Research challenges idea of ‘generation sensible’ as alcohol and drug use increase after teenage years
Binge drinking rates among gen Z have risen sharply since their teenage years, according to research that challenges their reputation as “generation sensible”.
Almost seven in 10 (68%) 23-year-olds reported binge drinking in the past year, while nearly a third (29%) said they did so at least monthly, up from 10% at age 17.
Continue reading...Two new books analyse what makes the ‘perfect pub’ and both come to a sobering conclusion: Irish pubs are in trouble
Like triple-distilled whiskey, Irish pubs appear to have timeless appeal. They are staple setting in films, books and plays, draw tourists to Ireland, replicate themselves around the world and induce social media quests for the perfect snug and the perfect pint.
Scholars have now bestowed academic imprimatur on this cultural treasure status by examining – and celebrating – pubs through the lens of history, sociology, architecture, psychology, design, art and literature.
Continue reading...IPPR report warns of ‘productivity crisis’ and says many firms out of step with gen Z shift away from alcohol
One in three UK workers have called in sick after drinking at a work event or after hours with colleagues, research has found.
Many staff feel under pressure to drink in work-related settings against their wishes, despite a big shift among younger adults away from consuming as much alcohol as their predecessors.
32% of workers had called in sick the next day after drinking at a work event or with workmates in the last year.
41% of 18- to 24-year-olds had been too hungover to work, and 47% of 25- to 34-year-olds.
22% of staff in education and 24% in health and social care had cried off work the next day after drinking at or after work in the past six months, and a fifth in both sectors had turned up late the next day.
28% think drinking at work events excludes non-drinkers or creates cliques.
Continue reading...Lifestyle factors such as drinking and smoking could contribute to increased severity of obstructive sleep apnoea
Letting your hair down at the weekend might be a well-known recipe for a hangover, but researchers say it might also increase the severity of a common sleep disorder.
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) involves complete pauses in breathing or partial reductions in airflow that arise because muscles in the back of the throat relax, causing the airways to narrow or close. It is more common in groups such as older people and people who are overweight or obese.
Continue reading...Media authority mulls Free TV Australia’s proposed revised code of practice to expand daytime hours when M programming is permitted
Free-to-air broadcasters want classification rules changed to allow an additional 800 hours of alcohol ads every year despite one in three children already being exposed to liquor commercials on television.
Despite laws banning alcohol marketing during children’s viewing hours, broadcasters have a “sports loophole” in their code of practice, which permits the airing of alcohol ads during televised sporting events.
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Continue reading...Labour’s Luke Charters says allowing alcohol in the top five tiers of the men’s game would be the ‘modern approach’
A Labour MP has called for trials to assess the impact of lifting a decades-long ban on drinking alcohol in football stands.
York Outer MP Luke Charters said football needs to take a “modern approach” to the issue in a debate on the football governance bill earlier this week.
Continue reading...Consumption and production falls in almost every market as industry fears a ‘generational’ change in drinking habits
Worldwide consumption of wine fell in 2024 to its lowest level in more than 60 years, the main trade body has said, raising concerns about new risks from US tariffs.
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said on Tuesday that 2024 sales fell 3.3% from the previous year to 214.2m hectolitres.
Continue reading...World Cancer Research Fund goes further than UK and WHO advice on alcohol after review of evidence
Women should avoid alcohol altogether to reduce their risk of breast cancer, a charity has warned.
The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has published a review of evidence on how diet and lifestyle factors can play a role in the development of the disease.
Continue reading...CEO Lawson Whiting calls Canada’s move ‘disproportionate response’ to levies imposed by Trump administration
The Jack Daniel’s maker Brown-Forman’s CEO Lawson Whiting said on Wednesday Canadian provinces taking US liquor off store shelves was “worse than a tariff” and a “disproportionate response” to levies imposed by the Trump administration.
Several Canadian provinces have taken US liquor off store shelves as part of retaliatory measures against Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Continue reading...Cancer charities back call for prominent warning labels while industry body says move ‘not proportionate’
Cans and bottles of alcohol should carry cigarette-style labels warning that drinking increases the risk of cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
It has said governments should insist that “prominent” warning labels become standard in order to alert consumers to the link between alcohol and cancer and tackle the harm caused by heavy drinking.
