Alcohol In Britain Research Articles

The Temptation of War: How Alcohol Affected the Canadian First World War Experience in Hastings, 1917

ABSTRACT This article analyses the consumption of alcohol amongst Canadian soldiers based in the East Sussex town of Hastings in 1917. It shows that more relaxed restrictions on alcohol in Britain to those in Canada, all provinces and eventually the federal government had prohibited alcohol by 1918, proved too much of a temptation for some Canadians, who were caught up in instances of drunkenness, disorder and petty crime. The wide availability of alcohol in the town coupled with poor administration and scattered billets provided a fertile environment for ill-discipline. This caused tension between some in the community and the Canadians. Another theme which started to emerge in Hastings was that Canada was more socially advanced than Britain. The motherland’s reluctance to completely ban alcohol was viewed as archaic and backwards. For some Canadians, this warranted a loosening of the attachment to Britain and the Empire in favour of Canada. The Canadian’s experience of alcohol in Hastings may, therefore, point to how Canada was moving away from Britain and the Empire and strengthening its own sense of self. This aspect warrants further research.

Framing drug and alcohol use as a public health problem in Britain: past and present.

Recent attempts to approach drug and alcohol problems as a public health issue in the UK and globally have begun to achieve some success. Yet, in historical terms, the idea that the use of psychoactive substances should be regarded as a public health problem is a relatively new one. In the UK, it was only in the latter half of the 20th century that what were termed “public health” approaches to alcohol and drugs began to gain purchase. Moreover, what was meant by a “public health” framing of psychoactive substance use changed over time and between substances. This article examines the development of public health approaches to drugs and alcohol in Britain since the 19th century. It suggests that a public health view of substance use existed alongside, and interacted with, other approaches to drug and alcohol use. To understand the meaning of a “public health” framing of drugs and alcohol we need to locate this in historical and geographical context.

The turning tides of intoxication: young people's drinking in Britain in the 2000s

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent changes in young people's consumption of alcohol in Britain before then charting emerging academic perspectives and some of the recent regulatory and legislative changes.

Reflections on alcohol and the young.

Young people's exposure to alcohol in Britain is a major cause of concern to alcohol workers, yet little impact has been made on the problem despite extensive research and numerous recommendations for tackling it. To some extent, this is due to permissive public attitudes and the general lack of knowledge among the public and professionals of the dangers of alcohol misuse, but lack of leadership by government and targetting of alcohol at the young by the drinks industry must take some of the blame. Particular issues of relevance to young people are excessive drinking in pregnancy, which may affect the fetus, alcoholic parents, drinking among 11-15 year olds, and heavy consumption by older adolescents. The pressure that these put on social and health services (and the expense) is considerable. Rather than concentrating resources on treating the damage, greater emphasis should be placed on prevention and detection, for example recognizing risk factors -- immaturity, poor educational performance, antisocial behaviour, mental heath problems and dysfunctional families -- which lead to harm. This will require better education about alcohol for child specialists, teachers, social workers, the police, the legal professions, and others who have to deal with young people. Self-help groups among the young could help spread the message of sensible drinking among their peers. In addition, the number of alcohol agencies in the community which support parents and young people, at present woefully inadequate, need to be increased as a matter of urgency.

Drinking on television: a content analysis of recent alcohol portrayal

The portrayal of alcohol on British television was examined in a systematic sample of 50 programmes broadcast in 1988. Nearly three-quarters of the programmes contained visual or verbal references to alcohol. On average, there was a reference to alcohol in every six and a half minutes of programming. Alcohol was most prominently featured in fictional programmes, particularly in one soap opera, Eastenders. A third of the programmes showed specific brands of alcohol. It is estimated that the portrayal of alcohol in Britain's most popular programmes is worth pounds 487 million of free promotion to the alcohol industry per annum. Nevertheless, in comparison with an earlier study, carried out in 1986, there appeared to be fewer alcohol images. A number of recommendations are made for further action and monitoring of alcohol portrayal.

Booze on the box: The portrayal of alcohol on British television: a content analysis

The portrayal of alcohol was examined in a systematic sample of 50 programmes broadcast on British television. Four out of five programmes contained visual or verbal references to alcohol. On average, there was a reference to alcohol in every 6 minutes of programming. The programmes showed more alcohol being consumed than soft drinks or beverages, but there were few references to the hazards of alcohol consumption. The main recommendation is that television companies should accept a responsibility for presenting a more realistic and healthier approach to the use of alcohol in Britain

The politics of alcohol.

In a saner world, where national sovereignty, military machismo, and governmental amour-propre counted for less, the politics of alcohol would probably be a great deal more important than the politics of the Falkland Islands. Disraeli said that: first priority of Government must be the health of the people, and yet the cabinet minister at the Department of Health and Social Security, despite being the biggest spender, is 18th in the pecking order. (He has recently been relegated.) About five times as many people as the entire population of the Falkland Islands die every year from alcohol in Britain, and many hundreds of thousands more suffer from the diverse effects of alcohol.1 Not only life and happiness but that other essential of political dispute?money?is vitally important too: in 1979 Britons spent almost ?9000m on alcohol (7-7% of all consumer expenditure); in 1980 the Government had an income of ?3597m from tax on alcohol; in 1979 3-4% of the working population were employed in the drink industry; and in 1980 Britain had a positive balance of trade from alcohol of ?449-3m.2 Furthermore, there are many sides and factors in the potential conflict over alcohol. At one extreme are ardent prohibitionists, and at the opposite extreme bodies who insist on the rights of drink manufacturers and advertisers to market their products as aggressively as possible unhindered by any governmental intervention. In the middle are a host of govern? mental and non-governmental organisations and individuals concerned in some way with the many effects of alcohol. The idea that some kind of political action is necessary to reduce alcohol damage is now well established. Professor R E Kendell made the case for political action very cogently in the BMJ in 1979,3 and the World Health Organisation,4 the Royal College of Psychiatrists,1 and the Central Policy Review Staff (the Government think tank)5 have all taken a similar line. The decks are now being cleared for political action to combat alcohol problems, and this article looks at some of the many organisations who will have a part to play.

Alcohol in Britain

Alcohol in Britain