Developing a roadmap for tackling alcohol harm in the UKDeveloping a roadmap for tackling alcohol harm in the UK
Alcohol Alert Podcast
Dr Katherine Severi and Karen Biggs talk through a long-term vision to reduce alcohol harm in the UK, linking prevention policies with treatment access and tackling stigma. They outline clear targets, major barriers, and how shared advocacy could support a healthier and fairer society.
29:15•3 Oct 2025
A Healthier Future: Cutting Alcohol Harm Across the UK
Episode Overview
- Alcohol harm and deaths in the UK have risen sharply, with major costs and deep inequalities across communities.
- IAS’s report uses expert consensus to set clear targets and a practical roadmap focused on reducing alcohol harm, not alcohol itself.
- Minimum unit pricing and marketing restrictions are presented as key prevention tools that must be backed by strong treatment services.
- Treatment access is uneven, with disinvestment creating a postcode lottery and limiting options like residential care and family support.
- Stigma and blame around alcohol dependence significantly block people from seeking help, calling for a wider anti-stigma approach.
“We are not anti-alcohol per se, we are anti-alcohol harm, and we would like to see all the adverse consequences of alcohol diminished across society.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This episode of Alcohol Alert zooms out from individual stories and looks at the bigger picture: how the UK can seriously cut alcohol harm over the next decade. You’ll hear Dr Katherine Severi, Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, and Karen Biggs, Chief Executive of Phoenix Futures, talk through IAS’s report *A healthier future: A long-term vision to tackle alcohol harm in the UK*.
They explain why the report exists at all: alcohol-specific deaths are up 38% between 2019 and 2023, societal costs in England alone top £27 billion a year, and people in deprived areas face far higher risks than those in wealthier communities. Dr Severi outlines how dozens of experts across policy, research, treatment and lived experience used the Delphi method to agree on a shared vision and concrete targets.
She stresses that the aim isn’t to be “anti-alcohol”, but very clearly “anti-alcohol harm”, arguing that a strong hospitality sector and a healthier population can sit side by side. Karen Biggs brings in the treatment perspective, highlighting the postcode lottery for services, the loss of residential treatment in places like the North East, and the impact of years of disinvestment.
She argues that you can’t “price people out of dependency” and calls for minimum unit pricing and other prevention tools to be paired with properly funded, accessible treatment and strong family support. The conversation pulls together prevention, treatment, marketing controls and stigma, stressing that bold government leadership, sustained investment and honest public debate are all needed. Both guests want the report used as a common roadmap for advocates, clinicians and treatment providers to push for change.
If you care about how policy can reduce alcohol harm without blaming those affected, this episode might leave you asking: what role could you play in shaping a healthier UK?
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