About the Alcohol Health Alliance
The AHA was launched in 2007 and is chaired by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a leading professor of hepatology and special advisor on alcohol to the Royal College of Physicians
The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is an alliance of more than 60 non-governmental organisations which work together to promote evidence-based policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.
The AHA does not have a view on individual drinking. We campaign for evidence-based, population level policies to tackle the harms caused by alcohol, not for prohibition.
Members of the AHA include medical royal colleges, charities, unions, treatment providers and other organisations that want to tackle alcohol harm.
What we do
- Highlight the rising levels of alcohol-related harm in the UK
- Propose evidence-based solutions to reduce the harm caused by alcohol
- Influence decision-makers to take positive action to address alcohol harm
Highlight the rising levels of alcohol-related harm
Alcohol is a major cause of preventable premature death and the leading risk factor for death and illness among people aged 15-to-49 in the UK. It is directly linked to more than 200 different diseases and injuries and plays a causal role in seven cancers including two of the most common: breast and bowel cancer.
Although alcohol is a class one carcinogen, the same as tobacco and asbestos, awareness of alcohol harm is low and often misunderstood even among those making laws. By highlighting the negative health and social consequences of alcohol, we aim to mobilise support for measures to reduce this.
Propose evidence-based solutions
Evidence clearly shows which policies are most effective at tackling alcohol harm. We promote these evidence-based policies as set out in Health First: An evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK.
Our policy priorities for addressing alcohol harm include:
- A minimum price per unit of alcohol across the whole UK
- Health warnings and nutritional information on labels
- Restrictions on alcohol marketing to protect children and vulnerable people
- A fairer and healthier alcohol duty system
- Improved investment in treatment services
- The inclusion of ‘Public Health’ in licensing objectives
Influence decision-makers to address alcohol harm
We campaign for the introduction of these evidence-based policies to tackle alcohol harm. We do this by engaging directly with politicians and policy makers. Our aim is to inspire and motivate the government to take bold, effective action to reduce alcohol harm by highlighting the harm alcohol does to our society, alongside presenting measures to address it.
The AHA is independent of the alcohol industry
The AHA does not work directly with the alcohol industry. Evidence shows that the global alcohol industry is working to influence policy at an international, national and local level to favour their business interests. Interventions proposed by the alcohol industry are generally weak. They are rarely evidence-based and are unlikely to reduce the impact of alcohol-related harm.
The alcohol industry advocates working in partnership. However, these partnerships are often used to gain political influence and public support for ineffective policy measures while misrepresenting effective evidence-based policies.
The AHA considers alcohol harm to be a population-wide issue. We advocate that any policies to tackle the problem should be developed independently of groups with a vested interest, such as the alcohol industry, in maximising profits for shareholders.
The AHA is supported by:
