Developing a roadmap for tackling alcohol harm in the UK

Developing a roadmap for tackling alcohol harm in the UK

From The Alcohol Alert Podcast by Institute of Alcohol Studies

October 3, 2025 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses a forthcoming report on tackling alcohol harm in the UK with insights from key experts.

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Katherine Severi, IAS’s Chief Executive, and Karen Biggs, Chief Executive of treatment provider Phoenix Futures, about IAS’s forthcoming report: A healthier future: A long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK, due to be published in October. We discussed why a long-term strategy is urgently needed, the ambitious targets set out in the report, and how prevention and treatment must go hand in hand. The conversation explored both the opportunities and barriers ahead – from minimum unit pricing and stronger marketing restrictions, to the postcode lottery in treatment and the influence of the alcohol industry. As Dr Katherine Severi puts it: “There’s no magic pill or silver bullet. That’s why our report sets out a broad range of policies and clear targets – not only to build capacity in treatment and support services, but also to ‘turn down the tap’ and prevent the next generation from experiencing alcohol harm.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

People in this episode

Guests: Dr Katherine Severi, Karen Biggs

Topics covered

  • alcohol harm
  • public health
  • treatment strategies
  • policy development
  • prevention
  • marketing restrictions

Keywords

  • alcohol harm
  • UK
  • treatment
  • prevention
  • policy
  • marketing restrictions
  • minimum unit pricing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Institute of Alcohol Studies, Phoenix Futures

Books & works: A healthier future: A long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK

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