SARG and IAS partner to lead session at Portorož Youth Health Forum 2026
Dr Laura Fenton, Research Fellow at the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), and Dr Peter Rice, Chair of the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) and President of Eurocare, will co-lead an interactive session at the Portorož Youth Health Forum 2026 in Slovenia.
Taking place from 21 to 23 September 2026, the Forum brings together youth workers, youth health advocates, health professionals and other experts from across Europe and beyond. As part of the programme, Dr Fenton and Dr Rice will explore young people's changing relationship with alcohol and approaches to reducing alcohol-related harm.
The session will give participants an opportunity to consider how research and policy evidence relate to their own national and professional contexts, with a particular focus on changing youth drinking patterns, university drinking cultures, alcohol policy and responses to industry opposition.
Rethinking youth culture and alcohol
Dr Fenton's presentation, Cheers? Rethinking Alcohol in Youth Culture, draws on findings from SARG's Youth Drinking in Decline project.
She will explore important changes in young people's alcohol consumption since the early 2000s, including the substantial and sustained decline in youth drinking seen across several high-income countries. She will also consider why alcohol remains embedded in many young people's lives, using university students as an example, and explore the role of peer norms and social expectations in shaping drinking behaviour.
The session will also consider why the decline in youth drinking has been stronger in some countries than others, and how universities can create more opportunities for students who do not drink to socialise and develop a sense of belonging.
"The decline in youth drinking is one of the most important changes in young people's alcohol use in recent decades, but the picture is not the same everywhere. I'm looking forward to discussing what might be behind these changes with participants from different countries, and exploring what the research can tell us about drinking, belonging and social life at university." says Dr Laura Fenton.
Creating healthier environments by reducing harm from alcohol
Dr Rice will then turn the focus to the role of alcohol policy in reducing harm and creating healthier environments.
His presentation will explore how alcohol consumption and harm vary between countries, and the range of measures available to reduce harm, including policies relating to alcohol availability, drink-driving, treatment, marketing, taxation and pricing. He will draw on the World Health Organization's SAFER initiative and examples of alcohol policy in Scotland.
The session will also examine the influence of commercial interests on alcohol policy. Using Ireland's alcohol health warning legislation as a case study, participants will consider the arguments used by commercial organisations to oppose health measures and how health organisations and governments might respond.
The session will also touch on alcohol policy and health inequalities, including the alcohol harm paradox and the potential role of price interventions in reducing inequalities.
About the Portorož Youth Health Forum
The Portorož Youth Health Forum is organised by the International Youth Health Organization (YHO). The Forum aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of youth health advocates and youth health workers, with a focus on health promotion and prevention, research and data, networking, advocacy, campaigns and policymaking.
Find out more about the International Youth Health Organization (YHO) | Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) | Eurocare
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