Preventing Harmful Alcohol Use
One in three adults has engaged in binge drinking at least once in the previous month, and one in five teenagers has experienced drunkenness by age 15. Harmful patterns of alcohol consumption have far-reaching consequences for individuals, society and the economy. Using microsimulation modelling, this book analyses the cost of alcohol consumption in 52 countries (including OECD, European Union and G20 countries), showing how alcohol-related diseases reduce life expectancy, increase health care costs, decrease workers’ productivity and lower GDP. While recognising the importance of the alcohol industry in many countries, the report makes a strong economic case for enhancing policies to tackle harmful alcohol consumption.
Policies and best practices for reducing the harmful consumption of alcohol
This chapter describes policy interventions designed to reduce harmful alcohol use among OECD, European Union (EU27), Group of 20 (G20) and a number of partnering non-OECD countries. It contains a special focus on the interventions outlined in the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol – in particular, those with a strong evidence base. Policy interventions are grouped into six domains covering pricing, availability, marketing, drink-driving, screening and brief interventions, and consumer information. The discussions include a description of the policy intervention, evidence of its effectiveness and/or cost-effectiveness, mapping across analysed countries and best practice case studies.
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