The data is American but the mechanism travels. Alcohol causes seven types of cancer, including breast, mouth and bowel, and it is classified as a group 1 carcinogen alongside tobacco and asbestos. Most people still don't know that, and most labels don't tell them.

The burden fell most heavily on men (6.4 deaths per 100,000, against 2.1 for women) and on people over 55 (19.2 per 100,000). Liver cancer drove the rise in older men, breast cancer in women. In adults under 55, bowel cancer led in men and breast cancer in women.

Ahead of the Scottish Government’s plans for NHS winter pressures, decisions must reflect the full demand on emergency care. Our latest blog explores new research which suggests that routine data captures less than 1/3 of alcohol-related A&E attendances, leaving many overlooked in service planning.

WHO's Health Reality Check podcast asks who *really* keeps us healthy? Dr Margarida Santos, Gundo Weiler & Allison Ekberg discuss prevention, the environments that shape our choices and the Best Buys governments can use. Scotland's minimum unit pricing is one example of that approach in practice.

Give people the evidence and their views shift 💡 In a citizens' jury of 35 Yorkshire and Humber residents, support for alcohol pricing policies rose from 52% to 82% after deliberation, and support for government working in partnership with the alcohol industry fell from 75% to 39%.

Curious about why alcohol policy looks the way it does? A free 4 week course from the University of Stirling starts on 19 October: health harms, marketing, pricing and availability & the WHO SAFER framework. Led by researchers including Prof Niamh Fitzgerald and Nathan Critchlow Sign up below👇️

Registration closes soon for our next Alcohol Occasional on Monday 5 October with @sarnalcohol.bsky.social. Prof Niamh Fitzgerald presents findings from the ELEPHANT study, with time for questions and discussion. Free to attend, open to anyone working on or interested in alcohol policy ⬇️

"I saw how the police and medical personnel treated my brother and cousin – just because they are addicted or unhoused" Pepa Lubojacki's film If Pigeons Turned to Gold tackles the stigma around alcohol addiction. Stigma is a barrier to care here in Scotland too. More in the Guardian 👇️

Prevention & public sector reform were central to the Programme for Government, but alcohol harm was notably absent. With an Alcohol Harm Prevention plan expected soon, our Chair @alastairmacg.bsky.social considers what the Scottish Government could & should do on alcohol to deliver on its ambitions

Police chiefs and now club owners are urging caution over allowing drinking in the stands at men's football. Dorking Wanderers owner Marc White says it would be short sighted, and the UK Football Policing Unit calls it rash to change the law without examining the evidence.

How do we protect children through public health advice without overlooking women’s rights, health, and lived realities? Our latest blog by SHAAP Steering Group member Prof Moira Plant explores issues of choice, stigma, and agency, and why context matters when communicating public health advice.

The Portman Group is marking 30 years of self regulated alcohol labelling. Meanwhile, an @aha-uk.bsky.social audit of more than 530 UK products found one in five failing the industry's own minimum guidelines, 1.3% mentioning cancer or liver disease, yet 90% do carry "drink responsibly" messaging.

Later trading hours were introduced in Glasgow and Aberdeen. How did they work in practice and what impact have they had? Join Prof Niamh Fitzgerald on Mon 5 Oct for findings from the ELEPHANT study, in the last of our 2026 Alcohol Occasionals seminars with SARN. Register below ⬇️

Researchers at Bristol and Oxford counted the brand logos in all 172.6 hours of live play at the 2026 World Cup. Alcohol appeared 9,266 times - that's 8.2 hours in total. Family audiences can't avoid pitch side and on screen branding, which is why it matters who is allowed to sponsor the game.

What stands out is that 15-16 year olds have opinions on these products at all, and see them as a route into social situations built around drinking. That is worth weighing when no/lo is presented as a straightforward public health gain.