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Alcohol understanding for all

In this issue: UK council bars alcohol ads; Thai deregulation proposed; Health warnings work; Latvia’s age limit may increase; UK cuts alcohol tax again despite record deaths

UK council bars ads: Sheffield council in north England barred alcohol products and alcohol-free drinks carrying alcohol brands from advertising on its billboards and other media. This prompted an industry rep to launch a personal attack on a council official and a trade journal editor to argue branding is a “conspiracy theory”. Separately, a report showed that 16 of the 20 local authorities with the highest levels of “deaths of despair” are in the north of England.

Thai deregulation: Thailand’s cabinet this week agreed on five bills to amend the alcohol regulations, extending retail hours and allowing greater leeway for ads. Campaigners submitted an open letter opposing the move. Last month a graphic label was proposed warning, “Alcoholic beverages can cause cancer”.

Warnings work: Health warning labels detailing the link between alcohol and cancer were linked to lower product appeal, higher risk perceptions and lower intentions to try, buy and binge the product.

Age limit: The Social and Labour Affairs Committee of Latvia’s parliament backed amendments increasing the minimum age for buying alcohol from 18 to 20.

Irresponsibility okayed: The South Korean government is reducing the penalties for alcohol retailers which sell alcohol to minors if they were deceived.

Heart harm: Young to middle-aged women who reported drinking 90ml or more of alcohol a week were more likely to develop coronary heart disease, a study found.

Tax cuts: The UK extended its real-terms cut on alcohol tax for six months, ignoring calls for a rise to stem the country’s record level of alcohol deaths. Canada did similar.

Price rises: Assam in North East India announced a rise in alcohol prices from April 1st to boost government revenue and reduce alcohol harm. Ukraine said it will increase alcohol tax too. 

Colorado bill: A bill unveiled in the Colorado legislature suggested levying a fee on businesses which produce alcoholic products, using the proceeds to fund addiction treatment and recovery programmes.

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In this issue

News: Industry education opposed; UK deaths surged on; Youth drinking survey; Alcohol-free beer goes country…
Feature: A health conscious life should be more carefree, argues editor Phil Cain
Memes: Some serious points made digestible

In this issue:
News: Alcohol-violence link acknowledged; Tax rise return in Lithuania; UK adds up societal costs; Oregon itemises treatment shortfall: Ontario “boozedoggle”costed; Bihar’s prohibition payoffs; US alcohol levels remain elevated; Alcohol banned at the French Open tennis
Meme stocks: Distilled alcohol messages

Alcohol Review’s first annual conference will be on Thursday November 14th. Early-bird discounts available

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In this issue: UK alcohol health policy door open; Annual alcohol deaths globally; Labels work; Indian widowhood often linked to alcohol; Ghana’s celeb ad ban upheld.
Opinion England’s absurd official beer ad brings home the need for regulation, argues Alcohol Review’s editor.
Alcohol messages
A few recent shareable posts highlighting some key alcohol information.

Invitation: Alcohol Review’s first annual conference will be online on Thursday November 14th. Early-bird discounts available

News
UK alcohol health policy door open: None of the UK election manifestos made specific mention of alcohol health policy but Labour, the likely winner of the July 4th election, leaves the door open to taking action. It pledges to take “preventative public health measures” to tackle the“biggest killers” when UK alcohol deaths remain at near record levels. 

Annual alcohol deaths globally: There are 2.6m deaths a year worldwide attributable to alcohol consumption, with three-quarters of the dead being men, says a new WHO report. Nearly two-thirds of these alcohol deaths are from noncommunicable diseases, with 18% of the total from cardiovascular disease and 15% from cancer. 

Labels work: Well designed labels carrying rotating messages on alcohol’s adverse health effects are likely to be “particularly effective” in changing consumption behaviour, found a new comprehensive research review.

Indian widowhood often linked to alcohol: Nearly 40% of widows in Tamil Nadu linked their widowhood to the alcohol addiction of their deceased spouse, said a report from the Indian state’s Widows and Destitute Women Welfare Association.

Ghana’s celeb ad ban upheld: Ghana’s Supreme Court this month dismissed a challenge to a law banning celebrities from advertising alcohol.

Feature
England’s absurd beer ad brings home need for regulation
The wisdom of making Euro 2024 a beer marketing bonanza should surely be questioned when alcohol deaths are still 30% above pre-pandemic levels in the UK and elsewhere, argues Alcohol Review’s editor Phil Cain.

