Welcome
Alcohol Focus Scotland is the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm. More about us
Our vision
A future free from the widespread health and social harm caused by alcohol.
Our mission
To deliver effective and cost-effective action to reduce alcohol consumption and harm in Scotland and beyond.
Our values
Independent, equitable and fair, evidence-based, person-centred, respectful and collaborative.
Key work
Restricting alcohol marketing
Promoting regulation that reduces the level of exposure – particularly of children and young people and people struggling with alcohol-related issues – to alcohol marketing.
Increasing the price of alcohol
Broadening support for optimising minimum unit pricing by introducing an automatic mechanism linking to affordability.
Mandatory health warning labels
For consumers to make an informed choice, alcohol labels need to provide clear product and health information.
Latest news
Alcohol advertising puts people at risk of relapse say members of recovery community - New Report
Sep 29, 2026: People with lived experience of alcohol harm have called for a new approach to alcohol advertising and marketing, saying that its ubiquity acts as a potential trigger that puts them at risk of relapse. In a new report published by Alcohol Focus Scotland at the end of Recovery Month 2026, outdoor alcohol advertising was consistently identified by participants as one of the most intrusive forms of alcohol promotion.
In Focus: The Monthly AFS CEO Blog - Why we need an Alcohol Action Day in Scotland
Sep 29, 2026: “Delighted”. It’s a word I challenge myself never to use. If you regularly share news on social media, as I do, then you’ll know it’s the adjective we all tend to reach for – but it can’t always be true. If you took my LinkedIn feed literally, you’d believe everyone is wildly thrilled about absolutely everything, all the time.
Health harming industries are undermining action on Scotland’s worsening health, warn experts
Sep 15, 2026: Public health policies are under sustained influence by commercial actors linked to tobacco, alcohol, and junk food, according to a new report launched today by health charities, including British Heart Foundation Scotland, Obesity Action Scotland, ASH Scotland, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems and Alcohol Focus Scotland.
Unless Scottish Government takes action to reduce alcohol consumption and prevent population harm, it is undermining its own ambition on prevention.
Sep 3, 2026: Prevention was one of the much-hyped themes of this Programme for Government. With an ageing population and a growing prevalence of long-term conditions, our increasing need for the NHS has become unsustainable. The calls for action outlined in the Christie Commission fifteen years ago have become even louder – without a pivot to preventative action and early intervention, our public services will struggle to keep up.
