SARG research on drinking guidelines presented in Brussels
Professor John Holmes, Director of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), recently spoke at a European Alcohol Harm Reduction Symposium.
Professor Holmes presented SARG's evaluation of the UK's low-risk drinking guidelines which concluded that announcing new drinking guidelines did not lead to a substantial or sustained reduction in drinking or a downturn in the long-term trend in alcohol consumption, though there was evidence of a temporary reduction in consumption.
He also participated in a panel discussion on the implications of the decline in youth drinking over the last 20 years and how to communicate evidence on alcohol and cancer.
The symposium, Reducing the burden of alcohol: Focus on scientific and policy challenges, took place on 3 December 2024 and brought together leading researchers, policymakers, and public health professionals from across Europe. Organised by Santé publique France, a leading scientific agency dedicated to preventing addictive behaviours, and EuroHealthNet, a European network of public health organisations, the symposium aimed to address key challenges in alcohol harm prevention.
Sessions from the symposium are available to watch on YouTube – look out for John's presentation 'Evaluation of the impact of (not) promoting revised low-risk drinking guidelines, UK' and his participation in Roundtable 1.
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