Read our latest research on alcohol labels, and much more.
** Welcome to the Alcohol Change UK August newsletter
------------------------------------------------------------
Our new research on alcohol labelling, published this month, found that more than 70% of labels did not include the updated drinking guidelines. Read on to find out more of the report's findings, as well as a new report looking into counterfeit alcohol, our annual conference in Wales, Alcohol Awareness Week, the latest alcohol news and more.
**
------------------------------------------------------------
** Drinking in the dark: How alcohol labelling fails consumers
------------------------------------------------------------
New research from the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA), led by Alcohol Change UK, has found that alcohol labels are failing consumers, and calls for mandatory, comprehensive information of alcohol.
Over 400 alcohol products in shops across the UK were examined to see whether labels provided the up-to-date Chief Medical Officers’ drinking guidelines and other essential information consumers need to make informed choices about their purchases. More than 70% of the labels did not include the updated drinking guidelines – over three years after they were updated – and more than half (56%) of labels included no nutritional information.
Lucy Holmes, our Director of Research and Policy, said:
“Many of us enjoy alcohol, but we deserve to do so with the facts – and those facts are currently being concealed by out of date, incomplete alcohol labels. It’s clear that the ‘voluntary’ system of alcohol labelling regulation isn’t working when it’s possible for labels to contain information that’s four years out of date without any repercussions. It’s time for the Government to step up and set rules rather than suggestions – consumers deserve it.”
Read the research ([link removed])
** Get ready for Alcohol Awareness Week 2020
------------------------------------------------------------
Alcohol Awareness Week is a chance for community groups across the UK to get people thinking about their drinking. Last year around 3,000 local authorities, workplaces, charities, GP surgeries, pharmacies, hospitals, and other community groups across the UK took part!
This year's Alcohol Awareness Week takes place on 16 to 22 November on the theme of ‘Alcohol and mental health’. Around 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year and drinking too much or too often can increase our risk.
Want to get involved?
* Organise an event in your community ([link removed])
* Share a story about alcohol and mental health (mailto:
[email protected]?subject=Story%20for%20Alcohol%20Awareness%20Week)
* Tweet about Alcohol Awareness Week ([link removed]-)
Find out more ([link removed])
** New research: the distribution and consumption of counterfeit alcohol
------------------------------------------------------------
This month we published a grant-funded research report into the hidden issue of counterfeit alcohol distribution and consumption. There are major intelligence gaps in terms of understanding where and how large quantities of counterfeit alcohol are produced – and so how to tackle it.
Read a summary ([link removed])
** Book your place at our annual conference, now taking place remotely
------------------------------------------------------------
Working with the whole person: alcohol, mental health and complex needs
Alcohol misuse is often just one symptom of the complex challenges someone faces in their life. Such complex needs don’t lend themselves to simple solutions. That’s why we’re gathering together a multidisciplinary slate of academics, practitioners, and people with lived experience, to help us all work towards interventions that support the whole person.
This event was scheduled to take place earlier in the year, but has since been moved back, and will now take place on 2 and 3 December over two half-days. It will be our first ever online, interactive alcohol conference. We hope to see you there!
Book your place ([link removed])
** Coming up in September: Remember a Charity Week
------------------------------------------------------------
From 7-13 September we'll be taking part in Remember a Charity week ([link removed]) . During this week-long campaign we hope to encourage people to ‘pass on something wonderful’ by leaving a gift to charity in their will, after taking care of friends and family. Even a small gift can make a huge difference.
Find out more about legacy giving ([link removed])
** Alcohol news
------------------------------------------------------------
** Northern Ireland set for MUP consultation
------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann has committed to holding a full public consultation on the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol (MUP) within a year, as part of a new substance use strategy. MUP sets a baseline price below which alcohol cannot be sold, reducing the price of the cheapest, strongest alcohol which causes the most harm, and is already in place in Wales and Scotland.
Read more ([link removed])
** Increased alcohol-related hospital admissions linked to local spending cuts
------------------------------------------------------------
A new study by King’s College London has shown a link between increases in alcohol related hospital admissions and decreases in spending on alcohol services in England. The study looked at data from 2012 to 2019 on expenditure on alcohol services, the provision of specialist alcohol treatment and the level of alcohol-related hospitalisation from 152 local authorities in England.
Read more ([link removed])
** Campaign launched to support members of the LGBTQ+ community at risk of alcohol harm
------------------------------------------------------------
A #KinderStrongerBetter campaign has been launched in partnership with the Glasgow Council on Alcohol and Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs. The campaign aims to highlight how organisations in Scotland are working together to create communities and services that are visibly supportive of LGBTQ+ people who are affected by their own, or someone else’s, alcohol or drug use.
Read more ([link removed])
** Depression “has almost doubled” during COVID-19 pandemic
------------------------------------------------------------
Almost one in five adults were likely to be experiencing some form of depression during the coronavirus pandemic in June 2020, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. This is up from around one in ten before the pandemic (July 2019 to March 2020).
Read more ([link removed])
** Smartphones “could detect drink driving”
------------------------------------------------------------
A new smartphone app can reportedly tell when someone is already drunk, based on their ability to walk in a straight line over 10 steps. American researchers used sensors in smartphones to detect when somebody was over the legal drink-drive limit, with close to 93 percent accuracy. Although this is a small preliminary study, the scientists hope it lays a foundation for further research.
Find out more ([link removed])
** Latest blogs
------------------------------------------------------------
** Drinking to cope? Stress, boredom and alcohol use during COVID-19 lockdown
------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Matt Parker, Neuroscientist and Alcohol Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, discusses the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on alcohol use.
Read the blog ([link removed])
** Supporting people affected by homelessness and alcohol dependency
------------------------------------------------------------
Dena Pursell, Care Navigator at Groundswell in London, gives a view from the frontline of drug and alcohol services for homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the blog ([link removed])
============================================================
** ([link removed])
** ([link removed])
** ([link removed])
** ([link removed])
Copyright © 2020 Alcohol Change UK, All rights reserved.
You signed up to receive emails from the charity Alcohol Change UK.
Our mailing address is:
Alcohol Change UK
27 Swinton St
London, WC1X 9NW
United Kingdom
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.
