What the Sunday papers say

More than eight million people in the UK are 'problem drinkers', says the Sunday Express, defined as a man who drinks eight glasses of alcohol in a single night each week, and six glasses for a woman. Binge drinkers are 13 times more likely to develop liver disease and one in 10 people will be affected by it at some point in their lives. - Sunday Express​

A tobacco-based gel designed to beat the smoking ban is sparking controversy among health campaigners, reports the Mail On Sunday. The gel can be rubbed into the skin to alleviate cravings when quitting, but anti-smoking groups and MPs like Anne Widdecombe say smokers should be encouraged to give up rather than be given an alternative. - Mail On Sunday​

Even if Whitbread doesn't sell off its Costa Coffee, hotels and pubs businesses, the group is ticking along nicely, says the Sunday Telegraph. Its shares have been on an incredible run, the paper writes, but the group has room to take on more debt and has yet to find a way to unlock the potential of its significant property portfolio. The paper recommends holding the shares. - Sunday Telegraph​

The UK's biggest off-licence chain, Threshers, is about to be sold for the second time in two weeks, reports the Sunday Times. Ten days ago a consortium led by private equity investor Edmund Truell, bought the business. Now Truell is looking to sell 75 per cent of the business and other related companies to Vision Capital for £265m. - Sunday Times​

British American Tobacco, the UK's largest cigarette maker, is to build smoking shelters on the roof of its London headquarters so that chief executive Paul Adams can continue to light up after the smoking ban begins next month. The structure will allow BAT executives the chance to puff away while gazing at the Oxo Tower on the other side of the River Thames. - Sunday Telegraph​

Mark Brumby, a City analyst who covers the pub trade for Blue Oar Securities, has been ranked eight best stock picker in the UK in an annual survey of analysts carried out by Starmine, the research firm. - Sunday Times​

And finally…

Coca-Cola has enlisted scientists in an attempt to prove to the world that it is actually a health drink that could combat anaemia. Doctors at the University of East Anglia are testing those who drink Coke and eat pizza to measure absorption rates of iron in the blood. - Independent On Sunday​