Authors: Eileen Kaner, Martin Bland, Paul Cassidy, Simon Coulton, Veronica Dale, Paolo Deluca, Eilish Gilvarry, Christine Godfrey, Nick Heather, Judy Myles, Dorothy Newbury-Birch, Adenekan Oyefeso, Steve Parrott, Katherine Perryman, Tom Phillips, Jonathan Shepherd and Colin Drummond

International studies have shown that 20-30% of patients who routinely present in primary care are hazardous or harmful drinkers. Several meta-analyses have shown that screening using short questionnaires followed by brief intervention (comprising simple advice or psychological counselling) significantly reduces alcohol consumption in primary care populations.

This paper reports on the results of one of three trials in the UK's 'Screening and Intervention Programme for Sensible drinking' (SIPS) study. 

The objective of the trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of different brief intervention strategies at reducing hazardous or harmful drinking in primary care, with the hypothesis that more intensive intervention would result in a greater reduction in hazardous or harmful drinking.

The two other SIPS trials were based in emergency departments and probation offices.

Authors: Peter Anderson, Antoni Gual and Joan Colom (PHEPA)

The aim of these guidelines is to summarize the evidence of the harm done by alcohol and how to manage hazardous and harmful alcohol use in primary care. The guidelines also describe alcohol dependence and how it can be managed, so primary health care providers know what to expect when more difficult to manage patients are referred for specialist help.

Author: WHO Regional Office for Europe
The action plan was endorsed by 53 European Member States at the Regional Committee for Europe in September 2011 in Baku, Azerbaijan. It includes a wide range of policies and programmes that are relatively easy and cheap to implement, can reduce the harmful use of alcohol, promote health and well-being, improve productivity, and enhance human, health and social capital across the life course from birth to old age. This action plan proposes a range of options for the 10 action areas of the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol that all European Member States can engage in.

Author: Irmgard Eisenbach-Stangl (European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research)

On the search for factors explaining the changes of alcohol consumption in European countries one quickly comes across preventive activities to reduce alcohol-related problems and/or alcohol consumption mostly taken by the state and occasionally also by other stakeholders such as e.g. the economy or social movements. Looking at them it becomes as quickly clear that the impact of prevention measures on consumption is everything else but simple.

The great diversity of preventive measures offers inspiration and orientation as well as an excellent occasion to evaluate, reconsider and improve interventions. Unfortunately the interesting research field is underdeveloped and until today misses a common reference frame that allows and facilitates comparisons. The Policy Brief intends to contribute to the development of such a frame.

Authors: Peter Anderson, Lars Møller and Gauden Galea (WHO Regional Office for Europe)

Alcohol is one of the world’s top three priority areas in public health. Even though only half the global population drinks alcohol, it is the world’s third leading cause of ill health and premature death, after low birth weight and unsafe sex, and greater than tobacco. In Europe, alcohol is also the third leading risk factor for disease and mortality after tobacco and high blood pressure. This report presents the latest literature overview of effective alcohol policies, and includes data from the European Union, Norway and Switzerland in the areas of alcohol consumption, harm and policy approaches. The data presented were collected from a survey in 2011.