By Dr Jennifer Ferguson, Lecturer in Criminology at Teesside University.

This blog post reports on a research study undertaken by Dr Jennifer Ferguson that examined what factors need to be considered when designing and implementing alcohol screening and brief interventions (ASBIs) within a female open prison in England.

Dr Andrea Mohan has written a blog post for Voluntary Health Scotland on the SHAAP-funded research which explored the views and experiences of a specialist alcohol harm reduction service, the ‘Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service’ (PCANOS) in Glasgow, which employs addiction nurses who support people with alcohol problems.

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By Eunan McKinney, Head of Communications and Advocacy at Alcohol Action Ireland

In this post, Eunan McKinney briefly describes the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Ireland, which occurred at the start of 2022. Eunan describes the role of Alcohol Action Ireland in public health messaging surrounding MUP, and reflects on the challenges posed by industry and industry-aligned media to MUP and alcohol policy in general.

By Danilo Falzon, Dr Hannah Carver and Professor Tessa Parkes, Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research, University of Stirling

Managed Alcohol Programmes (MAPs) are a harm reduction intervention for those experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) which provide regular and measured doses of alcohol to service users throughout the day, alongside a range of health and social supports. In this post, Danilo Falzon, Dr Hannah Carver and Professor Tessa Parkes share their mixed-methods research exploring the potential for MAPs to reduce the risks faced by those experiencing homelessness and AUDs in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioned paintings by Linda McGowan and Stu Duffy from the Unexpected Gallery in Glasgow are provided, which showcase the themes and findings of this research.

By Dr Eric Carlin, Consultant, Public Health Expert (Alcohol Policies) with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and one of the authors of the WHO/Europe digital marketing of alcohol report.

In this post, Dr Eric Carlin first discusses that, as we now live much of our lives in digital spaces, we are exposed and vulnerable to “limbic capitalism”, with global industries marketing addictive, health-harming goods and services online. Dr Carlin then describes the findings of the new WHO/Europe report on digital marketing of alcohol which sets out that we need a global, comprehensive approach to make the internet a SAFER space for all.

By Sohan Sahota, Managing Director and co-founding member of BAC-IN, a Nottingham based, specialist drug and alcohol recovery support service for individuals, families and young adults from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

In this blog post, Sohan Sahota discusses alcohol, ethnicity and BAME multiple disadvantage. Sohan highlights the challenges faced, shares his new book, Shades of Recovery, and information on BAC-IN, plus calls for action to tackle inequalities, address unmet needs, and improve treatment and recovery, prevention, research, and training. This is part two of the two-part SHAAP blog series on alcohol and ethnicity (read part one).

By Stacey Jennings, PhD student from Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Stacey is working on the Alcohol and Ethnicity study as part of her PhD (www.alcoholandethnicity.com).

In this blog post, Stacey Jennings discusses the need to properly assess and address ethnicity in alcohol research, highlighting that we must improve representation of ethnic minorities across inclusion, reporting, and analysis. This is part one of the two-part SHAAP blog series on alcohol and ethnicity (read part two).

By Dr Sheila Gilheany, CEO, Alcohol Action Ireland

In this blog post, Dr Sheila Gilheany discusses a recent report on alcohol marketing in the 2020 Six Nations Championship prepared for SHAAP, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and Alcohol Action Ireland by the Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling. Dr Gilheany then describes the soon to be implemented legislation on alcohol advertising and sponsorship in Ireland; the importance of marketing to Big Alcohol; and asks "What next for alcohol policy in Scotland?".

By Julie Paterson, chief executive, and Dr Lisa Schölin, researcher, Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland

Alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) is a condition caused by prolonged, chronic alcohol use. It can impact many, if not all, aspects of a person’s life. In this blog post, Julie Paterson and Dr Lisa Schölin discuss findings from a recent report by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland – a statutory organisation which protects and promotes the human rights of people with mental illness, learning disability, dementia and related conditions. The report looked at rights and treatment of people with ARBD in Scotland as part of the Commission’s task of visiting people subject to welfare guardianship orders to make sure their rights are respected.

By Yvette Mojica-Perez (PhD student, La Trobe University) and Dr. Claire Wilkinson (Senior Research Fellow, University of New South Wales)

Last month the International Confederation of ATOD Research Associations (ICARA), with the support of SHAAP and the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN), held the last of a series of webinars on the impact of COVID-19 on alcohol, tobacco and other drug research and services. Attendees were treated to four fantastic presentations unpacking the impact of the pandemic on alcohol consumption and harms in South Africa (Professor Charles Parry), India (Dr. Abhijit Nadkarni), Australia (Dr. Sarah Callinan) and England and Scotland (Professor Niamh Fitzgerald). Here, we provide a summary of each presentation and then discuss some overarching themes.