Alastair Campbell to speak at Alcohol Concern conference

By Emily Kearns, Lucy Britner

Published: 22 August, 2013

Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell is to speak at Alcohol Concern's Annual Alcohol Conference in London in November.

Campbell, whose own heavy drinking contributed to a breakdown in the 1980s, will take part in the event, entitled Conversations About Alcohol. Campbell's blog alastaircampbell.org regularly deals with alcohol-related issues and stories.

A statement from Alcohol Concern said: "We all love talking about alcohol in the UK, but are we having real and honest conversations about it? Do we talk about the risks alcohol poses to health? The social problems alcohol can cause? And do we ask why it is that alcohol is everywhere and almost always available in our society?"

The event is aimed at everyone with a professional interest in alcohol issues, including local authorities, the police, public health professionals and those who work in the social care system.

Delegates will have the chance to hear from experts on a broad range of topics including the global alcohol policy context, minimum unit pricing and the role of local authorities in dealing with alcohol misuse. There will also be the opportunity to take part in a range of workshops on new initiatives in licensing and crime, families and alcohol, and public health.

As well as Campbell, speakers include professor Tim Stockwell, director, Center for Addictions Research of British Columbia, who will be presenting his research on the impact of minimum unit pricing in Canada. Ipswich Police Force will be running a workshop on the recent success of their Reducing the Strength campaign, which was designed to stop the sale of super-strength alcohol in off-licences.

The annual conference takes place on November 19 and ticket are available here.

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