‘Alcopop’ use in Scottish bars: a pilot study

There has been considerable concern in the UK about the launching of a new range of sweet alcoholic beverages colloquially known as 'alcopops'. A review was conducted of published evidence related to the advent of alcopops. The patterns of sale and consumption of these drinks were then surveyed by means of a telephone interview of publicans and an observational study in public bars in Edinburgh. Nearly two-thirds of the 160 bars surveyed stocked a wide range of alcopops, with the main consumers being female and those aged 20-31 years. It was concluded that the bulk of the annual expenditure on alcopops is likely to be by over-18s. Furthermore, alcopops were found neither to be associated with specific alcohol-related problems, nor to have led to earlier drinking or increased alcohol consumption among young people in these bars. In fact, a minority of publicans stated that drunkenness had declined since their introduction. Other alcoholic beverages, strong ciders in particular, appear to be more in favour with young heavier drinkers and these could be the subject of tighter legislation. Better still, much more could be done generally to curb under-age drinking in licensed premises. Further research is needed to monitor this situation.