In this blog, AHA chair Professor Sir Ian Gilmore explains what an incoming government could do to work towards a future free of alcohol harm.
Why the government need to act on alcohol harm
The future of the nation’s health has been a key topic in the debate and discussion leading up to the 4 July UK general election. As one of the key drivers of ill-health and premature death, the next government must act on alcohol to fully deliver on promises to improve the public’s wellbeing and lift our national health service out of crisis.
In recent years, we have seen the harm caused by alcohol tragically spiral, with deaths leaping to over 10,000 in 2022, up almost 33% since 2019. From my time as a clinician, I know all too well that each statistic represents a life cut short, devastating the families and communities left behind.
Indeed, alcohol harm has repercussions across all aspects of life. Beyond the individual risk of several cancers, mental ill-health, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity, families are also deeply affected. 1 in 5 children in the UK are affected by a parent’s alcohol use. Our local communities are victims of antisocial behaviour and alcohol-fuelled violence. Alcohol places a significant strain on our health, criminal justice, and social services, as well as negatively impacting the nation’s economic productivity.
Overall, experts estimate that alcohol costs England upwards of £27.4 billion every year – money we simply cannot afford to forgo. The election presents a significant opportunity to boost our nation’s health and economy by tackling alcohol harm, and luckily, we already know what works.
What can be done?
It has now been 12 years since the last national alcohol strategy. We are calling on all political parties to commit to a comprehensive evidence-based strategy, free from alcohol industry influence.
The AHA’s manifesto outlines policies that are backed by international evidence and will help to:
- Protect children and support people impacted by alcohol harm
- Empower individuals and build thriving communities
- Strengthen the NHS and frontline services
- Preserve the public purse
Pricing policies like minimum unit pricing (MUP) and raising alcohol duty save lives while having a minimal impact on pubs and restaurants.
Mandatory alcohol labelling provides consumers with much-needed nutritional and health information to counter low public awareness of the risks associated with drinking alcohol.
Higher standards for alcohol marketing protect children and people impacted by alcohol harm from harmful adverts increasing their chances of living healthier, happier and longer lives.
Introducing ‘public health’ as a licensing objective empowers local communities to make decisions in the best interests of their health and wellbeing.
Committing to long-term funding of cost-effective early interventions and treatment delivers great value on investment, prevents future ill-health and provides life-saving support.
Not only do we know what works, we have a duty to act
Alcohol harms is a health inequalities issue. Deaths from causes relating to alcohol are 50% higher in England’s most deprived areas compared to the least – despite people in these areas drinking the same or less alcohol.
Currently, 43.4% of all alcohol purchased by households in the UK is estimated to be consumed above government health guidelines. It is simply not acceptable that multinational corporations profit so significantly from ill-health and death while our local services and communities are left to pick up the pieces.
The public want action. 70% of adults in the UK want the government to protect its policies from alcohol industry influence. Almost a quarter of the population support limiting children’s exposure to advertising and almost one in five support alcohol calorie labelling.
While the UK are not alone in facing high levels of harm – alcohol causes almost 500,00 deaths across Europe every year – there is a lot to be learnt from our neighbours. In Scotland, minimum unit pricing will be uprated in September 2024 following evidence that it effectively reduced alcohol-specific deaths by 13.4%. Ireland is paving the way by introducing health warning labels for alcoholic products starting in 2026. Across the Channel in France, the Loi Évin bans sports sponsorship of any alcoholic drink over 1.2%.
It is now time for the next UK government to prioritise public health over industry profits, and lift the burden of alcohol off our families, communities, and country.
Written by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance
This blog was published with the permission of the author. The views expressed are solely the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Alcohol Health Alliance or its members.
