them already. Please check out this unfolding online event and join us.

News

Aussie rules: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese temporarily halted raising draught beer tax in line with inflation in the runup to a general election due by May. Separately, the country’s northern territory decided to scrap the minimum alcohol price, to the alarm of health advocates.

Not cricket: India’s Union Healthy Ministry told the country’s top cricket league to ban all forms of alcohol and tobacco promotions, including surrogate advertisements, during the tournament beginning March 22, 2025.

0.0 campaign: Campaigners are urging Ireland’s government to close the loophole allowing the advertising of zero-alcohol drinks at sports events, using the catchline “close the l0.0phole”.

Bourbon blockade: Canada’s provincial governors are standing firm on stripping US alcohol products from shops despite US President Donal Trump suspending 25% tariffs. The reprieve is meant to end on April 2nd. Blocking bourbon sales is thought to be particularly persuasive because it is produced in heavily Trump supporting states.

Canada drier: The volume of alcohol sold in Canada fell by nearly 4% year-on-year last year 2023/2024, the largest volume decline ever recorded since Statistics Canada began tracking alcohol sales in 1949. Prices rose around 2.5%.

Beer and sandwiches: UK supermarket Sainsbury’s has begun selling alcohol-free beer as part of its lunchtime discount lunch deal. Critics say it will promote alcohol brands, normalise work time beer drinking and trigger alcohol cravings in people trying to cut down. Others fear a woeful breach of etiquette. 

Harmful consolation: Marriage breakups were found to increase the chance of regular drinking by 5%, a study of 13,000 Australians found. Women were more likely to increase regular drinking at the time of separation compared to men and their elevated consumption was more likely to persist.

Second-hand harm: The majority of Sri Lankan women have experienced problems because of the alcohol consumption of others,  said a survey from the country’s Alcohol and Drug Information Centre. And nearly two-thirds said they thought women’s rights are being violated when alcohol companies use women to promote their products,

Policy nearer: Cambodia is set to move a step closer to having a comprehensive alcohol policy this month with a white paper expected on March 24.

Driving warning: Warning messages about the risk of driving under the influence of alcohol will be displayed on the packaging of alcoholic drinks[in Korea, health officials said last month.

Briefing: Spotlight sessions so far
– full videos viewable for subscribers

Drones, robots and self-driving vending machines are likely to be used in alcohol delivery. Leon Booth from the George Institute explains how this might impact public health. Mary Madden from London Metropolitan University outlines research on the need to reset the alcohol brief intervention paradigm, called “Brief Interventions 2.0”. Asad Yusoff of the institute explains how “better for you” claims are used to market alcohol brands with dubious health claims. Alex Barker of Derby University explains how 818 Tequila branding sidesteps the rules in the “The Kardashians” TV show. The University of Victoria’s Andrea Cowan and Priya Johal explain the nuts and bolts of their newly launched KnowAlcohol website. 

Opinion

The case for pure free time hedonism
Resolving to cut back on alcohol, saving money and exercising are laudable goals, but not always compelling in themselves. We could take leaf out of the advertisers’ handbook book and look for activities which deliver the feelings and sensations we want. ■

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In this issue:
Invitation: Join Alcohol Review 2025
News: Outgoing Biden US Surgeon General sparks cancer warning debate; Investor drops alcohol stake; Psychedelic efforts hit high; Lo-no policy warning ignored; App assessed.
Features: Opinion: Alcohol-free beer hype is unhelpful; The case for pure free time hedonism; Put alcohol pleasure in perspective

Invitation

Alcohol Review 2025: Winning the narrative, sharing the benefits. With live sessions from acclaimed author Grant Ennis and UK public health leader Alice Wiseman. Impactful Spotlight sessions will highlight a series of cutting-edge developments. Full subscribers go free.
Subscribe, register and propose a session.

News

Outgoing Biden US Surgeon General sparks global cancer warning debate: Alcohol’s cancer risk made global headlines when outgoing Biden-appointed US Surgeon General said that alcohol products should carry warning labels. It is unclear which direction the nascent Trump administration will go with alcohol policy. In the meantime Pennsylvania House Representative Jose Giral proposed a bill which would require alcohol products in the Commonwealth to carry a warning. And Alaska revisited a plan to use signs to warn about cancer at point of sale. A second report was released to inform this year’s highly contested guideline revision. In India, meanwhile, the Bombay High Court last week notified central and state governments of a public interest litigation from a 24-year-old campaigner who wants to see alcohol cancer warning labels.

Investor drops alcohol stake: Investment manager Terry Smith dropped a long-held stake in alcohol giant Diageo, citing concerns over its new management team and the possibility that weight-loss drugs will reduce alcohol demand.

Psychedelic efforts hit high: Shares in the UK’s Solvonis Therapeutics Plc jumped after the FDA said it would allow its ketamine-based drug for alcohol problems to progress to phase two clinical trials. Separately, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the active element in the traditional South American drug ayahuasca, is also to be investigated.

Lo-no policy warning ignored: Low-alcohol products carrying alcohol brands should face the same marketing restrictions as full-strength counterparts and always be cheaper, says new guidance from the UK’s Alcohol Health Alliance. Their producers should also not be part of policy discussion. This suggestion has yet to be heeded, however, with Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne MP this week joining an alcohol industry lobbying exercise promoting the health benefits of low alcohol drinks. AR argued that a fixation on unproven benefits of low alcohol drinks pose a potential barrier to effective action.

App assessed: A study found that large-scale promotion of an app called “Drink Less” could reduce alcohol-related deaths by 4,600 and hospital admissions by 188,400 over the next 20 years,  saving the NHS £590m ($730m).

Features

Opinion: Alcohol-free beer hype is unhelpful
Heavy marketing has created a buzz around alcohol-free beer diverting vital public attention from surging rates of alcohol harm. The stakes are too high to let commercial hype eclipse evidence-based action.

Preview for full subscribers
The case for pure free time hedonism
The New Year is when many of us try to change our habits, resolving to cut back on alcohol, save money and exercise more. But we might also usefully take a step back to ensure our free time satisfies our appetite for feelings and sensation.

Message of the month

Put alcohol pleasure in perspective

Heavy marketing can make it seem that alcohol drinking is essential in pleasure when it really only plays a bit-part, and often a negative one. If we are serious about enjoying our spare time we might benefit from a more open, creative approach, as argued above. ■