Author: Peter Anderson (Maastricht University)

This report commissioned by the WHO Regional Office for Europe shows that there is a substantial evidence base on the effectiveness of different policies in reducing the harm done by alcohol. Policies that regulate the economic and physical availability of alcohol are effective in reducing alcohol-related harm. Enforced legislative measures to reduce drinking and driving and interventions individually directed to drinkers already at risk are also effective. The evidence shows that information and education programmes do not reduce alcohol-related harm; nevertheless, they have a role in providing information, reframing alcohol-related problems and increasing attention to alcohol on the political and public agendas. In all parts of the European Union, population-based interventions represent a highly cost– effective use of resources to reduce alcohol-related harm. Brief interventions for individual high-risk drinkers are also cost–effective, but are harder to scale up because of their associated training and manpower needs.

Author: Nick Heather (Northumbria University)

In this article, conditions that would allow a population-level effect of SBI to occur are reviewed, including their political acceptability. It is tentatively concluded that widespread dissemination of SBI, without the implementation of
alcohol control measures, might have indirect influences on levels of consumption and harm but would be unlikely on its own to result in public health benefits. However, if and when alcohol control measures were introduced, SBI would still have an important role in the battle against alcohol-related harm.

Authors: Lesley Graham, Tessa Parkes, Andrew McAuley and Lawrence Doi (WHO - Regional Office for Europe)

Alcohol is linked with crime, especially violent crime. Many people are incarcerated because of alcohol-related crime. Alcohol is not permitted in prisons except in a very few cases, and illicit use of alcohol in prison is not a major problem. Nevertheless, imprisonment gives an opportunity to tackle alcohol problems in prisoners, with the potential for positive effects on their families and friends and a reduction in the risk of re-offending, the costs to society and health inequalities.

This publication describes an integrated model of care for alcohol problems in prisoners, with elements for best practice. The model starts with assessment of the seriousness of prisoners’ alcohol problems, using a validated screening tool, the WHO Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and calls for interventions tailored to prisoners’ specific needs.

Author: European Comission

The brochure "Communicating EU Research & Innovation - A guide for project participants", which has recently been published by the European Commission, aims to offer a tool to better communicate about European research projects and their achieved results.

With a little creativity strategic communication efforts can help to show how project outcomes are relevant to everyday lives and how European collaboration has achieved more than would have been otherwise possible.

Authors: Noemi Robles, Silvia Matrai, Vanesa Carral Bielsa, Joan Colom, Antoni Gual

Europe presents the highest rates of alcohol consumption per inhabitant, with an impact exceeding 6% of the DALYs lost. However, European researchers claim that most of the research in the alcohol field is conducted outside Europe. In order to assess this claim, a review of international indexed publications on alcohol marketing and availability, two cornerstones of alcohol public health policy, was performed.