Chair: Clare Taylor, Turning Point Chief Operating Officer and Chair of Collective Voice
Guest speaker: Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK

According to the Institute for Alcohol Studies, the economic burden on the NHS of alcohol harm now stands at £4.9 billion, enough to pay the salaries of nearly half the nurses in England. Deaths from liver disease have increased by 400% since the 1970s. Alcohol is more dangerous than ecstasy, amphetamines, tobacco and LSD and yet it is not a controlled substance and despite the harm caused to individuals, families and communities, for very many people, drinking alcohol is enjoyable and causes little damage. Given these varying perspectives, how can we reduce the harm that is caused?