Table Of ContentPublic Health Mini-Guide
Alcohol Misuse
About the authors
KenBarrieisaseniorlecturerinAlcoholandDrugStudiesintheSchoolofSocial
SciencesattheUniversityoftheWestofScotland,wherehehasworkedfor30years.
HeistheprogrammeleaderfortheMSc/PostgraduateProgrammeinAlcoholand
DrugStudies.Hismaininterestsaretreatmentinterventionsandservicesforproblem
drinkersanddrugusersaswellaspublicpolicyinterventionsasmeansofreducing
harm.Hehasconductedcommissionedresearchonsubstanceuseissuesandservice
designforpublicbodies.Heiscurrentlyinvestigatingthelinksbetweenpovertyand
problemsubstanceuse.HismostrecentbookisAlcohol(2012).Heisamemberofthe
SocietyfortheStudyofAddiction.
AngelaScrivenisReaderinHealthPromotionatBrunelUniversityinLondon,
UK.Shehasbeenteachingandresearchinginthefieldofhealthpromotionformore
than30yearsandhaspublishedwidely,includingauthoring,editingorco-editingthe
followingbooks:HealthPromotionAlliances:TheoryandPractice(1998),Health
Promotion:ProfessionalPerspectives(1996,2001),PromotingHealth:GlobalPerspectives
(2005),HealthPromotingPractice:TheContributionofNursesandAlliedHealth
Professionals(2005),PublicHealth:SocialContextandAction(2007),PromotingHealth:
APracticalGuide(2010),HealthPromotionforHealthPractitioners(2010),andHealth
PromotionSettings:PrinciplesandPractice.Herresearchcentresontherelationship
betweenhealthpromotionpolicyandpracticewithinspecificcontexts.Sheisa
memberoftheInternationalUnionofHealthPromotionandEducation(IUHPE),is
PresidentElectoftheInstituteofHealthPromotionandEducation(IHPE),andisa
FellowoftheRoyalSocietyforPublicHealth(RSPH).
ForElsevier
ContentStrategist:MairiMcCubbin
ContentDevelopmentSpecialist:BarbaraSimmons
ProjectManager:UmaraniNatarajan
Designer/DesignDirection:MilesHitchen
Public Health Mini-Guide
Alcohol Misuse
Ken Barrie
SeniorLecturerinAlcoholandDrugStudies,SchoolofSocialSciences,
UniversityoftheWestofScotland,Paisley,Scotland
Angela Scriven
ReaderinHealthPromotion,BrunelUniversity,London,UK
Serieseditor:
Angela Scriven
Edinburgh London New York Oxford Philadelphia St Louis Sydney Toronto 2014
About the authors
KenBarrieisaseniorlecturerinAlcoholandDrugStudiesintheSchoolofSocial
SciencesattheUniversityoftheWestofScotland,wherehehasworkedfor30years.
HeistheprogrammeleaderfortheMSc/PostgraduateProgrammeinAlcoholand
DrugStudies.Hismaininterestsaretreatmentinterventionsandservicesforproblem
drinkersanddrugusersaswellaspublicpolicyinterventionsasmeansofreducing
harm.Hehasconductedcommissionedresearchonsubstanceuseissuesandservice
designforpublicbodies.Heiscurrentlyinvestigatingthelinksbetweenpovertyand
problemsubstanceuse.HismostrecentbookisAlcohol(2012).Heisamemberofthe
SocietyfortheStudyofAddiction.
AngelaScrivenisReaderinHealthPromotionatBrunelUniversityinLondon,
UK.Shehasbeenteachingandresearchinginthefieldofhealthpromotionformore
than30yearsandhaspublishedwidely,includingauthoring,editingorco-editingthe
followingbooks:HealthPromotionAlliances:TheoryandPractice(1998),Health
Promotion:ProfessionalPerspectives(1996,2001),PromotingHealth:GlobalPerspectives
(2005),HealthPromotingPractice:TheContributionofNursesandAlliedHealth
Professionals(2005),PublicHealth:SocialContextandAction(2007),PromotingHealth:
APracticalGuide(2010),HealthPromotionforHealthPractitioners(2010),andHealth
PromotionSettings:PrinciplesandPractice.Herresearchcentresontherelationship
betweenhealthpromotionpolicyandpracticewithinspecificcontexts.Sheisa
memberoftheInternationalUnionofHealthPromotionandEducation(IUHPE),is
PresidentElectoftheInstituteofHealthPromotionandEducation(IHPE),andisa
FellowoftheRoyalSocietyforPublicHealth(RSPH).
