Plus an update on our Dry January campaign, and more!


** Welcome to the first Alcohol Change UK newsletter of 2021
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A belated Happy New Year from all of us at Alcohol Change UK!

In this newsletter we’re thrilled to announce the recipients of our New Horizons grant funding – four projects on the theme of ‘Groups, communities and alcohol harm.’

Back in December we reported that Dry January ® 2021 was expected to be the biggest ever, with an estimated 6.5 million people taking part, and a quarter of people who drink alcohol looking to cut down generally in 2021. But when the third national lockdown was announced on 4 January, many were concerned that Dry Januarys across the country would be jeopardised. Thankfully, our initial analysis suggests that the opposite was true – read on to find out more.

Plus find out about the new Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm, the latest alcohol news and more.


** Announcing New Horizons grant recipients
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We are delighted to announce the four new research projects that we will be funding under our New Horizons grant programme. Proposals were requested on the theme of ‘Groups, communities and alcohol harm.’

1. Supporting solutions for South Asian women: Developing models for substance use support – a study exploring how culture, religion and gender help or hinder women’s access to support. (Manchester Metropolitan University).

2. Exploring communities of belonging around drink – a project exploring how alcohol affects people’s experience of belonging to marginalised groups in the North of England. (Sheffield Hallam University).

3. Telling our own stories: an exploratory study of alcohol use and harm by people who identify as Roma, Gypsies and Travellers – a peer research project exploring experiences of alcohol harm among people of Roma, Gypsy and Traveller backgrounds. (Swansea University and University of Salford).

4. Understanding the association between mental health and alcohol use in Black, Asian and Minority ethnic groups – a mixed-methods study looking at drinking patterns and motivations among people from different BAME backgrounds with mental health problems. (University of Liverpool and King’s College London).

Visit our website for more information about the projects and the research teams.

Find out more ([link removed])


** Dry January^® 2021 – reaching more people than ever
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Back in December we reported that close to one in three (29%) people who drink alcohol said they had drunk more in 2020 than in 2019. One in five (22%) felt concerned about the amount they had been drinking since COVID-19 restrictions began in March, and a quarter (27%) were looking to cut down in 2021.

Dry January^® 2021 was predicted to be the biggest ever, with an estimated 6.5 million people planning to take part. Throughout December and early January we saw huge numbers of downloads of Try Dry^®, the official app, and signups to our daily emails.

Then on 4 January the third national lockdown was announced, and almost immediately we began to see people saying that Dry January^® was ‘cancelled’. We sprang into action, offering extra support and tailored messaging for those struggling with their dry month.

What we saw, in fact, was a further surge in signups. For Dry January^® as a whole, new downloads of the app are 35% higher than last year. For the period from 4 – 21 January, signups were a huge 49% higher than for the same period last year. There’s more to understand about the impact of lockdown on Dry January^® – but early indications look like more people than ever have used the campaign to reset their drinking for 2021.

Looking beyond the UK, we have worked with partners in France and Switzerland to run the Dry January^® campaign, with the Try Dry^® app having been translated into French and German.

Highlights from the Dry January^® blog:
* How to do Dry January during COVID-19 ([link removed])
* Your stories of Dry January in lockdown ([link removed])
* Hugh's story ([link removed])


** New Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm
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As part of our policy work, Alcohol Change UK supports the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Alcohol Harm, a place where Parliamentarians can come together to discuss the latest issues relating to alcohol, hear from expert speakers and work together to effect policy change. We’re pleased to welcome the group’s new Chair, Christian Wakeford MP.

Find out more ([link removed])


** Missed our first online conference?
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Last month more than 300 people attended our first ever online conference, ‘Working with the whole person: Alcohol, mental health and complex needs’. Missed it? Now’s your chance to catch up! The video presentations from the event are now available to view online.

For just £30 you can access seven video presentations given by a range of expert speakers:
* Josh Conolly, telling his powerful story of vulnerability and resilience as the child of a dependent drinker
* Victoria Williams, Veterans’ Therapist at Swansea Bay University Health Board, on ways to work with military veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol misuse
* Prof Bev John from the University of South Wales, on raising awareness and reducing the stigma around alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD)
* Speaking from experience: Chelsey Flood, Scott Pearson and Marcus Barnes talk about drinking, not drinking, and how alcohol can come to define our identity
* Dr Sharon Cox of University College London, on the importance of supporting high-risk drinkers to stop smoking
* Mike Ward from Alcohol Change UK, on working with the most chaotic and change-resistant drinkers
* Joe Fisher from Bristol’s Golden Key project, describing their very practical approaches to working with people with the most complex needs.

View and purchase the presentations ([link removed])


** Alcohol news
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** Alcohol consumption increased during first lockdown

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Lockdown saw people in the UK drinking more alcohol, according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) published this month. At the start of the UK’s first lockdown in April 2020, UEA researchers launched a project to track people’s lifestyle behaviours to understand the impact of lockdown on the health of the nation. The study has found that adults were drinking more alcohol in total during this period – with women drinking more frequently, but men drinking greater quantities per drinking occasion.

Read more ([link removed])


** Lockdown ‘devastating’ for families affected by substance use
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The charity Scottish Families affected by Alcohol and Drugs has said that 1,680 people asked for help between March and November 2020, up from 935 in the same period in 2019. The figures were revealed in its new report, Lockdown and Beyond, which has described how lockdown has been devastating for families affected by someone else’s alcohol and drug use.

Read the report ([link removed])


** Extra help for rough sleepers with alcohol and drug dependency
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Rough sleepers across England will receive extra support to help them recover from drug and alcohol misuse, it has been announced. Forty-three areas across England will receive support from a £23 million government fund designed for those with drug and alcohol support needs to get the help they need to rebuild their lives. The programme will be boosted by a further £52 million in 2021 to 2022.

Read more ([link removed])


** New report on how nudge theory shapes alcohol policy
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The latest report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies has been published, examining the ways in which the ‘One You’ campaign, and low alcohol product health initiatives, use nudge theory’s principles to frame individuals and alcohol industry actors. It found that nudge interventions have been a significant feature of UK government public health alcohol policy since 2017, supporting calls for well-evidenced public health alcohol policy action, such as pricing, availability and market controls.

Read the report ([link removed])


** Latest blogs
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** Amanda's story: "The strategies I learned during Dry January are still important every day."
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In this blog, Amanda reflects on her past experiences with Dry January and the lasting positive effects they had, including helping her manage her drinking during lockdown.

Read the blog ([link removed])


** Miniumum unit pricing: new research on individual factors affecting people's alcohol use
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In this blog, we consider the findings of a new piece of research from the University of Glasgow looking at the effects of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland on people's behaviour.

Read the blog ([link removed])

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