When:

25th September 2012, 06:15PM

Where:

Surrey room 2, Hilton Metropole, Brighton

Excessive alcohol consumption and ‘binge drinking’ continue to make headlines.  The Government has proposed minimum unit pricing as the best approach to tackle the harmful impact of alcohol on individuals and communities.  Demos research suggests that parenting has the greatest impact on preventing problematic drinking.

This event will highlight two new pieces of research into the impact of parenting and pricing as the most effective way to minimise the harmful effects of alcohol.  The research consultancy London Economics will present its research suggesting that pricing has little impact on problem drinkers, while Demos will present its latest report about parenting and family-based interventions to prevent the transference of problem alcohol behaviours across generations.

 The Demos research is part of an ongoing project overseen by an independent steering committee of public health experts, academics, advocacy groups and industry representatives. The first report, entitled Under the Influence, found that parenting style has a significant impact on whether children binge drink at 16 and later in life at 34.  We found that ‘tough love’ parenting has a significant impact on encouraging responsible drinking behaviours.  The second report –presented at this Conference event for the first time – looks more closely at families where at least one parent has a problem with alcohol.  Based on further quantitative research from the Birth Cohort Study, as well as qualitative interviews with over 50 families across the UK, the research provides a number of key insights into how family-based interventions can better support parenting and break the link of intergenerational alcohol abuse.

Both research reports aim to constructively inform policy debate by providing accurate and balanced evidence and ultimately recommending public policy solutions. We hope that this event will be an excellent opportunity to present this new research, engaging with a Conference audience.

Speakers will include:

• John Pugh MP, Member of Parliament for Southport, Co-chair of Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Policy Committee on Health and Social Care 
• Jon Birdwell, Head of the Citizens Project, Demos 
• Emma Vandore, Associate, Demos
• Patrice Muller, Senior Partner, London Economics

This event will take place on Tuesday 25^th September at 18:15-19:30 in Surrey 2, Hilton Metropole, Brighton.

For more information please email partyconference@demos.co.uk

Follow this event on Twitter on #demosalcohol

This event is in partnership with SAB Miller.