The Truth About Alcohol and What We Can Do About It

Understand alcohol’s health effects and evidence-based solutions

Alcohol is part of daily life for many people, but its real health risks often stay hidden. This course uncovers the effects alcohol has on sleep, mood, and long-term health and how those effects are hidden and downplayed. It explores how marketing influences our relationship with alcohol, and examines evidence-based approaches to reducing harm.

Backed by experts and alcohol research from the University of Stirling, this course is open to anyone curious about the science behind alcohol and public health.

Understanding alcohol’s health and wellbeing impacts

Examine both short-term effects like sleep disruption and mood changes and its long term health effects. You’ll challenge common myths, question what labels and media portrayals don’t tell you, and see the full picture of how alcohol affects our bodies, relationships and society.

Recognising advertising and cultural normalisation

Learn to spot alcohol marketing everywhere, in sports sponsorships, TV programmes, social media influencers, and shop displays. You’ll discover how this marketing shapes our attitudes and drinking habits over time, and review research on how normalisation works.

Understanding these influences helps you think more critically about cultural messages around drinking.

Exploring effective actions and evidence-based policies

Discover what actually works to reduce harm caused by alcohol at a population level. You’ll explore government tools like marketing and sales regulations, tax policies, and improved labelling requirements.

Understanding these proven approaches helps you envision how evidence-based alcohol policies improve health, social and economic outcomes.

This course is ideal for anyone curious about alcohol and health, including professionals, charities, policymakers, students, and anyone new to thinking about to reduce harms caused by alcohol consumption.

This course is ideal for anyone curious about alcohol and health, including professionals, charities, policymakers, students, and anyone new to thinking about to reduce harms caused by alcohol consumption.

• Identify the key effects of alcohol consumption on short and long-term health outcomes
• Explain why some health and wellbeing effects of alcohol are less visible or less commonly discussed than others
• Discuss how public attitudes to alcohol are shaped by marketing and advertising
• Describe effective actions that governments can take to prevent and reduce harm from alcohol