Alcohol
Policymakers & government officials
Alcohol is a major risk factor for cancer and other non-communicable diseases. It also contributes to injuries, violence, mental health harms, family harm and pressure on health and social services.
Alcohol harm is not only about individual behaviour. It is shaped by price, availability, marketing, social norms, commercial interests and the environments where people live, work and spend time.
For policymakers, alcohol prevention is a major opportunity to save lives, reduce inequalities, protect children and young people, and support healthier communities.
2.6 million
deaths caused by alcohol
worldwide in 2019
1.6 million
deaths from NCDs
linked to alcohol in 2019
7
types of cancer linked to alcohol
including breast and colorectal cancer
No safe level
for cancer risk
less alcohol means lower risk
Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity
Alcohol has serious harmful effects on public health, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, injuries, violence, mental health harms and social inequalities.
Most alcohol-related harm comes from heavy episodic or heavy continuous drinking, but health risks can also occur at lower levels of consumption.
Prevention works best when policy addresses the conditions that shape alcohol use: affordability, availability, marketing, information, support services and industry influence.
What makes prevention harder?
Alcohol harm is shaped by more than personal choices. The wider environment can make alcohol more available, more visible, more affordable and more socially normal.
Prevention becomes harder when:
- Alcohol is cheap and easily available
- Alcohol is widely marketed and promoted
- Children and young people are exposed to alcohol advertising
- Digital promotion and sponsorship make alcohol more visible
- Health risks, including cancer risk, are not clearly communicated
- Support services are difficult to access
- Alcohol harm is framed only as an individual responsibility
- Policymaking is exposed to commercial influence
Effective alcohol prevention requires action on the environments that shape drinking, exposure and harm.
What policy can do
Policy can reduce alcohol-related harm by changing the conditions that shape consumption, exposure and risk.
Important policy levers include:
Taxation and pricing policies
Limits on alcohol availability
Marketing and sponsorship restrictions
Digital advertising regulation
Clear health warning labels
Drink-driving prevention and enforcement
Brief advice and treatment services
Protection of children and young people
Safeguards against industry influence
Effective actions to reduce alcohol-related harm
Evidence-based alcohol policy can reduce cancer, other NCDs, injuries and wider social harms. Population-level measures are among the most effective and cost-effective prevention tools.
Increase alcohol taxes
Higher alcohol taxes can reduce affordability, especially for cheap, high-strength products, and help reduce alcohol-related harm across the population.
Limit availability
Licensing, outlet density, opening hours and sales rules can reduce harmful consumption and help create safer communities.
Restrict marketing and sponsorship
Strong restrictions can reduce exposure to alcohol promotion, especially among children and young people.
Regulate digital promotion
Online and social media marketing can make alcohol highly visible and targeted. Policy should address digital promotion and new forms of advertising.
Introduce clear health warnings
Labels can help communicate health risks, including cancer risk, and support more informed choices.
Strengthen support services
Brief advice, treatment and community support can help people reduce harm and access help when alcohol becomes difficult to control.
Protecting children and young people from alcohol harm
Children and young people should be protected from alcohol marketing, sponsorship and digital promotion.
Alcohol advertising can shape attitudes, expectations and social norms before young people are legally able to drink. Attractive branding, sports sponsorship, social media content and influencer-style promotion can all make alcohol seem more normal and appealing.
Strong policy can reduce exposure and help create environments where children and young people are better protected from alcohol-related harm.
Alcohol harm is shaped by commercial environments
Alcohol consumption is influenced by commercial factors such as pricing, product design, marketing, sponsorship, retail availability, lobbying and public narratives about alcohol.
Commercial interests can also affect policy debates, for example by shifting attention toward individual responsibility and away from population-level prevention measures.
A strong prevention approach should protect policymaking from conflicts of interest and ensure that public health goals guide alcohol policy.
Alcohol-related harm is not distributed equally
Alcohol harm can affect families, workplaces and communities, but the burden is not shared equally. People facing social or economic disadvantage may experience greater harm and have less access to support.
Prevention policies should reduce harm without blaming or stigmatising individuals. A fair approach combines population-wide measures with accessible support for people and communities most affected.
Equity-focused alcohol policy can help protect children, families and communities while reducing avoidable health and social inequalities.
Questions for policymakers
An equity-focused approach looks at who is most exposed, who is most affected, and who may need additional support to benefit from alcohol prevention.
A strong prevention approach asks:
- Who is most exposed to alcohol marketing and sponsorship?
- Are children and young people being protected from alcohol promotion?
- Are cheap, high-strength products driving harm in some communities?
- Who has access to brief advice, treatment and support?
- Are policies reducing harm without increasing stigma?
- Are local services able to support families and communities affected by alcohol harm?
- Is policymaking protected from commercial influence?
Prevention should reduce harm, protect health and make healthier environments easier, fairer and more realistic.
Practical starting points for policymakers
Public institutions and decision-makers can begin by reviewing how alcohol is priced, promoted, sold, regulated and addressed in health and community services.
Examples include:
- Increase alcohol taxes and reduce affordability
- Restrict alcohol marketing, sponsorship and digital promotion
- Limit alcohol availability through licensing, outlet density, opening hours and sales rules
- Introduce clear health warning labels, including cancer risk information
- Strengthen drink-driving prevention and enforcement
- Ensure access to brief advice, treatment and support
- Protect children and young people from alcohol promotion
- Address alcohol harm in workplaces, families and communities
- Communicate clearly that less alcohol means lower risk
- Protect policymaking from alcohol industry influence
Strong alcohol policy saves lives. Effective prevention can reduce cancer and other NCDs, lower pressure on health and social services, protect children and families, and support healthier communities.
Explore the prevention areas
