Can Andy Burnham save Britain's pubs? In a new post for the SARG Blog, @victimofmaths.bsky.social examines the long-term decline of British pubs, the policies that have sought to support them, and what the latest proposals could mean for the economy and public health. #PublicHealth #AlcoholPolicy

Can Andy Burnham save Britain’s pubs? - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

In this blog post, Colin Angus examines Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s proposed business rate cuts for pubs, clubs and live music venues. He explores how long-term drinking trends and off-trade pricing...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

New on the SARG Blog! @wellcometrust.bsky.social funded PhD student Sophie Bright shares findings from a new systematic review exploring how structural discrimination can shape alcohol consumption and related harms. #AlcoholResearch #PublicHealth

Structural discrimination, drinking and alcohol-related harms: what does the evidence tell us? - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

Sophie Bright shares findings from a new systematic review exploring how structural discrimination can shape alcohol consumption and related harms. Her research examines how overarching societal, inst...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

New paper klaxon: Our analysis of reformulation (when alcohol producers change the strength of their products) in the British alcohol market 2018-2025 has just been published in @apsad-dar.bsky.social. I think some of our findings are pretty striking... doi.org/10.1111/dar....

Do you work in an alcohol treatment or recovery service? There's still time to complete our survey on alcohol-free drinks advice before it closes next week. Take part here: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/survey #AlcoholRecovery

SARG - SCHARR@sarg-scharr.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We're looking for people who work in alcohol treatment or recovery services to complete a survey on what advice is given to service users about alcohol-free drinks: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/survey Please share to help us reach as many people as possible! #AlcoholRecovery #MentalHealth

A new @ias.org.uk blog post by SARG PhD student Oscar Rousham discusses findings from a study using GB household purchasing data to explore no/lo drinks. It examines purchasing patterns, who buys these products, and implications for alcohol harm reduction and policy. www.ias.org.uk/2026/06/18/n...

Interested in a fully funded @ukri.org PhD in gambling harms research? Watch our pre-application webinar and Q&A recording to hear more from programme co-leads @shwardle.bsky.social, @jholmessheff.bsky.social & @simondymond.bsky.social 🎥 sites.google.com/sheffield.ac... #GamblingHarms #PhD

In a new blog post for the @ias.org.uk, SARG’s Lucy Burke shares insights from her PhD research exploring how why we drink alcohol influences our likelihood of choosing no/lo alternatives: www.ias.org.uk/2026/06/09/w... #PublicHealth #AlcoholResearch

📢 We’re recruiting a Research Assistant to join SARG on a @wellcometrust.bsky.social -funded project led by @ambercopeland.bsky.social exploring how contextual factors influence alcohol consumption. 📍 Full-time (hybrid), Sheffield ⏳ Apply by 29 June tinyurl.com/sarg-ra #AcademicSky #PublicHealth

We're looking for people who work in alcohol treatment or recovery services to complete a survey on what advice is given to service users about alcohol-free drinks: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/survey Please share to help us reach as many people as possible! #AlcoholRecovery #MentalHealth

Interested in a fully funded PhD in gambling harms? The @ukri.org Gambling Harms Research UK Evidence Centre is recruiting six four-year PhD studentships across @glasgow.ac.uk, @sheffielduni.bsky.social and @swanseauni.bsky.social. More at tinyurl.com/ghrukphd #PhD #AcademicSky #PublicHealth

New research by SARG and @tcrgbath.bsky.social shows a tobacco company levy could cut smoking deaths, reduce hospital admissions, and raise billions in tax revenue. Read more: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/news-media/t... @drduncgillespie.bsky.social #PublicHealth #TobaccoControl

SARG Research Fellow @abi-stevely.bsky.social was recently interviewed on the @nihrsphr.bsky.social 'Researchers in the making' podcast to discuss research into no/lo drinks, youth drinking trends, and their own academic career pathway. Listen at open.spotify.com/episode/3BA9... #PublicHealth

The May 2026 issue of the STAR Project newsletter is out! tinyurl.com/3w6jy7dy Inside: An intro from @drduncgillespie.bsky.social, updates from our teams in Doncaster, London and Newcastle, a downloadable research poster on youth vaping and local policy, and lots more. #YouthVoice #PublicHealth

