Introduction

Increasing and higher risk drinking has social and health consequences for drinkers and their families, as well as a huge impact on NHS resources. Many thousands of people suffer from chronic illness or die each year directly because of their drinking or because drinking has contributed to a condition or illness. These are not just people who are dependent on alcohol or even people who get drunk. They are people who regularly drink at levels that put them at risk of suffering from more than 60 medical conditions, ranging from cancer to liver disease and stroke. Many of them are not even aware of the risks that they are taking.

Social marketing alone may not be enough to make people change their behaviour - particularly when it comes to something like drinking alcohol, which is firmly embedded in our culture. Changing England's drinking culture and making sustained reductions in consumption among our target groups could take a generation or more. It is a problem that can only be successfully addressed through a combination of local, regional and national action - and this includes social marketing.