Introduction
stroke, non-alcoholic, cancer, heart disease
STROKE, DISEASES
Excessive alcohol consumption is one of 4 sets of modifiable behaviours—along with tobacco use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet—that make a major contribution to the global burden of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and stroke [The promise of so-called “availability” interventions that change proportions of unhealthy (relative to healthier) products is highlighted by an emerging evidence base in relation to food [There is clear interest in increasing the availability of non-alcoholic drink options, from the perspective of both consumers and policymakers. While the current market for alcohol-free beer, wine, and spirits represents a 3.5% share of the global alcohol industry and is therefore relatively small, it is rapidly growing [In 2020, the UK Government made a commitment with the drinks industry to increase the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products by 2025, although details on what this would involve have not been published [The aim of the current study was to estimate the impact of increasing the proportion of non-alcoholic drink options relative to alcoholic drink options, on the number of alcohol units that are (i) selected (with the intention to purchase) and (ii) purchased. We hypothesised that increasing the availability of non-alcoholic alternatives to alcohol would reduce the number of alcohol units selected and purchased.