Advertise on podcast: The Alcohol Alert Podcast

This month we’re joined by Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh and Balance, the northeast England programme tackling tobacco and alcohol harm. Ailsa shares the deeply personal story behind her career – including nursing her father through smoking-related COPD after he became addicted as a child – and reflects on the history of tobacco control, from the 1962 Royal College of Physicians report to today’s Tobacco and Vapes Act. With the ‘smokefree generation’ sales ban edging closer (anyone born after 1 January 2009 will never legally be sold tobacco), we discuss why regulation on tobacco has moved so much further than on alcohol, the risk that alcohol harm gets overshadowed as attention turns to the Act, and why the northeast’s hard-hitting health campaigns remain a rarity the rest of England hasn’t caught up with. “The big stark contrast between tobacco and alcohol is the absolute lack of national regulation, the lack of legislation there has been for alcohol.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

This month we’re joined by Peter Roderick, Director of Public Health for the City of York, for a wide-ranging conversation on what the job really involves – from advocating for marginalised communities to steering a local system through political change. We dig into the rise of the ‘commercial determinants of health’ agenda, why the alcohol, gambling and food industries increasingly find themselves in public health’s sights, and the difficult question of whether ‘polluter pays’ levies genuinely reduce harm or simply buy industries a licence to keep causing it. We also look ahead to how the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda could reshape public health at a local level. “We’re a highly centralised county, and the more people feel involved and close to decisions made about them, the better it is for coherence of society but also health.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

This year marks 20 years since the founding of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), and we sat down with chair Dr Alastair MacGilchrist and founding member Dr Lesley Graham to trace its history – from spotting Scotland’s alcohol death rate spiralling in the early 2000s, to becoming a driving clinical voice behind the world’s first minimum unit pricing law. We hear how SHAAP built the evidence base for MUP, why it took six gruelling years of industry legal challenges before the policy finally came into force, and how that fight – reputationally damaging for the drinks industry – ended up strengthening the case for other countries to follow Scotland’s lead. Along the way: why medical credibility cuts through where campaigning alone doesn’t, and what SHAAP has learned about outlasting a well-resourced opponent. As Dr MacGilchrist puts it: “Everything’s difficult, everything takes a long time, don’t lose heart.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

Cancer Prevention Action Week in June put a spotlight on one of public health’s most stubborn problems: the gap between what the science says about cancer and what the public actually knows, including on alcohol and cancer. Melissa Dando from the World Cancer Research Fund explains the scale of the challenge: “Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen - the same category as tobacco and asbestos - and it’s linked to seven types of cancer, but awareness in the UK is quite low.” Sue Taylor from Balance in the North East points to a structural cause: “You’ve got the positives vastly overplayed and the negatives underplayed - it’s bringing us to a perfect storm.” With mandatory alcohol labelling on the horizon, both guests argue that public awareness campaigns, stronger online regulation, and government action are all needed to close the gap. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month’s Alcohol Alert podcast, we spoke to Professor Nicholas Carah about the fast-evolving world of digital alcohol marketing - and why it matters. As debates intensify globally around social media regulation and even bans for young people, the conversation couldn’t be more timely. Professor Carah explains how digital platforms have transformed marketing into something far more powerful and personalised: “The more people participate, the more data they generate… you get this loop on digital that you didn’t have in earlier forms.” He also highlights the risks of highly targeted advertising for addictive products, noting that these systems are: “built to tune into who are the high-volume consumers and show them more ads.” The episode explores how this intersects with rapid delivery services, regulation challenges, and harm. Later this year, IAS will be publishing a film on digital alcohol marketing, continuing to shine a light on this critical issue. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

