NICE continues to fuel the ridiculous notion that putting up the price of alcohol will stop binge drinking and alcohol misuse.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence suggests that heavily taxing alcohol will help to reduce the British culture of over-drinking, but I’m far from convinced.

What will happen is that those who want to drink large amounts of alcohol will simply spend more — just as those who are determined to smoke cigarettes do — while those who drink moderately will suffer by paying higher prices in pubs, supermarkets and other establishments selling alcohol.

It’s the same stupidity that suggests to confectionery and snack manufacturers that they reduce the size of their products in a bid to cut obesity.

It doesn’t work!

Now, I am against the deliberate selling of alcohol as loss-leaders, or prolonged happy hours, because they set the cost of alcohol artificially low. However, adding vast amounts of tax to each equivalent unit of alcohol hurts everyone.

Tackling our destructive alcohol culture will take so much more than price changes. It requires education from an early age in how to consume alcohol sensibly, plus sensible management by all those involved in selling alcohol.