Any research published by the Institute of Alcohol Studies should be treated with caution (Alcohol abuse costing £27bn a year in England, 17 May). The IAS receives the bulk of its funding from the Alliance House Foundation, the modern iteration of the temperance movement. The AHF website states that “to this day we continue to promote total abstinence as a lifestyle choice, but we are not seeking to enforce it by legislation”. It goes on to say: “We make financial grants to other charities who align with our aims and objectives. We are the main donor to the Institute of Alcohol Studies.”
However, not only does the IAS receive most of its funding from the temperance movement, it also shares some senior personnel with the AHF. The Rev Dr Janet Tollington and Michael Carr are trustees of the IAS and also serve as board members of the AHF. Given that the IAS is aligned with the aims and objectives of the temperance movement (otherwise the AHF presumably would not fund them), in all these circumstances there is a risk that its research could be affected by confirmation bias.
Shaun Whitfield
Beverley, East Yorkshire