Continue reading...Semaglutide, active ingredient of Wegovy and Ozempic, found to reduce cravings and cut drinking by 40%
Weight-loss drugs could be used to help people reduce their intake of alcohol, researchers have said, after a study found they can cut cravings and curb heavy drinking.
The medicines, originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, have revolutionised the treatment of obesity, and evidence suggests they could have benefits in other areas of health, such as reducing risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Continue reading...Synod was asked to bring in alternatives for Eucharist, but says believers can still take part without consuming both
It’s the ancient ritual that unites millions of Christians in faith – but the Church of England is facing accusations that holy communion excludes non-drinkers or worshippers with dietary intolerances.
C of E guidance determines the type of bread and wine that can be consecrated as part of the Eucharist ritual, which symbolises Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, death and resurrection and commemorates the Last Supper.
Continue reading...Lowden first appeared in David Ireland’s two-hander in Edinburgh last year. For its West End run, he is paired with his ‘hero’ Freeman
Slow Horses star Jack Lowden is to reprise his role in The Fifth Step, a play about addiction, faith and masculinity, in a new West End production co-starring Martin Freeman.
Lowden first appeared in the drama, written by David Ireland, at the Edinburgh international festival last year and drew acclaim for his performance as an alcoholic, Luka, who joins the 12-step programme. The two-hander starred Sean Gilder as Luka’s older mentor, a part that will be played by Freeman in the production at @sohoplace in London, running from 10 May until 26 July. Finn den Hertog will again direct.
Continue reading...Airline asks authorities to impose new curbs as it seeks to recover €15,000 in costs related to diverted flight
Ryanair wants a limit of two alcoholic drinks at airports, as the airline released further details of legal action to recover €15,000 (£12,615) in costs related to a diversion it said was caused by an allegedly disruptive passenger.
The airline has called on European authorities to bring in new curbs on alcohol to stop passengers getting drunk before boarding a plane.
Continue reading...Advisory from US surgeon general says alcohol contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year
Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US after tobacco and obesity, according to a new advisory by the US surgeon general.
Released on Friday, the advisory revealed that alcohol use contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year. It also found that alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of 15 years.
Continue reading...Questions have also been raised over reports the embattled former Fox News host mismanaged two veterans groups
Questions continued to dog Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, on Monday following reports he was twice ousted from previous organisations he led over financial mismanagement and improper behavior, with reporters asking him directly if he had an alcohol problem.
Hegseth, 44, who was visiting Capitol Hill to drum up support for his troubled nomination, did not respond when a journalist asked “Do you have an alcohol problem?” as he arrived for a meeting with Republican senators.
Continue reading...Prime minister pays tribute to Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles while families vow to turn tragedy into ‘mission for change’
Australian federal police have offered to help the Laos investigation into multiple deaths linked to a suspected mass methanol poisoning event.
Melburnians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, were among six foreign tourists to die.
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Continue reading...Won Jang drowned in Connecticut River in July after party where alcohol was supplied by his fraternity
A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity are facing charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party this summer.
Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had been reported missing in July after the party. State and local emergency responders searched the Connecticut River and found his body.
Continue reading...Ivory Coast drinks festival aims to champion and change perceptions of alcohol made in the region
At an event in Abidjan in late October, Alexandre Quest Bede noticed someone staring at him. Then the stranger walked up to him with a T-shirt and asked for an autograph.
“He pointed at me excitedly and said: ‘You’re Monsieur Gnamakou, I know you from Instagram!’” recalls Bede at the poolside bar of Bissa, a boutique hotel in the upmarket Deux Plateaux neighbourhood on the eve of Abidjan cocktail week.
Continue reading...Survey shows many consumers unaware that previously standalone businesses now owned by big corporations
Small breweries in the UK are ditching the term “craft beer” in favour of “indie beer”, warning that global corporations have bamboozled many drinkers into believing that formerly independent brands are still artisanal hidden gems.
In a survey by YouGov that marks a new phase of the bitter war over what constitutes “craft beer”, consumers were asked to say whether 10 beer brands were made by “independent craft breweries”.
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