Alcohol Focus Scotland , February 2023
Summary
• People with (or at risk of) an alcohol problem are at increased risk from alcohol marketing, as they experience disproportionate harm from alcohol use and have increased susceptibility to alcohol marketing.
• Alcohol marketers explicitly target people who drink heavily, so that they are regularly exposed to alcohol marketing.
• Alcohol marketing fosters positive alcohol-related feelings and emotions and triggers alcohol cravings, which may translate into effects on alcohol consumption in these groups.
• People in recovery highlight marketing as being an environmental trigger that threatens their recovery. It impacts their ability to live and thrive in their communities and intrudes into their homes and private spaces.
• There is currently limited protection of people with (or at risk of) an alcohol problem from alcohol marketing.
• The Scottish Government consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion in Scotland offers an opportunity for us to be ambitious and to put people’s right to health before company profits by introducing restrictions.