Alcohol Symposium: Alcohol and the Nation's Health

Question 1

How is mortality attributable to alcohol through the life course?

Answer 1

16-34 yrs

• Accidents/ trauma
• Self Harm and Suicide
• Alcohol intoxication (poisoning)

34-64yrs
-Alcohol related liver disease

64+

• Alcohol related cancers. .
• Breast, oesophagus, colon, mouth and upper aerodigestive tract.

Question 2

How does alcohol affect working years?

Answer 2

More working years under 65 are lost to alcohol than the 10 most frequent cancer types combined.

Question 3

What kind of diseases may be attributable to alcohol?

Answer 3

Narrow definition of alcohol specific deaths. c65%  liver disease.
Cancers
Accidents
Suicide 
Cardiac   
Stroke

Question 4

Which age group have seen a substantial rise in alcohol-specific death rates?

Answer 4

Over 45s (up to 65)

Question 5

What actions in Scotland are tackling leadership and monitoring?

Answer 5

National Action Plan with political commitment

Question 6

What actions in Scotland are tackling early identification and brief advice?

Answer 6

National programme established in 2009

Question 7

What actions in Scotland are tackling effective specialist treatment?

Answer 7

Additional investment and national guidance

Question 8

What actions in Scotland are tackling community action with media advocacy?

Answer 8

Range of local “Focus on Alcohol” projects

Question 9

What actions in Scotland are tackling drink driving action?

Answer 9

Limit lowered to 50mg % in Dec 2014.

Question 10

What actions in Scotland are tackling availability?

Answer 10

Age checks with test purchasing

Public Health Principle in licensing

Question 11

What actions in Scotland are tackling regulation of marketing?

Answer 11

Ban on multi-buy discounts and regulation of shop displays

Question 12

What actions in Scotland are tackling price controls?

Answer 12

Minimum unit price law passed

Under legal challenge from industry

Question 13

What actions in Scotland are tackling server training and monitoring?

Answer 13

Now compulsory

Question 14

What have been the outcomes of minimum unit pricing (MUP)?

Answer 14

• Scottish consumption falling, notably in the off trade,
• The long established Scotland/England & Wales gap is narrowing
• Consumer panel data shows that fall in alcohol purchase is almost exclusively in the 20% highest purchasing households (across all income groups)
• Admission data for 2019-20 shows downward trend in Alcohol Related Liver Disease admissions, down 8% from 17-18 (predominantly in lower-income groups)
• Alcohol mortality fell by 10% in 2019 but full effect is expected after 3 years

Industry co-operation in evaluation has been limited
Benefit to smaller retailers
No evidence of substantial cross border sales
No evidence of move to other drugs
No evidence of home production.

Question 15

What has the impact of the pandemic been on alcohol consumption?

Answer 15

• Accelerated long established trend to home drinking.
• Cemented key role of major supermarkets in alcohol retail.

-UK Alcohol Duty Returns April – October 2020
Tax returns up 4.5%

Wine +13%
Spirits + 10%
Beer - 9.7%
Cider -11.3%

• Fall in alcohol related trauma.
• Consumer surveys show a polarisation with light drinkers drinking less and heavy drinkers drinking more.
• Likely to lead to an increase in chronic health harm.