📣New research from SARG and @stir.ac.uk. We recently published a briefing note exploring the views of people with experience of alcohol dependence and financial hardship on alcohol pricing policies and other measures they recommend to tackle alcohol-related harms. #AlcoholPolicy #LivedExperience

What do people with experience of alcohol dependence think about alcohol pricing policy? - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

This blog post shares findings from a new study exploring the views of people with experience of alcohol dependence on alcohol pricing policies and other measures they recommend to tackle alcohol-rela...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

We're delighted to be taking a lead role in the new Gambling Harms Research UK (GHR-UK) Evidence Centre, the UK's largest independent gambling harms research initiative, supported by @ukri.org. Find out more on the SARG website: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/news-media/s... #GamblingResearch

SARG researchers lead UK's biggest effort to tackle gambling harms - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

A major new national effort to tackle gambling harms and shape future policy, prevention and treatment across the UK is being led by researchers from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group.

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

📢 New SARG paper! The latest paper from Lucy Burke's PhD explores motivations for consuming alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks and whether these help explain sociodemographic differences in use. #AlcoholResearch #PublicHealth

Do the Reasons People Drink Alcohol Aid Our Understanding of Sociodemographic Differences in Alcohol‐Free and Low‐Alcohol Consumption? A Path Analysis on a Cross‐Sectional Study of Adult Alcohol Drinkers in Great Britain

Introduction In the UK, consumption of alcohol-free (< 0.05% ABV) and low-alcohol (≤ 1.2% ABV; NoLo) drinks is more prevalent among heavier drinkers and socially advantaged groups. If heavier drinke...

doi.org

Story from the BBC here reporting the results of our new study, just published in BMJ Public Health, looking at changes in criminal offences and ambulance callouts when Aberdeen extended late-night opening hours for pubs. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/2/...

Longer pub hours bring 'more crime and ambulance call-outs'

Researchers say there was a rise in alcohol-related ambulance calls when Aberdeen's pubs opened to 03:00.

bbc.co.uk

In our latest blog, Dr Damon Morris shows why not all alcohol spending is equal. ➡️ Cut off-trade alcohol → £2.5bn added to GVA ➡️ Improve public health Time to rethink the “economy vs health” narrative. @sarg-scharr.bsky.social @damonm1989.bsky.social www.ias.org.uk/2026/04/28/t...

The alcohol paradox: why cutting supermarket sales would grow the economy - Institute of Alcohol Studies

Cutting alcohol consumption isn’t bad for the economy - especially when it comes to supermarket sales. New research shows shifting spending away from off-trade alcohol could boost growth, jobs, and pu...

ias.org.uk

Our latest study, commissioned by @alcoholchangeuk.bsky.social and conducted in partnership with @ucl.ac.uk, explores adults' attitudes towards adolescent consumption of no/lo drinks, alongside young people’s patterns, motivations and experiences of consuming alcohol and no/los. #PublicHealth

New SARG study finds young people are three times more likely to start with alcohol than no/lo alternatives - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

New research from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) and University College London (UCL) has found that young people aged 16-25 in Great Britain are three times more likely to start drinki...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

Next week SARG researchers and PhD students will be heading to the UKSBM Annual Scientific Meeting here in #Sheffield to present their work on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks, agent-based modelling, systems mapping and food insecurity. Read our news story to find out more 👇 #UKSBM2026

SARG to showcase latest public health research at UKSBM Annual Scientific Meeting - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

Members of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) will join researchers from across the country to present work on alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks, agent-based modelling, systems mapping a...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

We're delighted that SARG's @jholmessheff.bsky.social and @victimofmaths.bsky.social are joining the @ias.org.uk Expert Advisory Panel. Over the next three years, they will provide independent advice on a wide range of topics related to alcohol policy. Read our news story to find out more 👇

SARG professors appointed to Institute of Alcohol Studies Expert Advisory Panel - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

The Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) is pleased to announce that Professor John Holmes and Professor Colin Angus have joined the Expert Advisory Panel for the Institute of Alcohol Studies (I...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

📢 New SARG paper! Led by @zoelclarke.bsky.social this study used household purchasing data to examine who buys no/lo drinks. It found that households from higher social grades who purchase more alcohol are most likely to buy no/lo products regularly. #AlcoholPolicy #PublicHealth

What Are the Characteristics of Households That Purchase Alcohol‐Free and Low‐Alcohol Drinks in Great Britain in 2018 and 2021?

