Author: Bray JW, Zarkin GA, Hinde JM, Mills MJ.

This article summarizes the literature on the implementation costs of alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) in medical settings.

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.

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: 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: 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.