Welcome to the Alcohol Change UK August newsletter!
July was quite a month. The long-awaited Prevention Green Paper was published,the Portman Group announced that alcohol labels will finally carry the 14 units low-risk guidelines and, just edging into August, the first MESAS study of minimum unit pricing in Scotland was published.
It was a big month for Alcohol Change UK too; we made the front cover of the Guardian (read the Guardian article here, and the full report here) and BBC news, released several new pieces of research, published ten new blogs, and much more. Read on to find out more, including the theme for Alcohol Awareness Week this year!
In this newsletter:
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The Alcohol Change Cymru Conference – secure your place today!
Alcohol and everything else: When drinking isn’t the only issue
18 September 2019 – Wrexham Glyndŵr University
At this multidisciplinary event, we’ll be focusing on how to provide the best support for people who might not fit the usual treatment criteria – including some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. If you’re passionate about reducing harm and promoting wellbeing, this is a must-attend conference and we hope to see you there!
Find out what will be happening on the day by checking out the agenda.
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Alcohol Awareness Week - sign up now!
11 - 17 November 2019
Alcohol Awareness Week offers the UK a chance to get thinking about drinking. This year, the theme is ‘Alcohol and me’. Throughout the week we will be encouraging people to test their knowledge of the low-risk drinking guidelines and the health impacts associated with drinking, as well as to consider how alcohol affects those around us.
We offer free digital resources so that you can run Alcohol Awareness Week in your community. Sign up now to receive yours at the start of October.
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Developing new research on alcohol harm: rapid evidence reviews
We are delighted to have published four in a series of six rapid evidence reviews that were commissioned by us earlier this year, looking into priority areas in the field of alcohol harm reduction.
We hope these reviews will allow those working in the substance misuse field - researchers, fellow charities, practitioners, policy-makers - as well the public - to gain a clearer idea of what is known, and what is yet to be understood, across a range of important areas. The reviews form part of our commitment to stimulate and support innovative research to better understand alcohol harm and ways to address it.
You can read the first four reviews here:
Digital interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm
Drinking problems and interventions in black and minority ethnic communities
Dual diagnosis, double stigma: a rapid review of experiences of living with alcohol-related brain damage
The role of alcohol in contributing to violence in intimate partner relationships
Look out for others in the series. They will be published on our website over the next few weeks and you can find out more about what’s coming up here.
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Learning from tragedies: Safeguarding Adult Reviews report
Our new report analyses all 11 Safeguarding Adult Reviews from England in 2017 in which alcohol was identified as a significant factor in the person’s life and death, looking at the stories of vulnerable adults who have lost their lives in some of the most tragic of circumstances.
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Prevention Green Paper publication — where is alcohol?
The Prevention Green Paper was published by the Department of Health and Social Care on 22 July. It aims to prevent ill-health before it happens, reducing the incidence of illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But alcohol, a leading cause of health harm and contributor to many of the conditions the green paper aims to address, is almost entirely absent.
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We're hiring! Fundraising and Engagement Officer
If you're passionate about ending the serious harms caused by alcohol, have fundraising experience and are passionate about building an engaged community of supporters, this is the role for you. We're looking for a Fundraising and Engagement Officer to join our team. The closing date is 12 August, so why not apply today? Please share this role with your networks!
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Survey finds the cost of hangovers to the UK is up to £1.4bn a year
Out of the 3,400 people surveyed, 42% said that they had gone to work hungover or still under the influence of alcohol. Many also said that they had been affected at work by their colleagues’ drinking. The survey’s findings imply that the UK government is currently underestimating the costs of alcohol to the economy by almost 20%.
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One in ten hospital patients are alcohol dependent
One in five patients in NHS hospital beds drinks harmfully, and one in ten are alcohol dependent, according to new research which suggests the burden of alcohol dependence on the UK’s health service may have been significantly underestimated.
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Higher taxes on alcohol can benefit UK economy
The new study, conducted by the IAS and the Fraser of Allander Institute, found that if the tax revenue raised from increasing taxes on alcohol was invested back into the economy, this could raise national income and employment levels.
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England is failing to tackle its alcohol 'epidemic'
Published in the British Medical Journal, the research found that on average, drug and alcohol services lost around 30% of their budget since 2013-14. Cuts to these services mean a lot of people suffering alcohol- and drug-related health problems remain without support.
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The Portman Group announcement: alcohol labels will finally carry the new guidelines
On 31 July, the Portman Group released a statement announcing that it would be encouraging all its members to include the 14 units a week Chief Medical Officer guidelines. This is a reversal of the Group's 2017 decision to drop unit guidance as a labelling requirement, and certainly a step in the right direction - but there are questions we should ask.
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Supporting recovery from alcohol-related brain damage
In this blog, Andrew discusses the outcome of our Rapid Evidence Review looking into Alcohol-Related Brain Damage - and how helping someone recover means caring for the whole person.
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How do you know it's time to address your drinking?
David Ellis, retired doctor, discusses some of the physical signs you can look out for which might indicate alcohol is having a negative effect on your health, as well as some tips on how to cut down.
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