Making a change
Alcohol is too affordable, too available and too widely promoted, encouraging too many people to drink too much, too often. Both as individuals and as a region we need to drink less – and that means restricting the advertising and promotion of alcohol; reducing the number of outlets and times at which it is sold; and making sure it is not being sold at pocket money prices.
Alcohol is too affordable. It is available for pocket money prices.
The facts:
- Alcohol in 2010 was 44% more affordable than it was in 1980, (NHS Information Centre Stats on Alcohol, 2011).
- Alcohol is being sold for as little as 12p per unit in some parts of the North East (Balance Price Survey 2011).
- A man can drink at his recommended daily limit (3-4 units) for just 48p and weekly limit for just £2.52 (Balance Price Survey 2011).
- A woman can drink at her daily limit (2-3 units) for just 36p (considerably less than the price of a can of leading cola) or weekly limit for £1.68 (Balance Price Survey 2011).
The solution: Introduce a minimum price per unit, which would impact on those cheap, strong products most often consumed by heavy drinkers and young people who are sensitive to price. Making alcohol less affordable will reduce consumption and the harm it does to individuals, communities and society. The Government’s former Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and the Association of Chief Police Officers have all called for its introduction. The introduction of a 50p per unit limit, as advocated by the former CMO, would reduce the annual number of alcohol-related hospital admissions by almost 100,000; reduce alcohol-related crime by nearly 46,000; and would save an estimated £1billion every year.
Alcohol is too available – 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. You don’t even need to leave home to buy it.
The facts:
- As of 2009/10 there were more than 5,800 licensed premises in the North East and 169 premises with a 24-hour license (DCMS).
- These premises include takeaways and petrol stations. Internet shopping and ‘dial-a-drink’ services mean you don’t even need to leave home to purchase alcohol.
- 7,567 premises, including service stations and takeaways, across the UK have licenses to sell alcohol 24/7. Just 946 of these are pubs, bars and nightclubs (Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2010).
The solution: Reducing availability will reduce consumption and subsequently the harm it does to individuals, communities and society. We must give our local authorities more power to refuse applications for new licenses by allowing them to take public health and ‘need’ into consideration when making critical decisions for their communities.
Alcohol is too widely promoted. It’s on our TV and cinema screens and is no longer confined to the alcohol aisle at the local supermarket.
The facts:
- The alcohol industry spends £800m a year on marketing – which leads young people to start drinking earlier and to consume more (Under the Influence, BMA 2009).
- Millions of children, some as young as four-years-old, were exposed to alcohol adverts during last year’s World Cup (Overexposed – alcohol marketing during the world cup 2010, Alcohol Concern).
- On a couple of days between February 9th and 28th, Balance identified 237 promotions in supermarkets across the North East (Balance Price Report 2011).
The solution: The UK has some of the most relaxed advertising regulations in Europe when it comes to alcohol. Regulation must be used to address both the content and volume of alcohol advertising, restricting promotion, reducing consumption and subsequently the harm it does to individuals, communities and society. To protect children this must include restrictions on sponsorship of sports and youth events and must cover internet and cinema advertising and marketing.
