ABSTRACT
The period under review in this chapter witnessed a number of significant developments in England and Wales. In 1990, alcohol policy was largely framed as an issue of business deregulation, tourism and economic development; by 2014, the health implications of alcohol policy had moved to the forefront of both political and public debates on the issue. In 1989, a Conservative Government oversaw legislation, known as the ‘Beer Orders’, that was designed to de-monopolize the alcohol retail environment and encourage new operators and producers to develop the alcohol market; in 2012, a Conservative-led Coalition pledged to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol as a way of tackling binge drinking associated with the kind of high-turnover, vertical drinking outlets that the Beer Orders had helped establish. Over the same period, public health advocates became more visible in policy debates, drawing attention to the neglect of alcohol-related health problems and arguing for a whole-population approach as a more effective response to reducing harm. Alcohol treatment focus moved from dependency to an expanded target group of ‘at risk’ drinkers, which was more in tune with public health concerns to change the culture of drinking at the population level.
