Associations between financial hardship and alcohol reduction attempts in the context of a cost-of-living crisis and alcohol tax reforms: a population study in Great Britain, 2023–25 Rising living costs and changes to alcohol taxation influence drinking behaviours. This study aimed to examine associations between financial hardship…

The latest paper to be published from our project 'Reforming alcohol taxes in a cost-of-living crisis' was led by @drsarahejackson.bsky.social with @jamiebrown.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social & @victimofmaths.bsky.social. Find out more about the project here: bit.ly/3OGifN3 #PublicHealth

Advertising, Football and the Problem of Self-Regulation In this month’s Member Spotlight, we caught up with Ellen McGrane, Research Associate in Alcohol and Public Health in the Sheffield Addictions Research Group at the University of Sheffield. Althoug…

SARG's Ellen McGrane recently spoke with @afsguk.bsky.social about her research into gambling advertising during live sports. The interview explores the whistle-to-whistle ban, self-regulation, and the challenges of data collection and natural experiments in gambling research. #AddictionResearch

Recruitment poster from the University of Sheffield and the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG). The headline asks: "DO YOU WORK FOR AN ALCOHOL TREATMENT OR RECOVERY SERVICE?" The sub-header reads: "Share your expertise to help the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) understand the advice given to service users about alcohol-free drinks." Eligibility criteria are listed with icons: 1. Must be aged 18 or over. 2. In a client-facing role now or in the last two years. 3. Based in a non-NHS service in the UK. A "PARTICIPATE NOW" section includes three bullet points: 15-20 minutes, 100% anonymous, and "Help shape national guidance" There is a large QR code and the link https://sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/survey to take the survey. Footer text notes: "This project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) Mental Health Incubator. Reference: NIHR200172. University of Sheffield ethics approval has been obtained. Reference: 072040. The sub-header reads: "Share your expertise to help the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) understand the advice given to service users about alcohol-free drinks." Eligibility criteria are listed with icons: 1. Must be aged 18 or over. 2. In a client-facing role now or in the last two years. 3. Based in a non-NHS service in the UK. A "PARTICIPATE NOW" section includes three bullet points: 15-20 minutes, 100% anonymous, and "Help shape national guidance" There is a large QR code and the link bit.ly/4cFKyFh to take the survey. Footer text notes: "This project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) Mental Health Incubator. Reference: NIHR200172. University of Sheffield ethics approval has been obtained. Reference: 072040.

We're looking for people who work in alcohol treatment or recovery services to complete a survey about what advice is given to service users about alcohol-free drinks: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/survey Please share to help us reach as many people as possible! #AlcoholRecovery #MentalHealth

Is why we drink alcohol important when considering the potential public health benefit of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks? A cross-sectional study investigating associations between alcohol drinki... Introduction The UK has promoted increased availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks (no/lo, ≤1.2% alcohol by volume) as a public health strategy. To be effective, no/lo beverages must repla...

This new paper by SARG Research Associate and Wellcome Trust PhD student Lucy Burke explores whether the reasons people drink alcohol influence their consumption of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks. #PublicHealth #NoLo

Does Dry January change how we drink? - Institute of Alcohol Studies A new study finds that Dry January does show up in national alcohol sales data – people drink less and buy more no/lo options during the month. But most return to old habits by February, raising quest...

Sober months like Dry January have become increasingly popular in recent years, but do they actually change how we drink?

In this blog, @aishamoolla.bsky.social outlines the findings from recent @sarg-scharr.bsky.social research on the short and long-term impacts.

www.ias.org.uk/2025/09/23/d...

New report reveals further growth and key trends in alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks market - Sheffield Addictions Research Group A second Monitoring Report from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group has been published, revealing further growth in the alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks market and offering new insights...

Lots of media coverage this morning of findings from our new report 'Alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks in Great Britain: Monitoring report on 2023 data'. The no/lo market continues to expand and no/lo drinks are more likely to be consumed by risky drinkers. Find out more 👇 @nihr.bsky.social

Temporary and sustained changes in alcoholic and alcohol-free or low-alcohol drinks sales during January? A time series analysis of seasonal patterning in Great Britain Sales of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks are increasing rapidly but the drivers of this trend remain unclear. Reductions in alcohol consum…

New paper on changes in sales of alcohol and alcohol-free/low-alcohol products in January, and whether these changes drive longer term trends!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Led by @aishamoolla.bsky.social
@jholmessheff.bsky.social
@voodooeconomics.bsky.social
@jamiebrown.bsky.social

The Government's big new 10 year health plan has finally been published.

In spite of lots of talk about moving towards prevention rather than treatment, there is basically no meaningful alcohol prevention policy here.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/686638...

In response to the NHS 10-year plan, Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, AHA Chair, welcomes improved labelling but says it is "staggering" that the most evidence-based policies to reduce alcohol harm did not make it into the final plan.

Our full statement: ahauk.org/news/nhs-plan/

Solidarity with all my friends at Sheffield on strike! Great to see my old home of Geography represented and some familiar faces 😎

Trends in the alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks market in the UK - Sheffield Addictions Research Group In this blog post Luke Wilson discusses the latest trends in the alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks market in the UK including the on-trade, off-trade and their use by people attempting to reduce the...

The alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks market in the UK is growing, but slowly. In this new blog post Luke Wilson talks about key trends identified in a study he led with @abi-stevely.bsky.social. He also considers the wider implications of these trends for public health. #alcohol #nolo

Current and future trends in the consumption, sale and purchasing of alcohol‐free and low‐alcohol products in Great Britain, 2014 to 2023 Background and Aims The UK Government has committed to reducing alcohol consumption by 2025 through increasing the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks. This study estimated c...

New paper out today showing the rise in alcohol-free and low-alcohol products and forecasting future trends! Includes interesting graphs 👀
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

@jamiebrown.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social

Solitary Drinkers in Great Britain: How Do Their Sociodemographic Characteristics, Consumption Patterns, and Drinking Occasions Differ From Those Who Drink With Others?: Journal of Studies on Alcohol ... Objective: Inequalities in alcohol-related harm may arise partly from differences in drinking practices between population groups. One underresearched practice associated with harm is consuming alcoho...

Solitary Drinkers in Great Britain: How Do Their Sociodemographic Characteristics, Consumption Patterns, and Drinking Occasions Differ From Those Who Drink With Others? (new in @jsadjournal.bsky.social 86/1)
@jholmessheff.bsky.social @pmeierprof.bsky.social
www.jsad.com/doi/full/10....

A systematic review of adolescent alcohol-related harm trends in high-income countries with declines in adolescent consumption by Emma Vieira and colleagues @nic-alcohol.bsky.social @amypennay.bsky.social @jholmessheff.bsky.social buff.ly/uaIqVS9

A systematic review of adolescent alcohol‐related harm trends in high‐income countries with declines in adolescent consumption Background and Aims Adolescent alcohol consumption decreased in high-income countries during the 2000s and 2010s. While evidence for declining consumption is clear, there has been less research trac.....

Fantastic new article by our PhD student Emma Vieira examining how alcohol-related harms among adolescents have shifted in countries that have seen a decline in adolescent drinking onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...