Dr Christopher Snowdon // 26 November 2025

This paper evaluates the World Health Organisation’s recommended alcohol control “best buys” using evidence from 28 countries in the 2025 Nanny State Index. It finds no meaningful link between taxes, advertising bans or licensing restrictions and lower alcohol consumption, concluding that cultural, economic and demographic factors drive most variation.

The main findings of the briefing include:

• No association between WHO “best buys” and per capita alcohol consumption.

• Alcohol taxes raise prices but have limited impact on heavy drinkers and impose high costs on consumers.

• Advertising bans consistently fail to reduce alcohol consumption or harm.

• Licensing restrictions show inconsistent and often negligible effects on alcohol-related harm.

• Many liberalisations of alcohol laws have not led to increased harm.

• Social, cultural and economic factors explain most differences in drinking patterns across Europe.