ForElsevier
ContentStrategist:MairiMcCubbin
ContentDevelopmentSpecialist:BarbaraSimmons
ProjectManager:UmaraniNatarajan
Designer/DesignDirection:MilesHitchen
©2014ElsevierLtd.Allrightsreserved.
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor
mechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,without
permissioninwritingfromthepublisher.Detailsonhowtoseekpermission,furtherinformationaboutthe
Publisher’spermissionspoliciesandourarrangementswithorganizationssuchastheCopyrightClearance
CenterandtheCopyrightLicensingAgency,canbefoundatourwebsite:www.elsevier.com/permissions.
ThisbookandtheindividualcontributionscontainedinitareprotectedundercopyrightbythePublisher
(otherthanasmaybenotedherein).
ISBN9780702046384
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress
Notices
Knowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchandexperiencebroadenour
understanding,changesinresearchmethods,professionalpractices,ormedicaltreatmentmaybecome
necessary.
Practitionersandresearchersmustalwaysrelyontheirownexperienceandknowledgeinevaluatingand
usinganyinformation,methods,compounds,orexperimentsdescribedherein.Inusingsuchinformation
ormethodstheyshouldbemindfuloftheirownsafetyandthesafetyofothers,includingpartiesforwhomthey
haveaprofessionalresponsibility.
Withrespecttoanydrugorpharmaceuticalproductsidentified,readersareadvisedtocheckthemost
currentinformationprovided(i)onproceduresfeaturedor(ii)bythemanufacturerofeachproducttobe
administered,toverifytherecommendeddoseorformula,themethodanddurationofadministration,and
contraindications.Itistheresponsibilityofpractitioners,relyingontheirownexperienceandknowledge
oftheirpatients,tomakediagnoses,todeterminedosagesandthebesttreatmentforeachindividualpatient,
andtotakeallappropriatesafetyprecautions.
Tothefullestextentofthelaw,neitherthePublishernortheauthors,contributors,oreditors,assumeany
liabilityforanyinjuryand/ordamagetopersonsorpropertyasamatterofproductsliability,negligenceor
otherwise,orfromanyuseoroperationofanymethods,products,instructions,orideascontainedinthe
materialherein.
The
Publisher's
policy is to use
paper manufactured
from sustainable forests
PrintedinChina
ForNancy
TitlesinthePublicHealthMini-Guideseries:
Obesity
NickTownsend,AngelaScriven
ISBN9780702046346
AlcoholMisuse
KenBarrie,AngelaScriven
ISBN9780702046384
Diabetes(forthcoming)
JosieEvans,AngelaScriven
ISBN9780702046377
Series preface
IntheForewordtoitsstrategyforpublichealthinEngland,theHealthyLives,
HealthyPeopleWhitePaper(TheStationeryOffice,2010),theUKgovernment
highlightedsomeofthepublichealthchallengesfacingthoseworkingtoimprove
publichealth:‘BritainisnowthemostobesenationinEurope.Wehaveamong
theworstratesofsexuallytransmittedinfectionsrecorded,arelativelylargepopulation
ofproblemdrugusersandrisinglevelsofharmfromalcohol.Smokingalone
claimsover80,000livesineveryyear.Expertsestimatethattacklingpoormental
healthcouldreduceouroveralldiseaseburdenbynearlyaquarter.Healthinequalities
betweenrichandpoorhavebeengettingprogressivelyworse’.Thepublichealthtargets
areclear,bothintheWhitePaperandinOurHealthandWellbeingToday
(DepartmentofHealth,2010),whichwaspublishedtoaccompanytheWhitePaper.
Thetargetsincludepoliciesformentalhealth,tobaccocontrol,obesity,sexualhealth,
andoverallhealth.
TheproposalsandprioritiesidentifiedintheWhitePaperapplytoEngland,but
theyareofequalconcernintheDevolvedAdministrationsandglobally,asevidenced
inWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)reports(www.who.int/whr/en/index.html).
ThePublicHealthMini-Guidesseriescoverssomeofthekeyhealthtargetsidentifiedby
theUKgovernmentandWHO.TheMini-Guideshighlight,inaconcise,easily
accessiblemanner,whattheproblemsareandtherangeofpotentialsolutionsavailable
tothoseprofessionalswhohavearesponsibilitytopromotehealth.
