Nacoa wins helpline of the year
Nacoa has been named ‘Helpline of the year 2025’ by the Helplines Partnership. The national award recognises the ‘dedication and impact’ that the helpline makes to people’s lives, which is run by staff and trained volunteers.
Receiving over 30,000 calls annually from people of all ages affected by their parents’ alcohol use, professionals who work with children and concerned others. The helpline is open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 7pm and can be contacted on 0800 358 3456 or via email helpline@nacoa.org.uk.
In other news, former MP and Nacoa patron Jonathan Ashworth explores the hidden harm of parental addiction in a new podcast, ‘In their words: Children of alcoholics lives.’ Season one includes interviews with Calum Best, Camilla Tominey and many more.
The Nacoa team have also released Glimpses of you, a song written by Nacoa volunteer Sarah Fellows in memory of her mum and sung beautifully by Sarah’s friend Josh Record. You can watch the music video here.
‘Not me, I’m in control!’: Research on ‘othering’ among heavier drinkers
New research explores how heavier drinkers use ‘othering’ to protect their own drinking identity by contrasting themselves with a stereotyped ‘problem drinker.’
‘Othering’ is the process of perceiving and treating individuals or groups as different, creating an ‘us vs them’ mentality. With regards to drinking, this can become a barrier to resolving alcohol problems, by stereotyping and stigmatising ‘problem drinkers’.
This research investigates how drinkers construct this ‘other’ through labels and categories linked to loss of control, poor health or functioning, and stigmatised drinking contexts such as bingeing, daytime drinking or consuming ‘cheap and nasty’ alcohol. By using these narratives, individuals can justify and normalise their own consumption. For this reason, the authors recommend challenging these false distinctions by encouraging individuals to see a continuum of drinking behaviours, which may improve problem recognition, reduce stigma and strengthen public health policy and practice.
Characteristics of alcohol care teams in England
In 2019, the UK government’s NHS long-term plan committed funding over 4 years (until mid-2024) to ‘optimise’ alcohol care teams (ACTs) in the 25% of hospitals in areas of greatest need in England. ‘Optimisation’ involved delivering a 7-day service with key components to improve the identification and management of alcohol-dependent patients.
A recently published study has investigated the state of play of ACTs in England, looking at the number of care teams, the characteristics of patients supported, and the service structure and care components on offer.
Of 170 acute hospitals approached, 122 completed a survey and 80 reported having an ACT. Most ACT patient were male (64%), white (79%) and experiencing severe alcohol dependence (66%). 59% of services operated 7 days a week and most reported identification and brief advice, although this was rarely systemised.
The research shows that while ACT numbers have increased significantly between 2019 and 2024, offering a much-needed clinical service to highly vulnerable and complex patients, there is significant variation in ACT operational models, training and leadership, which will impact their effectiveness.
NHS Wales appoints Dr Julia Lewis as clinical lead for addictions
NHS Wales, Performance and Improvement (formerly NHS Wales Executive) have just appointed Dr Julia Lewis as clinical lead for addictions (alcohol) on a secondment basis for just over a year.
This is a new post and will help to develop services and iron out inconsistencies in service delivery across Wales. The post sits alongside a clinical lead for addictions (gambling and drugs).
Dr Julia Lewis is a consultant addiction psychiatrist and clinical lead for addiction services in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in South Wales, and visiting professor at the University of South Wales.
Call for abstracts for Alcohol Occasionals 2026
Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN) invite researchers to submit their research proposals for the 2026 SHAAP /S ARN Alcohol Occasionals webinar series.
They are interested in hearing from researchers from any discipline who wish to share their research relating to alcohol; they welcome presentations from new and early career researchers and/or international researchers. Seminars take place online and offer researchers a great opportunity to showcase their work to a wide audience. As the next Scottish Parliament election will take place in May 2026, the theme for next year’s Alcohol Occasionals will be ‘Future directions for alcohol research, policy, and practice – priorities for a new Scottish Government.’ Abstracts submitted should therefore reflect on how research relates to this theme.
The deadline for proposal submissions is Friday 30 January 2026. For more information, visit the SHAAP website.
Events
Liver awareness and scanning day in Parliament
British Liver Trust
20 January 2026
APPG on liver disease and liver cancer AGM
British Liver Trust
11 February 2026
Behind the scenes of our alcohol and cancer campaign
World Cancer Research Fund
2pm, 12 February 2026 (online)
Prevention research 2026
Prevention Research Network, Population Health Improvement UK, NIHR
4 and 5 March 2026
Dignity and choice: ensuring better end-of-life care for alcohol-dependent people
Alcohol Change UK
12 March 2026 (online)