This month on the Alcohol Alert Podcast we were joined by Laura Cury from ACT Health Promotion in Brazil and Emma Thompson from IAS and the University of Edinburgh to reflect on the Global Alcohol Policy Conference (GAPC), held for the first time in Latin America. They discussed the momentum built around Brazil’s tax reform and its pioneering conflict of interest framework, the conference’s wide-ranging sessions on equity, digital marketing, and AI-driven alcohol advertising, and what lessons the global alcohol policy community can take forward. “Having our Minister of Health say that alcohol policy is a priority for the government and that we’re looking at excise taxation - for me, that is a huge advocacy win.” - Laura Cury This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Damon Morris, Research Fellow at the Sheffield Addictions Research Group, about his latest paper that looked at the economic impact of a reduction in spending on unhealthy products. The research has dealt a significant blow to the alcohol, tobacco, and gambling industries’ core economic argument against regulation, finding that the sector’s claims that reduced consumption would harm the economy and cost jobs do not stand up to scrutiny when the full picture of consumer spending is considered. The study, by the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), modelled how a 10% reduction in consumer spending on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and confectionery would flow to different sectors in the UK economy, finding significant benefits to the UK economy if spending moves to more productive industries. This was particularly the case for spending on off-trade alcohol, tobacco, and gambling, as money spent on these industries often leaves the country – to global supply chains and international headquarters. Therefore, any reallocation of spending to other industries will keep more money in the UK economy and be a net positive. For on-trade alcohol, reductions in spending negatively impacted the UK economy. The key findings were: - Tobacco: A 10% drop in spending would boost the economy by £1.86 billion and create over 31,000 full-time jobs. - Gambling: A 10% reduction would lead to a £1.25 billion boost and over 22,000 new jobs. - Confectionery: A 10% reduction would result in a £389 million boost and almost 7,000 new jobs. - Off-trade alcohol: A 10% reduction would boost the economy by £2.54 billion and almost 43,000 jobs. - On-trade alcohol: A 10% reduction would lose the economy £2.68 billion and lose over 72,000 jobs. So for alcohol, while spending less on alcohol in supermarkets was a significant net positive for the economy, spending less in pubs and restaurants had a negative impact, as hospitality is a major employer within the UK. The modelling assumes that all of the money is reallocated to other industries and not saved. However, it found that even if 99% of the money that was not spent on alcohol was actually saved, and only 1% reallocated to other industries, the economic impact would breakeven (measured by Gross Value Added), highlighting just how unproductive money spent on supermarket alcohol is for the UK economy. Similarly, 96% of the tobacco money would have to be saved and not reallocated to breakeven. For confectionery and gambling it was slightly lower, with 75% and 69% having to be saved to breakeven. Realistically, far less of the reduction in money spent would be saved, and far more would be spent on other products and services, showing an unequivocal net positive for the UK economy. Joining this month’s podcast, lead author Dr Damon Morris explained why these economic benefits are almost certainly underestimates: “by reducing consumption of these things we have a healthier population – so you’d expect fewer sick days from work, fewer people out of employment altogether because they’re too ill to work, or out of work because of premature mortality.” He went on to explain that if the productivity gains from improved health were also included, it would show an even greater benefit to the UK economy. The findings have clear implications for alcohol policy. Policies that target off-trade alcohol consumption – such as minimum unit pricing or increasing the duty differential between off- and on-trade products – would not only bring economic benefits by shifting spending to more productive sectors, but would also support the on-trade hospitality sector by making pub and restaurant drinking relatively more affordable by comparison. This matters for public health too: research consistently shows that the heaviest drinkers consume proportionally more in the off-trade, meaning policies targeting cheap supermarket alcohol are most likely to reach those whose drinking poses the greatest risk to their health. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Hugo Jobst, Dr Seonaid Anderson, and Allan Houston from Humanising Healthcare about their Conversation Café programme, which brings medical students together with people who have lived experience of addiction and recovery to change the culture of addiction medicine. Through small, round-table discussions, students hear directly from people in recovery, explore the roots of addiction, and reflect on how healthcare professionals can better support harm reduction and long-term recovery. “Historically in medical education the roots of addiction have not really been discussed in any meaningful or effective way. You know they’ll say, ‘adverse childhood experiences increase your risk of addiction’, but you haven’t actually heard from anyone who’s actually had those adverse childhood experiences. So with this, students get a true experience by hearing a story and being able to connect with someone who has gone through that.” - Dr Hugo Jobst If you’re interested in setting up a Conversation Café at your institution, contact: [email protected] You can also see how the Cafés run in the following short film: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month’s podcast, we spoke to Luca Straker, Campaigns Manager at the road safety charity Brake. Luca welcomed the strategy, but highlighted that there needs to be more support for victims and families of those killed or injured in road collisions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

