Welcome to the February newsletter from Alcohol Change UK
A lot of exciting things have happened at Alcohol Change UK this past month. We held our first New Horizons workshop, hosted the first All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm parliamentary briefing session, launched our new Community Champion programme, and more. Read on to find out more, and check out our Sober Spring campaign as well as the latest alcohol news and blogs.
Excitingly, we’re recruiting for a Behaviour Change Programme Manager – find out more below!
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Duty to Recover – help us by emailing your MP
With lockdown increasing the number of adults drinking at high-risk levels by 90% and deaths caused by alcohol at a record high in the first nine months of 2020, action has never been more urgently needed.
The price of alcohol has a huge impact on levels of alcohol harm, with higher prices influencing the heaviest drinkers to cut down. Increasing the tax on alcohol is one of the most effective ways the government can increase the price of alcohol and save lives.
We’ve been working with other members of the Alcohol Health Alliance to campaign for the government to increase alcohol duty in the Budget on 3 March, and to make the alcohol tax system fairer so it reflects the true cost of alcohol to society.
We need your help. Will you email your MP and ask them to increase alcohol duty?
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Sober Spring is just around the corner!
It’s almost time for Sober Spring again! Since 2019 we have been partnering with author Catherine Gray to bring you a three-month break from alcohol. This year, the campaign will be running from 21 March until 21 June. It’s the perfect follow-up challenge to Dry January, and a great route to change your relationship with alcohol in the long-term.
Last year’s campaign took place almost entirely during a nationwide lockdown, so if you’re wondering how you might give it a go, we have plenty of resources on hand to help. Our Try Dry app is also a helpful tool to have by your side to track your progress and keep you motivated.
Sign up to receive weekly emails and get lots more tools to help you have a fantastic Sober Spring.
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We’re hiring! Help us find our new Behaviour Change Programme Manager?
We’re delighted to be recruiting for a Behaviour Change Programme Manager. In this role, you will help hundreds of thousands of people to take control of their drinking, notably through the flagship Dry January® campaign and the Try Dry app. Closing date for applications is 10am on 1 March.
If this role isn’t for you, but you know someone who might be interested, please do pass it on! Tweet with just two clicks.
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You can now become an Alcohol Change UK Community Champion!
If you’re passionate about ending serious alcohol harm and want to do more to raise awareness in your community, you can now become an Alcohol Change UK Community Champion! You can raise awareness any way you like – whether it be through fundraising, local groups, putting up posters in your area, holding events (virtually for the moment!), speaking to local businesses about the ways in which they can reduce alcohol harm… Any and all ideas are welcome.
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First All-Party Parliamentary Group briefing of 2021
The APPG on Alcohol Harm, for which we provide the secretariat, hosted its first event of 2021 with a Parliamentary briefing on the recent alcohol death statistics. We heard from the Office for National Statistics about how alcohol-specific deaths have increased in the first nine months of 2020. The Addictions Providers Alliance then spoke about what they've been seeing from a treatment provider perspective. We also heard from Nile Amos and Christian Wakeford MP about their personal experience of losing a loved one to alcohol harm. The event highlighted the essential role of timely, accessible alcohol treatment provision.
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First New Horizons workshop
We hosted an online workshop for the four funded projects under the New Horizons grant programme this month. The research teams got together for the first time to present their projects and talk about the ways they could collaborate. We were pleased to see that the researchers were able to share lessons learned from past projects and useful contacts.
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Missed our first ever online conference?
In December 2020, 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 + VAT you can access seven video presentations given by a range of expert speakers at the event.
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Alcohol-related deaths “at record high”
Deaths caused by alcohol in England and Wales hit a new high during the first nine months of 2020, provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics show. The number of deaths reached a peak of 12.8 per 100,000 people, higher than in any other time on record. As in recent years, rates of male alcohol-specific deaths were twice those seen for women.
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New study questions whether pubs can prevent Covid transmission risks
A study has questioned whether pub operators can prevent COVID-19 transmission. The research from the University of Stirling was conducted in May to August last year in a wide range of licensed premises which re-opened after a nationwide lockdown. It found that, despite venues making physical and operational modifications on re-opening, concerning incidents were still observed including close physical interaction between customers and with staff, which frequently involved alcohol intoxication.
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Sixteen percent of road fatalities in Great Britain a result of drink-driving
Provisional figures published by the UK Government suggest that 16% of all fatalities on Britain's roads were a result of drink-driving. In 2019, 280 people were thought to have been killed in drink-drive collisions - the highest number in a decade. However, the Government says that the rise from 240 in 2018 is not statistically significant.
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End of life care for people using substances: research challenges in lockdown
In this blog, Professor Sarah Galvani explains some of the research challenges posed by lockdown for research into end-of-life care for people using substances.
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Richard Piper sets out seven things taking part in Dry January can teach you
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, sets out seven things Dry January can teach you – from his own perspective as a past participant in the campaign.
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