Sub-Categories: Alcohol
Overviews
The papers in this section have been included in order to provide an introduction to the broad topic of alcohol harm reduction. The papers may not go into much detail about specific interventions, but overview the harm reduction policy approaches and where they might fit with traditional responses to alcohol use, misuse and harms. In particular,… Read more
Alcohol Consumption - Recorded and Unrecorded
Alcohol is a complex commodity – used around the world in its many guises and forms. The production, supply and consumption of regulated alcohol can be controlled through population-level responses such as taxation and licensing restrictions, and is reviewed in this section by a global report from the World Health Organization (WHO). However, in… Read more
National and International Policies
Around the world, there are good examples of alcohol policy documents that have embraced the harm reduction approach to alcohol to some extent. This section aims to provide a sample of these – with examples from Europe, Australia and Canada. The section also includes a global assessment of alcohol policies by the World Health Organization, and a… Read more
Local Policies and Strategies
One of the benefits of harm reduction as a complementary approach to traditional, population-level alcohol approaches is that it can be easily developed and implemented at the local level in a way that targets specific local problems or contexts. This section provides examples of successful local strategies from Australia, Sweden, the United… Read more
Managing Public Space
In many parts of the world, alcohol is associated with late night consumption, ‘binge’ drinking and the night-time economy. Through the harm reduction approach, with its focus on targeting drinking behaviours and contexts, alcohol policies and responses have become closely linked to the management of public spaces (such as city centres) in the… Read more
Interventions for High-Risk Groups
Alcohol harm reduction approaches can be targeted towards specific high-risk groups of alcohol consumers. This section provides some examples of this targeted approach and covers interventions for homeless or street drinkers, intoxicated Aboriginal drinkers, students and young people, drug service clients, and seniors. Brady M, Nicholls R,… Read more
Drinking and Driving
Perhaps some of the best known and most established alcohol harm reduction approaches are those that aim to prevent drunk driving. These interventions target a specific high-risk behaviour (driving when intoxicated) by deterring the use of cars – through blood alcohol limits, the enforcement of legislation, awareness campaigns, improving or… Read more
Changing Drinking Environments
Around the world, alcohol is consumed in a range of different environments and settings – some associated with higher levels of harm than others. This section overviews some of the interventions that have been targeted to reduce harm in drinking settings – especially bars and clubs. Harms such as violence, injury and drunkenness can be reduced… Read more
Glassware in Bars
One of the most specific risk factors in most drinking contexts is the serving of alcoholic beverages in glassware (and, therefore, this section should be read in conjunction with the section on changing drinking enviroments). Glasses and glass bottles can be used as weapons in violent situations and can also cause accidental injuries to both… Read more
Server Training
One of the most common interventions at the drinking venue level is server training – the education of key staff on responsible service techniques to avoid heavy intoxication, underage sales and violent incidents. Server training schemes have been established around the world – by NGOs, charities, alcohol manufacturers and the hospitality trade –… Read more
