Alcohol Focus Scotland | News

In Focus: The Monthly AFS CEO Blog - May 2026

David Barbour — Mon, 18 May 2026 10:23:00 +0100

In the first of a new series of monthly CEO blogs, Carolyn Lochhead, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, shares her thoughts post-election on Alcohol Focus Scotland’s hopes for the new Parliament.

AFS Comment on ONS Alcohol Specific Death Stats

David Barbour — Mon, 11 May 2026 14:04:00 +0100

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today (Monday 11^th May) published their latest figures for alcohol specific deaths in the UK.

AFS backs Lancet Commission call to raise alcohol prices to cut liver disease

David Barbour — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:54:00 +0100

A new Lancet Commission on liver health in Europe highlights a growing and largely preventable burden of liver disease, with around 284,000 deaths each year linked to conditions such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Alcohol is identified as a major contributing factor alongside obesity, poor diet and viral hepatitis, with experts warning that without action the scale of harm will continue to rise.

The Commission calls for stronger, population-level measures to address the commercial drivers of ill health, including significantly higher taxes on alcohol and unhealthy food, mandatory health warnings, and tighter restrictions on marketing—particularly to children. It argues that aligning taxation with the true societal costs of these products is essential to reducing consumption and preventing harm.

Alcohol and Party Manifestos

David Barbour — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:19:00 +0100

by Sophie Bridger, AFS Policy Manager

Leading health advocates express concerns about commonwealth games partnerships with health harming products

David Barbour — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:26:00 +0100

Leading health organisations, including Alcohol Focus Scotland, are expressing serious concerns following Jubel X and Coca Cola having been announced as official partners for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Blog: New Strategy, New Parliament, New Hope

David Barbour — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:45:00 +0000

Carolyn Lochhead, Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland analyses Scotland’s new Alcohol and Drug Strategic Plan

Blog: Think Outside the Bottle: Rethinking What We Give Mums This Mother’s Day

David Barbour — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:39:00 +0000

by Gillian Brown, Our Circle for Alcohol Free Mums

AFS Response to new Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan for 2026-2035

David Barbour — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:27:00 +0000

The Scottish Government has today (10/03/2026) published their new alcohol and drugs strategic plan for 2026-2035.

No more half measures: alcohol charity demands bold alcohol action in next Parliament

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:21:00 +0000

Scotland’s national alcohol charity, Alcohol Focus Scotland, has warned Scotland’s next MSPs that it’s time to get serious about tackling the cost of harm caused by alcohol.

AFS joins health leaders call for minimum unit pricing after record alcohol deaths in Northern Ireland

David Barbour — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:17:00 +0000

Health leaders have written to the First and Deputy First Ministers calling for urgent action after alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland reached their highest level on record.

AFS comment on the PHS 10 Year Health Strategy

David Barbour — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:52:00 +0000

Public Health Scotland has published its new 10-year health strategy for Scotland, Together We Can. Alcohol Focus Scotland welcomes the strategy, particularly its recognition of the scale of alcohol harm in Scotland and its strong focus on prevention and health equity.

FOI documents show how alcohol industry pressure forced marketing restrictions out of NHS health plan

David Barbour — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:40:00 +0000

Analysis of Freedom of Information (FOI) documents released today reveals how alcohol companies and industry-funded bodies mounted a coordinated lobbying campaign to force the removal of alcohol marketing restrictions from England’s 10 Year Health Plan – an NHS strategy intended to improve the nation’s health.

Welcome decrease in hospital admissions - but alcohol harm remains pervasive

David Barbour — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:09:00 +0000

Statistics published today (27/1/2026) by Public Health Scotland show that in 2024/25 there were 29,430 alcohol-related hospital admissions (stays) in Scotland.

Alcohol Focus Scotland announces Carolyn Lochhead as new Chief Executive

David Barbour — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:51:00 +0000

Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) is delighted to announce that Carolyn Lochhead has been appointed as our new chief executive.

UK brings a Jan-do attitude to better health and wellbeing in 2026 as record 17.5 million plan an alcohol-free January

David Barbour — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:33:00 +0000

Scottish Health Survey 2024 – Positive picture, but devil is in the detail

David Barbour — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:19:00 +0100

The Scottish Health Survey 2024 was published on the 21^st October 2025. The publication provides information on the health of people in Scotland, including on our alcohol consumption.

AFS Response to PHS Decline in Treatment Report

David Barbour — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:26:00 +0100

Public Health Scotland (PHS) recently published their long-awaited report into a decline in referrals to specialist alcohol treatment services.

Making the case for regulating alcohol marketing in Scotland: A recent review of the evidence and next steps

David Barbour — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:52:00 +0100

This article was originally published by the Institute of Alcohol Studies.

No room for complacency despite alcohol death decrease

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:51:00 +0100

Today National Records of Scotland have reported that the number of alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland fell by 7% in 2024.

Ireland’s alcohol advertising controls

David Barbour — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:04:00 +0100