In our latest podcast we spoke to Professor Niamh Fitzgerald and Dr James Nicholls of the University of Stirling about the UK government’s recent alcohol licensing Taskforce and its proposed reforms. We discussed the implications of the proposals for public health, local accountability, and the hospitality industry, and explored why economic growth arguments are being prioritised over health considerations. On the episode Dr Nicholls explained that: “This is a pretty unique example of quite fundamental changes being made to the system on the basis of an incredibly short report that was produced in six weeks by a very, very small group of people, most of which was dominated by the alcohol industry themselves.” They highlighted that the six-week Taskforce, dominated by industry representatives, proposed measures including a national licensing policy framework, an “amnesty” on licensing conditions, and enhanced powers for licensing officers. These changes could undermine democratic oversight, weaken local control, and shift the licensing system’s focus from public safety to promoting economic growth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Jamie O’Halloran, senior research fellow at the influential progressive think tank IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research. We discussed their new report Taking Stock: Counting the economic costs of alcohol harm, which looks at the impact of alcohol harm on people’s productivity at work. We also spoke about why the public health economic arguments can be harder to make than the industry arguments, and what employers and the government can do to reduce alcohol harm and improve productivity. On the episode Dr O’Halloran explained that: What we’re trying to show in this paper is that alcohol-related productivity losses are holding us back. It’s going to lead to lower growth, lower output, and then reduced profit, reduced taxable profits for government. It should be in everyone’s interest to target alcohol harm, not just for health, but then also for the economic benefits too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Katherine Severi, IAS’s Chief Executive, and Karen Biggs, Chief Executive of treatment provider Phoenix Futures, about IAS’s forthcoming report: A healthier future: A long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK, due to be published in October. We discussed why a long-term strategy is urgently needed, the ambitious targets set out in the report, and how prevention and treatment must go hand in hand. The conversation explored both the opportunities and barriers ahead – from minimum unit pricing and stronger marketing restrictions, to the postcode lottery in treatment and the influence of the alcohol industry. As Dr Katherine Severi puts it: “There’s no magic pill or silver bullet. That’s why our report sets out a broad range of policies and clear targets – not only to build capacity in treatment and support services, but also to ‘turn down the tap’ and prevent the next generation from experiencing alcohol harm.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

This month’s episode of the Alcohol Alert Podcast is a special cross-post from The Alcohol Debate Podcast, hosted by alcohol-freedom coach Tabbin Almond. In this episode, Tabbin is joined by Jem Roberts, Head of External Affairs at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, for a wide-ranging discussion on alcohol policy in the UK and Ireland. From Ireland’s world-first alcohol labelling law and its recent delays, to the UK Government’s 10-Year Health Plan and the omission of minimum unit pricing, Jem explains how political choices – and industry lobbying – shape the nation’s response to alcohol harm. “Pricing policies have a really quick effect on saving lives. So if you want to be coming into the next general election showing tangible results from your policies, they're pretty good policies to introduce." Subscribe to Tabbin’s podcast on Apple, Spotify, or most other podcast platforms. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

On this month's podcast we spoke to Professor Julia Sinclair and Arlene Copland about Alcohol Care Teams – the small but vital hospital teams supporting patients with complex alcohol problems. They explained how ACTs not only manage alcohol withdrawal, but also build trust with vulnerable patients, advocate across departments, and link people to the wider support they need. Despite clear evidence they improve care and reduce costs, many teams now face closure as funding dries up. We also explored stigma, the misunderstanding of addiction in healthcare, and what’s needed to secure these essential services for the future. As Professor Sinclair puts it: “This is about working with some of the most vulnerable people with the greatest needs.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

Why are young people drinking less? 🎵 podcast feature 🎵 On this month’s podcast we spoke to Professor John Holmes, University of Sheffield, and Amy Pennay, La Trobe University, about their new book: Young People, Alcohol, and Risk: A Culture of Caution. We discussed the decline in young people's drinking; whether this is continuing into adulthood; factors influencing this decline; and a why this has to be understood as a much broader sociological issue of generational change. “It's about this idea that young people have a very different perspective on the world. This particular generation, that often gets called Gen Z, have a very particular perspective on the world that is quite different to those that have come before them.” – Professor John Holmes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com