‘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 ...