Tag: harmful drinking

Tackling Harmful Drinking: Alcohol industry action showcased at Holyrood event

Tackling harmful drinking was the focus of an event at Holyrood last week, sponsored by Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands.

MSPs and other stakeholders, the third sector, Police Scotland and representatives from the drinks industry, were given the chance to see for themselves the work supported by the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SAIP) and delivered across the country to tackle harm and promote an increasingly moderate and responsible approach to alcohol.

Several of the organisations that the SAIP and its members work with were represented at the event, including Drinkaware, Community Alcohol Partnerships, Best Bar None and the Portman Group.

Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands said: “ It was fantastic to get the opportunity to host the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership at Holyrood, bringing industry and partners together to tackle harmful drinking.

“Scotland has a complicated relationship with alcohol, and it’s important that we prevent its misuse and the damage that can be done by drinking too much, while recognising the importance of alcohol culturally, socially, and economically.

“As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I know how important whisky is locally, and we need to empower people to enjoy that without it negatively impacting their health and relationships.

“Alcohol-related hospital stays are on the decline, and last year saw a welcome decrease in alcohol deaths, but effort is needed to make sure that trajectory continues in the right direction – industry must be part of that effort.”

Paul Waterson, SAIP Chair said: “Our industry has an important role to play in encouraging moderate consumption and in tackling harmful drinking.

“The event highlighted the range of targeted interventions being taken forward in partnership across the industry, in addition to work that many companies also do individually.

“We want to have a prosperous, vibrant alcohol industry whilst at the same time driving down harmful consumption. Progress is being made but more work remains to be done.”

Tackling harmful drinking – more targeted interventions are needed

Alcohol producers and retailers are calling on the next Scottish Government to target their efforts to tackle alcohol harm while recognising the positive role the industry can have in helping consumers make informed choices about their drinking. 

The Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership is an alliance of retailers and producers committed to tackling alcohol harm by devising and delivering targeted interventions and supporting community-based activities. 

The SAIP has launched its manifesto ahead of the Scottish election and has two main asks: to move towards greater use of targeted interventions, and to acknowledge the positive role that the alcohol industry plays in promoting responsible moderate consumption and tackling harmful drinking. 

Examples of targeted interventions include Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs) to target underage drinking and assertive outreach treatment to reach and support harmful drinkers. 

CAPs work by supporting local partnerships of councils, police, retailers, schools, health providers and other community groups in reducing alcohol harm among children and young people, improving their health and wellbeing and enhancing their communities. 

Assertive outreach treatment (AOT) is a service which makes proactive and persistent (‘assertive’) attempts to engage and provide tailored support to harmful drinkers. 

SAIP Chairman Paul Waterson said: “We are looking for a greater emphasis and focus on delivering targeted interventions.” 

Another change called for by the SAIP is recognition that the industry has a valid and long-standing role to play in tackling alcohol harm. 

“The SAIP is a unique partnership that has demonstrated its commitment,” said Waterson. “We have devised and rolled out a national campaign with Police Scotland to tackle the proxy purchase of alcohol by adults for minors and supported the expansion of CAP schemes around Scotland.

“We have also worked with Best Bar None and Drinkaware – all proven ways of making real change in people’s attitude to the safe consumption of alcohol.” 

The SAIP Manifesto can be found https://www.saip.org.uk/resources 

Made to be Measured: Scotch Whisky industry launches second year of responsible consumption campaign

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has kickstarted the second year of the Made to be Measured campaign, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote responsible consumption and tackle harmful drinking.  

Following on from a successful first year, in which the campaign reached nearly 600,000 people and achieved 5.5 million impressions, the campaign will continue to target adults in Scotland and communicate the importance of measuring your drinks at home, to understand where they sit in relation to the Chief Medical Officer’s low risk drinking guidelines.  

 The SWA is taking an active role in ensuring the Made to Be Measured campaign supports industry professionals in communicating the importance of responsible drinking effectively with their audience, through a series of online and in-person workshops. 

The collaborative nature of the events allows members the opportunity to share unique insight into the challenges faced by industry while SWA can help equip them with campaign tools and assets.

Working closely in this manner to ensure the campaign meets the needs of those working at the forefront is essential to the ongoing success of Made to Be Measured. 

Initially launched in 2023, Made to be Measured is a responsible consumption campaign with Scotch Whisky at its heart.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the alcohol content of drinks and the recommended weekly guidelines (units).  As Scotland’s national drink, carefully crafted and only released after many years of maturation in warehouses across the country, Scotch Whisky is there to be savoured and enjoyed responsibly.

The campaign, aimed at adults in Scotland, will continue to run across a range of digital and consumer platforms, all using creative advertising to help convey and clarify the units within Scotch Whisky and other alcoholic drinks. 

One single 25ml measure of whisky (at 40% abv) comes in at one unit, with guidelines from Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer recommending consumers do not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week.

Fourteen units of alcohol equate to approximately 14 single measures (25ml) of spirits, one and a half bottles of wine or five pints of lager at average strength. 

Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association,said: “We’re pleased to bring the second year of the campaign to audiences in Scotland.

“In order to make responsible choices about alcohol consumption it is important people understand what the unit guidelines are and how this equates to what they are drinking. Made to be Measured strives to inform people in Scotland about the guidelines and encourage them to track what they drink, particularly when consuming alcohol at home.   

“The Scotch Whisky industry takes responsible consumption of its products extremely seriously and wants consumers to understand that it is a product that is meant to be sipped and savoured.

“Distillers take pride in producing each dram, and whether you enjoy it neat or in a cocktail, it should be consumed in a responsible manner.”