Alcohol Review – Issue 110, January 31st 2025

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In this issue: Invitation: Join Alcohol Review 2025 News: Outgoing Biden US Surgeon General sparks cancer warning debate; Investor drops alcohol stake; Psychedelic efforts hit high; Lo-no policy warning ignored; App assessed. Features: Opinion: Alcohol-free beer hype is unhelpful; The case for pure free time hedonism; Put alcohol pleasure in perspective?

Invitation

Alcohol Review 2025: Winning the narrative, sharing the benefits. With live sessions from acclaimed author Grant Ennis and UK public health leader Alice Wiseman. Impactful Spotlight sessions will highlight a series of cutting-edge developments. Full subscribers go free. Subscribe, register and propose a session.

News

Outgoing Biden US Surgeon General sparks global cancer warning debate: Alcohol’s cancer risk made global headlines when outgoing Biden-appointed US Surgeon General said that alcohol products should carry warning labels. It is unclear which direction the nascent Trump administration will go with alcohol policy. In the meantime Pennsylvania House Representative Jose Giral proposed a bill which would require alcohol products in the Commonwealth to carry a warning. And Alaska revisited a plan to use signs to warn about cancer at point of sale. A second report was released to inform this year’s highly contested guideline revision. In India, meanwhile, the Bombay High Court last week notified central and state governments of a public interest litigation from a 24-year-old campaigner who wants to see alcohol cancer warning labels.

Investor drops alcohol stake: Investment manager Terry Smith dropped a long-held stake in alcohol giant Diageo, citing concerns over its new management team and the possibility that weight-loss drugs will reduce alcohol demand.

Psychedelic efforts hit high: Shares in the UK’s Solvonis Therapeutics Plc jumped after the FDA said it would allow its ketamine-based drug for alcohol problems to progress to phase two clinical trials. Separately, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the active element in the traditional South American drug ayahuasca, is also to be investigated.

Lo-no policy warning ignored: Low-alcohol products carrying alcohol brands should face the same marketing restrictions as full-strength counterparts and always be cheaper, says new guidance from the UK’s Alcohol Health Alliance. Their producers should also not be part of policy discussion. This suggestion has yet to be heeded, however, with Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne MP this week joining an alcohol industry lobbying exercise promoting the health benefits of low alcohol drinks. AR argued that a fixation on unproven benefits of low alcohol drinks pose a potential barrier to effective action.

App assessed: A study found that large-scale promotion of an app called “Drink Less” could reduce alcohol-related deaths by 4,600 and hospital admissions by 188,400 over the next 20 years,? saving the NHS ￡590m ($730m).

Features

Opinion: Alcohol-free beer hype is unhelpful Heavy marketing has created a buzz around alcohol-free beer diverting vital public attention from surging rates of alcohol harm. The stakes are too high to let commercial hype eclipse evidence-based action.

Preview for full subscribers The case for pure free time hedonism The New Year is when many of us try to change our habits, resolving to cut back on alcohol, save money and exercise more. But we might also usefully take a step back to ensure our free time satisfies our appetite for feelings and sensation.

Message of the month

Put alcohol pleasure in perspective Heavy marketing can make it seem that alcohol drinking is essential in pleasure when it really only plays a bit-part, and often a negative one. If we are serious about enjoying our spare time we might benefit from a more open, creative approach, as argued above. ■