Supermarket discounts blamed for addiction

"Ridiculous discounts" in the off-trade have been blamed for Londoners "sleepwalking" into alcohol addiction.

A public consultation found that people do consider cheap off-trade alcohol to be an important issue in underage drinking and excessive drinking.

However, respondents gave strong support for drinking moderately in pubs calling it "part of the culture" and "a community hub".

A key factor highlighted in response to the report was the "ease" with which alcohol can be bought by underage children from off-licences and "deep discounts" in supermarkets.

"We should raise prices and stop supermarkets from offering such ridiculous discounts," said a respondent.

Licensing was another key area of consideration — many respondents wanted to see "greater consultation with the community before licences were granted and much greater limits on the number of licensed premises and retailers licensed to sell alcohol".

"If there were fewer places selling alcohol, say just back to off-licences and pubs, you wouldn't have that temptation so widely spread," said one respondent.

Another agreed: "In supermarkets, alcohol used to be in its own bit, now it's spread around, and I am sure that makes a big impact, with impulse buying."

Many respondents blamed parents and older figures for setting a bad example in the home. One person surveyed said: "You see middle-aged people telling young people what to do, and then knocking back whisky and wine themselves."

The report by the Regional Public Health Group was produced for the London Drink Debate, which aims to develop a strategy for tackling alcohol problems.