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This book is about alcohol policy: why it is needed, how it is made, and the impact it has on health and well-being. It is written for both policymakers and alcohol scientists, as well as the many other people interested in bridging the gap between research and policy. It begins with a global review of epidemiological evidence showing why alcohol is not an ordinary commodity, and it ends with the conclusion that alcohol policies implemented within a public health agenda are needed to reduce the enormous burden of harm it causes. The core of the book is a critical review of the cumulative scientific evidence in seven general areas of alcohol policy: pricing and taxation; regulating the physical availability of alcohol; modifying the environment in which drinking occurs; drink-driving countermeasures; marketing restrictions; primary prevention programmes in schools and other settings; and treatment and early intervention services. The final chapters discuss the current state of alcohol policy in different parts of the world, the detrimental role of the alcohol industry, and the need for both national and global alcohol policies that are evidence-based, effective, and coordinated. This book shows that opportunities for evidence-based alcohol policies that better serve the public good are clearer than ever before, as a result of accumulating knowledge on which strategies work best.

Written by an international group of addiction scientists, this text is intended to improve the links between addiction science and drug policy. It presents the accumulated scientific knowledge on drug use research that has a direct relevance to the development of drug policy at local, national and international levels.

This article traces the modern history of alcohol policy research on an international level, focusing on cross-national collaborative studies, a recent phenomenon that has dramatically increased our scientific understanding of how alcohol-related problems can be prevented or reduced through organized action by governments and public health organizations. The studies reviewed here show that during the past 25 years, a small but growing cadre of alcohol research professionals has used a problem-focused, integrative research approach to more closely align alcohol research with public policy.

The misuse of drugs continues to cause suffering and worldwide economic turmoil. In response to these problems, many have devoted their lives to preventing the misuse of mind-altering substances. Addiction and the Making of Professional Careers focuses on the need for enhanced understanding of professional careers in the addiction field. The spectrum of professionals involved is wide and includes treatment personnel of every kind

We explored the emerging relationships among the alcohol industry, academic medicine, and the public health community in the context of public health theory dealing with corporate social responsibility. We reviewed sponsorship of scientific research, efforts to influence public perceptions of research, dissemination of scientific information, and industry-funded policy initiatives.

AbstractThis article draws on publications and announcements of the World Health Organization, United Nations and national governments, recent professional medical and health policy journals, and nongovernmental organizations to summarize the background and implications of recent international public health initiatives on the topic of alcohol.

Abstract

From a public health perspective, alcohol advertising should not be directed at vulnerable groups, nor should it portray excessive drinking or other objectionable content such as illegal activity. To promote the responsible advertising of alcoholic beverages, alcohol industry groups have developed self‐regulation guidelines that describe which types of content (and exposure markets) are unacceptable. In 2006 the US Beer Institute revised the content guidelines of the 1997 Beer Code. This study was designed to determine whether these changes made the revised Code more or less likely for expert judges to report guideline violations, and for alcohol advertisements to include otherwise inappropriate content from a public health perspective.


Six alcohol advertisements known or suspected to have multiple content violations were rated by 139 experts selected on the basis of their expertise in public health, mental health, alcohol research and marketing. The ads were rated on two occasions with feedback about other viewers' ratings provided at the second rating. The data were collected by means of a computer‐based rating program that used multiple items to evaluate the eight major content guidelines of the US Beer Code. The ratings were scored according to both the 1997 and the 2006 versions of the Beer Code.


According to the 1997 criteria, raters identified an average of 26 guideline violations across the six ads; the number of violations was reduced to 18 when the 2006 criteria were applied. The difference was statistically significant and was primarily attributable to changes in guidelines dealing with the portrayal of illegal activity, humorous situations and the act of drinking.


By removing or revising commonly violated guidelines, the 2006 Beer Code revision permits portrayal of previously objectionable ad content and increases the likelihood that risky drinking behaviours will be portrayed in US beer advertisements.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.