About AFS

Alcohol Focus Scotland is the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm.

We want to reduce the impact of alcohol on individuals, families, communities and Scotland as a whole, through the implementation of effective alcohol control policies and legislation.

We want to see fewer people have their health damaged or lives cut short due to alcohol, fewer children and families suffering as a result of other people's drinking, and communities free from alcohol-related crime and violence.

Alcohol Focus Scotland Strategic Plan 2024 - 2027

Our mission

To play a leading role in creating a world where alcohol is no longer a major cause of harm.

Our vision

A future free from widespread health and social harm caused by alcohol.

Our approach

We build public, professional and political support for action to prevent harm by reducing alcohol consumption, in Scotland and beyond.

Our values

Independent, equitable and fair, evidence-based, person-centred, respectful and collaborative

Our strategic priorities

• effective policy and implementation
• understanding the harm - my drinking and harm to others
• increase price
• control sales
• restrict marketing

Our work

• promoting effective alcohol policies at local, national and international level
• engage and inform people about our work and the need for change
• gathering evidence of the harm caused by alcohol and of the most effective and cost-effective policies
• developing learning opportunities and resources to support best practice

Alcohol Focus Scotland doesn't provide any services for people concerned about their own or someone else's drinking. Please use our services directory to find a local support agency.

Our partners

We work with a wide range of partners including health, licensing, education, community safety and Alcohol & Drug Partnerships. We work closely with SHAAP and the BMA Scotland and we are members of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, a network of more than 50 organisations whose mission is to reduce the health damage caused by alcohol. We are also a partner organisation in the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN).

Our funding

Our funding comes from a variety of sources, including the Scottish Government, grant giving bodies, and self-generated income. We do not accept funding from the alcohol industry. Find out how to support our work.

Our history

Alcohol Focus Scotland was established in the early 1970s as the Scottish Council on Alcohol, primarily to support the Local Councils on Alcohol by providing training for their volunteer counsellors. Over the past forty years our work has expanded and today we work with a wide range of partners to advocate for evidence-based policy, deliver training and development programmes, and provide accurate and accessible information about alcohol to the media, policymakers, practitioners and the general public.