Welcome to the Alcohol Change UK May newsletter
Read on to find out more about the launch of our new research programme New Horizons, get some inspiration for Alcohol Awareness Week 2020 from organisations that took part last year, read the latest alcohol news, watch an interview with reality TV star Spencer Matthews and more.
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Apply now for the New Horizons grants programme
We are delighted to invite applications for our New Horizons grants programme. The programme will fund up to four research projects to explore topics on the theme of ‘Groups, Communities and Alcohol Harm’.
We are calling for proposals that explore how people’s experience of alcohol harm is affected by their membership of, identification with, or exclusion from groups and communities. We are particularly interested in studies that focus on groups that are subject to stigma and discrimination, newly emerging groups and movements, and studies that explore the intersection of group or community memberships.
Project awards will be between £20,000 and £65,000. The deadline for applications is midday on Friday 31 July 2020. If you use social media, please do follow us on Twitter and share the call with your networks. Please direct queries to [email protected]
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Time to begin planning for Alcohol Awareness Week 2020
Every year we organise Alcohol Awareness Week; a week-long campaign which raises awareness about the harms caused by alcohol and brings together people across the UK to call for change. This year’s campaign will be on the theme of ‘Alcohol and mental health’.
Many organisations across the country got involved in Alcohol Awareness Week 2019 by organising events, activities and stalls. If you’re interested in getting your organisation involved in this year’s campaign, we’ve put together a blog with just some of the amazing events organised last year, to serve as inspiration.
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Annual alcohol conference in Wales: change of date
Due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19, we have taken the decision to push back the date of our annual conference in Wales, originally intended to take place in September 2020. The new date is Thursday 3 December 2020, and we do hope you can join us. Your booking will be secure even in case of further delay.
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Early Career Alcohol Research Symposium
The Sheffield Alcohol Research Group has announced a two-day online symposium aimed at UK-based early career researchers (ECRs), taking place 7-8 July 2020. This event will include research presentations from ECRs, panel discussions and networking sessions.
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Coronavirus information and advice hub
How are you getting on in lockdown? We’re continuing to keep our coronavirus hub up to date with the latest information and advice, including information for professionals. We are working hard to reach out to those who need to access support – whether that be for their own drinking or someone else’s.
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Can you support us from home?
Help us be there for everyone who needs us. There are several easy ways in which you can support Alcohol Change UK during lockdown — for example, by using Amazon Smile or Give As You Live and setting your preferred charity to us. Every purchase you make will mean a donation to us, at no extra cost to you.
We need your support now more than ever. Whatever you can do will make a huge difference.
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Worries for children in lockdown with parents who are dependent drinkers
A charity supporting children of dependent drinkers has said it is facing a surge in calls from young people stuck in ‘toxic and abusive’ households during the coronavirus lockdown. Nacoa has said it is concerned that safety nets for vulnerable children are failing due to isolation caused by the pandemic.
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Is the alcohol industry using the coronavirus pandemic to market their products?
New research has concluded that the digital marketing of alcohol, through platforms like Facebook and Instagram, has been ‘relentless’ during the pandemic. The report from FARE in Australia found that in just one hour on a Friday night, 107 sponsored alcohol advertisements were displayed on a person’s social media accounts, which equates to approximately one alcohol advertisement every 35 seconds.
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Alcohol warning labels "reduce sales, change minds"
Colourful, highly visible warning labels applied to bottles and cans of alcohol prompted people to cut down their alcohol consumption. That’s the major finding of a real-world study from the University of Victoria in Canada, published this month. It concludes that well-designed alcohol labels are an effective public health intervention.
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People more likely to choose a non-alcoholic drink when availability is greater
People are more likely to choose non-alcoholic drinks if more of those drinks are available than alcoholic alternatives, a University of Bristol-led online experiment published this month showed. The authors suggest the results could pave the way for increasing the availability of non-alcoholic options in pub and bars.
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Most disadvantaged disproportionately at risk of alcohol-related violence
A new study, carried out by the Institute of Alcohol Studies, has found that alcohol-related violence has the biggest effect on the poorest in society. The research, focusing on England and Wales, found that the most deprived groups experience as much as 14 times as many incidents of alcohol-related domestic violence every year, compared to the least deprived.
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'Sobriety tags' to be rolled out across England and Wales
New legislation came into force in England and Wales this month that could require offenders who commit crimes linked to alcohol to wear 'sobriety tags'. Around 2,000 people a year are expected to be fitted with one of these tags. But will this measure actually reduce the harms caused by alcohol? Our CEO, Dr Richard Piper, explores this question in an opinion piece on the inews website.
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Spencer Matthews' Sober Spring interview
Catherine Gray, bestselling author and founder of Sober Spring, interviews Spencer Matthews, most famous for appearing on Made in Chelsea, about life without alcohol.
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Alcohol and mental health
For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we have pulled together stories, tips and information about alcohol and mental health all in one place.
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