WhatthePublicHealthMini-Guidesprovide
TheMini-Guidesarewrittentoprovideup-to-date,evidence-basedinformationina
convenientpocket-sizedformatonarangeofcurrentkeypublichealthtopics.They
supporttheworkofhealthandsocialcarepractitionersandstudentsoncoursesrelated
topublichealthandhealthpromotion.Eachvolumeprovidesanobjectiveand
balancedintroductiontoanoverviewoftheepidemiological,scientific,andother
factorsrelatingtopublichealth.TheMini-Guidesarestructuredtoprovideeasyaccess
toinformation.Thefirstchapterscoverbackgroundinformationneededtoquickly
understandtheissue,includingepidemiology,demography,andphysiology.Thelater
chaptersexploreexamplesofpublichealthactiontoaddresstheissue,coveringhealth
Seriespreface
promotioninterventionsandlegislativeandothermeasures.TheMini-Guidesare
designedtobeessentialreferencetextsforstudents,practitioners,andresearcherswho
haveaprofessionalinterestinpublichealthandhealthpromotion.
Uxbridge AngelaScriven
References
DepartmentofHealth,2010.OurHealthandWellbeingToday.DepartmentofHealth,London.
TheStationeryOffice,2010.HealthyLives,HealthyPeople.WhitePaper.
x
Preface
AlcoholistheUK’sfavouritepsychoactivesubstance,andtheproduction,saleand
consumptionofalcoholicbeveragesisamajorelementoftheUKeconomy.Alcohol
useiscentraltomostethnic,social,andculturalgroupsintheUK.Theimpactof
alcoholonhealth,morbidityandmortalityandthesocialfabric(family,crimeand
employment)issignificantbothatanindividualandapopulationlevel.Asalcoholhas
becomecheaperandmoreavailable,associatedproblemshaveincreased.Globally,a
largeproportionofdiseaseisattributedtoalcoholconsumption,andalcoholplacesa
burdennotonlyontheindividualbutalsoonsocietyasawhole.Itisamajorpublic
healthchallengeonaglobalscale.
Thisminiguidepresentskeythemesrelatingtothischallenge,includingthemeans
ofmeasuringalcoholuseandrelatedproblems,themostrecentprevalenceandtrends,
thehealthandsocialconsequences,andcausesofalcoholmisuse,alongwith
approachestoreducealcoholproblemsatanindividualandapopulationlevel.
Chapter1coverstheprevalenceofalcoholuseanddrinkingpatternsintermsof
regional,ethnic,social,andgenderdifferencesintheUK.Theeffectsofalcohol,
includingculturalinfluencesonconduct,areoutlined.Definitionsofriskandsafer
drinkinglimitsareconsidered.Chapter2exploresthehealthandsocialconsequences
ofdrinking.Theroleofalcoholinoffendingisevaluated.Healthinequalityand
deprivationareconsideredasdriversofalcohol-relatedproblems.Chapter3examines
recoveryfromalcoholdependence,withandwithouttreatmentinterventions.
Evidence-basedpsychosocialandpharmacologicalinterventionsaredescribed,asisthe
importanceofthetherapeuticalliance.
Chapter4focusesontwoimportantsocialnetworks:thefamilyandtheworkplace.
Theimpactonbothisconsidered,andthepotentialforboththefamilyandworkplace
toinfluencerecoveryandpreventionisexplored.Chapter5emphasizesthree
importantpublichealththemes:thepriceofalcohol(includingminimumunit
pricing),controlofthedrinkingenvironment,andalcoholeducation.Oppositionto
controlsonalcoholbyvestedinterestsisappraised.Chapter6considerstheevidence
forreducingalcoholconsumptionandrelatedproblemsamonghazardousandharmful
drinkersthroughcontactwithnonalcoholspecialistservicesusingscreeningtechniques
andalcoholbriefinterventions.Obstaclestoprogress,particularlyinrelationto
professionaleducationandattitudes,areexplored.
Description:The Hot Topics in Public Health series Hot Topics in Public Health consists of a series of small pocketbooks, focussing on the key public health issues identified by the UK government priorities. The books will be of use to a wide audience of students and practitioners, in the Nursing and Allied Hea
