My View: Drinks trade must show government how marketing changes behaviour

Crucially, half the deaths occur before the person has a chance to stop drinking. Some are alcoholics, many just heavy social drinkers. With the exception of the weapons industry, any responsible business should seek to keep customers alive, so there must be common ground between health professionals and the drinks industry.

Around 50-70% of people can change their heavy drinking culture when they really need to, but paradoxically there isn't much evidence that information campaigns change behaviour at a population level. The drinks trade must show government how marketing skills can change behaviour, but there must be a real reduction in harmful drinking patterns.

The abv of beers and wines, and pub measures of spirits, have increased by up to 40% over the last 30 years. The health impact of these changes has been huge, but public health probably played little part in discussions over product development.

The win/win result for producers and retailers must be slightly smaller portions of higher quality drinks containing slightly less alcohol - all sold at the full market price.

Nick Sheron is head of clinical hepatology at Southampton General Hospital