News

AFS Comment on Public Health Scotland ABI Review

Public Health Scotland has today (29^th October) published its review of alcohol brief interventions in Scotland, providing recommendations for policy.

The report calls for a refreshed approach to embedding conversations about alcohol across health and social care settings including a comprehensive plan for achieving this over 10 years.

The report sets out actions that should be taken in the short-term including learning from local experience and good practice and developing new national strategic oversight structures and local support.

Alcohol Focus Scotland warmly welcomes the report and recommendations which further serve to highlight the urgent need for Scotland to take action to address alcohol harm.

Commenting on the review, Laura Mahon, Deputy CEO of Alcohol Focus Scotland said:

“This important review highlights the need to ensure that conversations about alcohol are embedded as part of a comprehensive, population-wide prevention strategy to promote health and reduce inequalities, and we welcome the identification of actions that should be taken in the short-term – reflecting again the urgency of the alcohol emergency we currently face.

“We strongly support the recommendation to make conversations about alcohol a requirement for preventative health elements of national contracts (e.g. dentistry, primary care and pharmacy), and it is encouraging to see a focus on ensuring there is sufficient information, resources, and support in place for health and social care workers to have effective conversations about alcohol. 

“There remains a lack of awareness among the general public of basic alcohol health information, with 77% of people still unaware of the Chief Medical Officer’s low risk guidance and one in two people unaware that alcohol causes cancer.

“In particular, we welcome the recommendation that the Scottish Government consider how the framing and implementation of structural interventions to reduce alcohol harm can also contribute to reducing stigma associated with problematic alcohol use.

“Public discourse on alcohol harm and alcohol deaths tends to focus around alcohol dependence or ‘addiction’ – reflecting a lack of understanding of the wide spectrum of problematic alcohol use. This lack of understanding can contribute to stigma and even act as a barrier to people recognising their own potentially harmful or hazardous alcohol use and accessing support.

“Given the widespread nature of alcohol harm across all of society, we strongly support the call for the Scottish Government to work across policy directorates to reflect the contribution that reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption would have on wider population health outcomes.”