Alcohol messages
A few recent shareable posts highlighting some key alcohol information
NEW: Less alcohol means fewer mistakes #2
NEW: QR codes hide alcohol information
NEW: Alcohol kills twice as many men as women
NEW: Drinking less alcohol means fewer mistakes #1
Archive: Full list of alcohol messages 

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In this issue: Dementia experts back alcohol price control; Dismay at wellbeing charity alcohol deal; Spain drafts framework to protect minors; German beer market 8% alcohol-free; Indian surrogate ad rules near

Alcohol messages
A few recent shareable posts highlighting some key alcohol messages.

Invitation: Alcohol Review’s first annual conference will be online on Thursday November 14th. Early-bird discounts available

News
Lancet experts recommend alcohol price controls to combat dementia. Alcohol price controls should be among the steps used to reduce high alcohol consumption to prevent or delay two out of five dementia cases, says a new report from a Lancet commission. [Comment]

Men’s wellbeing charity’s alcohol partnership sparks dismay. Public health professionals have expressed disappointment at a partnership between the UK Men’s Sheds Association, which supports social and creative community spaces, and alcohol multinational Diageo.
[Comment]

Spain drafts framework to protect minors. Spain’s health minister presented a draft law to establish a framework to protect the health of minors and ‘promote responsible alcohol consumption in society’.

German beer market now 8% alcohol-free: Alcohol-free beer made up under 8% of total beer production in Germany, having doubled in volume over the last ten years. In the UK it is more like 1-2%. The impact on alcohol harm is unclear, but some researchers plan to learn more.

India finalising surrogate ad rules: India’s Department of Consumer Affairs within weeks of publishing draft rules on surrogate ads for alcohol and tobacco, according to local media.

Alcohol messages
A few recent shareable posts highlighting some key alcohol information:
NEW: Alcohol Review 0.0 – an alcohol-free sub-brand can be used to promote the main alcohol brand
NEW: Alcohol undermines our nerve
Archive: Full list of alcohol messages 

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Please join the Alcohol Review‘s supporters who make it possible

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News: Dementia risk found at all alcohol levels; Post-pandemic alcohol deaths in Scotland plateau; UK FASD failures; Violence drop after alcohol restrictions; Men’s Sheds defends alcohol partnership; US awareness rises. Opinion: Commercial awareness is an essential health defence. Shareable messages: Alcohol’s overall health risk and for dementia. 

Invitation: Alcohol Review’s first annual conference will be online on Thursday November 14th. Subscribe and secure your  early-bird discount

News:
Dementia risk found at all alcohol levels: There is a positive linear causal relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia among current drinkers, according to a study of over 300,000 UK drinkers in a Lancet journal. A mendelian randomisation analysis of the statistics does not show a dip in risk at lower doses, as seen in previous studies. Last month a Lancet commission recommended alcohol price controls to combat dementia, promoting an Alcohol Review message this month.

Post-pandemic alcohol deaths in Scotland plateau: Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland were almost unchanged from the year before in 2023, at their highest level for 15 years. Death among women fell 5.5% but that was not enough to compensate for a 3% increase among men. Overall deaths are still 25% above pandemic levels. Those wanting to discredit minimum unit pricing policy are ignoring the discontinuity in the statistics. 

FASD failure: The vast majority of the relevant bodies in England and Wales are not commissioning for the diagnosis and management of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder care for children, young people and adults, says a new survey from the NGO National FASD. 

Steep violence drop after alcohol restrictions: Three towns in Western Australia’s far north saw a 42% fall in the number of alcohol-related family and domestic violence offences in the six weeks after alcohol restrictions were introduced in July.

Men’s wellbeing charity defends controversial alcohol partnership: The UK Men’s Sheds Association acknowledged concerns from health experts and shed users about its partnership with alcohol giant Diageo, as reported in the last issue, but highlighting the benefits of the controversial deal.
[Comment]

US awareness rises: A new high of 45% of Americans say drinking one or two alcoholic beverages per day is bad for one’s health, a six-percentage-point increase since last year and a 17-point increase since the prior reading in 2018.   

X-ternal feed: Alcohol Review started a Threads account for people tired of the atmos on Twitter/X. It is very quiet though.

Opinion:

Alertness to commercial interests is an essential health defence
Acknowledging that the profit motive warps health information is not just for alcohol policy nerds. It can help us lead healthier, more rewarding lives, at lower risk and lower cost.
[Comment]

Alcohol messages

Alcohol risk made simple: The chance that alcohol causes our death increases rapidly with the amount consumed. Drinking under 140ml a week is estimated to keep the chances of an alcohol death below 1/100. The only way to make the risk zero risk is to not drink any.

Alcohol can cause brain damage and dementia: Drinking more than a small amount of alcohol increases the risk of developing dementia in later life and can cause early-onset dementia and brain damage.

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