Karen Tyrell: ‘Drinkaware is not a trade association’

Karen Tyrell knows only too well the devastating effects of alcohol misuse. End-stage liver disease, for example, is “not a nice thing to watch”. But supporting people with such issues has been par for the course during her 20-year career in health and social care, including senior roles at alcohol and drug treatment charities Humankind and We Are With You.

“One of the things that drew me to Drinkaware was the opportunity to reach people before they need those services,” she says. “I’ve seen what happens when the problem is already developed. The opportunity to intervene earlier to try and reduce harm and prevent people from needing liver transplants is really important to me.”

Prevention is the number one aim at Drinkaware, where Tyrell is CEO. Through tools such as its Drinking Check and MyDrinkaware app, alongside public-facing campaigns often delivered in tandem with suppliers and retailers, the charity has made tangible progress in reducing alcohol-related harm. Some 82% of UK drinkers now sit within the chief medical officer’s low-risk drinking guidelines, up from 77% in 2018.

But Tyrell wants to go further. Drinkaware’s new five-year strategy, unveiled earlier this month, explicitly targets the one in five (or seven million) people that drink between 15 and 49 units of alcohol a week, defined as high-risk by the CMO.

“We’re focused particularly on that group,” says Tyrell. “It’s about getting to people who are drinking a bit more than is healthy earlier, rather than those at the high end of harm.”

The goal is reducing the number of high-risk drinkers by two million by 2030, which Tyrell says will require buy-in from stakeholders including alcohol suppliers, retailers and government. “It’s a shared ambition; it’s not something we can deliver on our own,” she says.

Retailers are “completely mission-critical”, she says, pointing out some 73% of all alcohol sales now take place in the off-trade, up from 53% in 2000. “Drinking in home settings has become more normalised, and because of that, working with retail has never been more important, because that’s one of the times where you’ve got an opportunity to make a connection.”

Recent initiatives include partnering with M&S to help it become the first major UK retailer to include alcohol in its healthy food sales reporting, and with Tesco to provide drinking checks in stores via a quick quiz that helps customers understand if their health is at risk.

“We’ve learned what kind of messaging works and what helps people make easy decisions,” says Tyrell. “Nobody wants to be nagged. People want useful, pragmatic information that helps them shift behaviour.”

Suppliers will also play a key part in helping edge consumers toward healthier choices. That could be through initiatives such as Jameson and Drinkaware’s campaign urging football fans to check their drinking habits, or by investing in low & no alcohol products. “Everyone has a role to play, and I know businesses want to do the right thing,” says Tyrell. Their role in the ecosystem, however, is complicated by a vested interest in ensuring alcohol sales – already under pressure due to a generational shift in shopper attitudes towards alcohol, alongside cost of living concerns – continue to grow.

‘Our role is tackling alcohol harm’

Some suppliers are understood to be frustrated by the amount of time Drinkaware spends talking about at-risk drinkers, ignoring the majority that drink responsibly. “Four out of five people are drinking moderately,” Tyrell admits. “We want to celebrate that and encourage more people to join them. It’s a balancing act for the organisation, but our role is tackling alcohol harm.”

She’s adamant the charity – which draws much of its funding from alcohol suppliers, retailers and pub companies – has no obligation to represent the industry’s interests in its campaigns or dealings with government.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support we receive from retailers, producers and the wider alcohol system,” she says. However, “Drinkaware is not a trade organisation. We’re an independent charity. Our role is to support the public.”

In any case, Drinkaware has limited involvement in shaping public health policy, such as the 10 Year Health Plan for England, Tyrell insists. “We aren’t a lobbying organisation. We’re here to provide information and undertake research on alcohol-related matters. It’s up to the government and industry to consider the implications of that evidence.”

Nevertheless, it’s clear Tyrell feels the 10-year plan – which committed to a consultation on health labels for alcoholic drinks but omitted earlier proposals to restrict alcohol marketing – could have benefited from greater input from all stakeholders, including Drinkaware.

“We would have liked to have seen a bit more focus on the one in five at-risk drivers,” she says. “If you look at the plan in the wider sense, the shifts the government is trying to deliver – from real world to digital-first, and sickness to prevention – are in our wheelhouse at Drinkaware to [help] deliver against. We believe we’re an important piece of the puzzle and that a partnership approach gives us the best opportunity.”

Her policy stance is softer than the Institute of Alcohol Studies, which described leaving out measures like minimum unit pricing, marketing restrictions and availability controls as “frankly embarrassing”.

Restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotions remain a “best buy” to reduce harm, Tyrell admits, citing WHO studies. However, as “a number of the big picture trends are already going in the right direction”, she questions to what extent more interventionist measures are needed “versus supporting and building on the system that already exists”.

On health labelling, Drinkaware is pushing for close involvement in the forthcoming government consultation and would like to see its branding included on-pack. “We’re the most recognisable organisation in this space,” says Tyrell. “We’ve got two decades of research we can bring at no cost to the taxpayer.” However, Drinkaware’s CEO refuses to be drawn on how far the warnings should go.

“I don’t think there’s a straightforward answer,” she says. “I’d be interested to hear what the Department of Health & Social Care is hoping for, because health warnings can look and feel quite different.

“It’s important to be pragmatic. Labels are very small, and people don’t necessarily look at them very hard. From our perspective, we want to make sure the information provided is trustworthy, accurate and gives people somewhere to go if they need a bit more advice or support.”