Introduction The increasing popularity of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (NoLo) drinks could reduce alcohol-related harm if those at greatest risk replace their standard alcoholic drinks with these pr...

doi.org

SARG's @damonm1989.bsky.social speaks on the latest @ias.org.uk podcast about how reducing spending on tobacco, gambling, confectionery and off-trade alcohol can benefit the UK economy by reallocating expenditure to other sectors. Read more about the study on the SARG website: tinyurl.com/5czdfp9p

Institute of Alcohol Studies@ias.org.uk · 4mo ago

What would happen if off-trade alcohol, gambling, tobacco, and confectionery spending fell by 10%? 🎙️Listen to our latest podcast with @sarg-scharr.bsky.social's Dr Damon Morris to find out how spending would reallocate and significantly boost the UK economy🎙️ Links: www.ias.org.uk/podcast/redu...

Last week @addiction-ssa.org released the full video of their expert alcohol policy roundtable, chaired by SARG Director @jholmessheff.bsky.social. The discussion covered a wide range of topics and is essential viewing for anyone interested in alcohol policy. #PublicHealth #AlcoholPolicy

SARG Director chairs national alcohol policy roundtable - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

Professor John Holmes, Director of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), has chaired a high-level expert roundtable discussing the future of alcohol policy in the UK.

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

📢 New on the SARG Blog: PhD student Calum Lewis uses the 'Five Dimensions of Access' framework to break down the factors driving youth vaping, and explores how they could help design and evaluate policies. Read the full post: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/blog/how-the... #TobaccoControl #PublicHealth

How the five dimensions of access can shape effective youth vaping policy - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

Calum Lewis examines how the 'five dimensions of access' framework can help evaluate the effectiveness of youth vaping policy. By systematically identifying the factors that facilitate e-cigarette use...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

The UK hasn't had a national alcohol strategy since 2012. Today @addiction-ssa.org has released a full roundtable discussion recorded in February in which SARG Director @jholmessheff.bsky.social joined seven other experts to discuss alcohol harm and what an effective strategy would look like.

Society for the Study of Addiction@addiction-ssa.org · 4mo ago

What does the UK need from a new alcohol strategy? We asked the experts. Watch the full policy roundtable discussion on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/QwScYlckEzo?...

Keep your eyes open for a roundtable I recorded with @addiction-ssa.org Society for the Study of Addiction and leading UK experts on what the UK needs from a new alcohol strategy. The full discussion will be published later this week and you can see a preview here

We're looking for people who work in alcohol treatment and recovery services to contribute to a new SARG study investigating advice given about alcohol-free drinks. Find out more about the @mhrincubator.bsky.social funded study, how it links with our wider research, and how you can get involved 👇

Help SARG map the advice given on alcohol-free drinks in alcohol treatment and recovery services - Sheffield Addictions Research Group

The Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) is inviting professionals from alcohol treatment and recovery services to give their insights to a new study investigating the guidance provided to servi...

sarg-sheffield.ac.uk

New research co-authored by SARG's @voodooeconomics.bsky.social and @drduncgillespie.bsky.social shows that while no/lo availability tripled during the study period, access was skewed towards more affluent and rural areas. Read the full paper in @addictionjournal.bsky.social 👇 #PublicHealth

Low and no alcohol availability and sales in small retailers in Great Britain: A geographic longitudinal analysis from 2018 to 2022

Background and aims The United Kingdom Government is committed to reducing alcohol consumption through increasing the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (No/Lo) drinks; however, little is ...

doi.org

We're looking for people who work in alcohol treatment or recovery services to complete a survey about what advice is given to service users about alcohol-free drinks: sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/survey Please share to help us reach as many people as possible! #AlcoholRecovery #MentalHealth