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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Falls in alcohol consumption but longer term trend and impact not clear

Levels of alcohol consumption have been on a downward trend since 2004, prompting the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) to call out against 'population' based approaches to alcohol harm reduction such as pricing measures and the mandatory licensing code.

Based on figures from HM Revenues and Customs data, sales have been falling since their 2004 peak, although 2007 levels showed a slight increase on the previous year. Nonetheless the longer term trend has been one of a more significant increase as demonstrated in the recent report from the Alcohol Health and Research Unit 'Future Proof'.

However consideration is urged when interpreting the data and assessing trends - consumption falls may be predominantly determined by significant decreases in consumption levels amongst younger drinkers in particular (16-24 age group). This was highlighted in the report released earlier this year by the JRF 'Drinking in the UK: an exploration of trends'. The impact of the recession, continued rise in home consumption and issues such as convergence between men and women's drinking patterns is also unclear. . . . . . .

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